Photography

What does it feel like when your creative vision merges with the subject's "essence"?

Portrait Photography: Letting Subjects Drive for Capturing Essence

So, what does it feel like when my Creative Vision merges with subjects Essence? Well, I actually want that to happen during my portrait sessions. I let my subjects drive, my creative response. Do I have a repertoire? Sure. Do I know what I'm doing? Behind the camera. Yes, I have knowledge of different lighting and how that lighting relates emotion and feeling, but I watch and engage with my subjects. I I listen to their nonverbals, I utilize their own tells and I let their Essence drive, those creative tools that I have photographic lie to make the image in the end, ultimately their personality shines through, and I find that that is the most productive and best way to create creative, portraits and capture that essence.

When my Creative Vision merges with a subject's Essence, it feels like I am engaging with the subject to listen and watch their nonverbals, utilizing their own tells, and letting their essence drive the creative tools I use to create the best portrait that captures the true essence of their personality.

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When my creative vision merges with a subject's essence, it's a fulfilling experience. During my portrait sessions, I aim for this connection to happen. I allow my subjects to take the lead, driving my creative response. While I have a repertoire and knowledge of different lighting techniques, I observe and engage with my subjects closely.

I pay attention to their nonverbal cues and utilize their unique characteristics to guide my creative process. By doing so, their true essence shines through in the final image. This approach allows me to capture authentic and creative portraits that truly reflect their personality.

In your opinion, what makes a photograph truly original and innovative?

Unleashing Your Unique Perspective: The Key to Innovative Photography

In your opinion, what makes a photograph truly original and Innovative. I think by the notion that you as a photographer, as an individual and you bring everything behind the camera, your world experiences, your point of view, your perspective, the Dynamics that happen to you over the course of your life. Imprint how you perceive things and that alone makes your vision truly original. And I try to impart that on others who are just beginning and, you know, obviously, we want to Look at the great photographers and emulate their work and and you know see if we can repeat their successes but I encourage you also to take a step back and look at the world through the, through your own filter and be able to take those experiences that you've harnessed over the or learned through the course of your life and project that through the lens. And the way you see the world now that is truly innovative.

A photograph is truly original and innovative when it is seen through the photographer's unique perspective, world experiences, and point of view.

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In my opinion, what makes a photograph truly original and innovative is the unique perspective and personal experiences of the photographer. As an individual, you bring your own world experiences, point of view, and dynamics that have shaped your perception of things. This imprint on your vision makes it truly original. While it's natural to look up to great photographers and try to emulate their work, I encourage photographers to also step back and view the world through their own filter. By harnessing the experiences and lessons learned throughout life, you can project your own unique perspective through the lens. This is what truly brings innovation to your photography.

How do you stay motivated and inspired when faced with creative blocks or challenges?

Revive your creative spirit by exploring other artistic mediums

How do you stay motivated when you're in a creative slump? Well, I think a lot of that for me is a time for self-reflection and a time to step away from photography all together and I will put my camera down and go do something else. Whether that's writing my horse or engaging in another sort of creative activity. I like to quilt. And so, and do other artistic mediums. I like to paint and then And I'm usually inspired through other avenues, other mediums of art to reinvigorate that part of my creative self behind the camera. So if you're in a creative slump, put the camera down, try something else and and be creative using other parts of your mind and other facets of your Artistry. And I think that that will help

To stay motivated when in a creative slump, put the camera down and engage in other creative activities like writing, quilting, painting, etc. This can help to inspire ideas for your photography and bring back motivation.

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When faced with creative blocks or challenges, staying motivated and inspired can be a struggle. Personally, I find that self-reflection and stepping away from photography altogether can be beneficial. I set my camera aside and engage in other activities, such as horseback riding or exploring different creative mediums like quilting or painting. By immersing myself in other forms of art, I often find inspiration that reignites my creativity behind the camera. So, if you're experiencing a creative slump, I suggest trying something different and exploring other avenues of creativity. It can help stimulate your mind and rejuvenate your artistic spirit.

What aspects of photography can not be taught?

The Unteachable Essence of Photography: Capturing Your Unique Vision

What aspects of Photography cannot be taught? I think that really photography, you can learn the technical aspects of it. You can learn about light language and color, concepts and composition, and how to put things together. But really, it comes down to being able to capture what you're seeing in front of you the way you visualize it in your head. I can't teach you how I do that. So I think it's so very important. If you're pursuing photography that you allow your voice and your creativity to come through and not necessarily emulating somebody else's. Of course practicing that helps you be able to build off of that but I can't teach you how I see others can't teach you how they see and I think that it's important to be able to convey what you see.

While photography can be taught in terms of the technical elements, it is ultimately up to the photographer to capture what they are seeing in front of them the way they visualize it. This is a skill that cannot be taught.

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What aspects of photography cannot be taught? While you can learn the technical aspects, such as understanding light, color, composition, and concepts, there is one crucial element that cannot be taught - capturing what you see in your own unique way. I cannot teach you how I visualize and capture images, just as others cannot teach you how they see. It is essential to allow your own voice and creativity to shine through in your photography, rather than simply emulating someone else's style. Practice can help you build upon your skills, but ultimately, conveying your own unique perspective is something that cannot be taught.

Is there ever a time it feels appropriate to "break the rules?"

Breaking the Rules: Unleashing Creative Brilliance

Is there ever a time that it feels appropriate to break the rules? Well, I, when I'm teaching photography, I always stress that you should know the rules to break the rules. And I think that's the mark of a true artist is when you when you go to something and you see it creatively and you're like, well, I know I should really do it like this. Like, the rule book say I should do it this way, but now I'm gonna do my own thing and I'm going to just totally break all the rules. And I think that that that's Sometimes makes things stand out from others as well. So, I like to try new things. I like to give these like, sort of rule bending techniques to try. And you know, sometimes they're failures dress to failures but sometimes they can come out really, really cool. So, when's a good time? I think anytime is a good time.

I believe that a true artist knows the rules and isn't afraid to break them in order to create something unique. Anytime is a good time to break the rules as long as you are prepared for potential failure.

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Is there ever a time when it feels appropriate to break the rules? Well, in my experience teaching photography, I always emphasize the importance of knowing the rules before breaking them. True artists often approach something creatively and decide to do things differently, even if the rulebook suggests otherwise. This willingness to break the rules can make their work stand out from the rest. Personally, I enjoy trying new things and experimenting with techniques that bend the rules. Sometimes these experiments result in failures, but other times they can produce really cool outcomes. So, when is a good time to break the rules? I believe anytime can be a good time.

Do you ever experiment with abstract photography?

Unleashing Creativity: Pushing Boundaries in Abstract Photography

Do I experiment with abstract photography? Absolutely, I think everyone should always be pushing their boundaries and trying new things and part of that is abstract photography when I go out and I look at something, I try to see it from my normal perspective and capture that once I have something safe in the bag then I will try something different. Is it? Successful always know but that doesn't mean that you don't learn something new in the process and I definitely have taken some of the things where I've experimented Had successes and applied that to a commercial shoot successfully and its really changed my creativity and my perspective. So yes, always trying something new and Abstract is part of it.

Yes, I think everyone should experiment with abstract photography as it can help push the boundaries of creativity and can be applied to commercial shoots.

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Absolutely, I do experiment with abstract photography. I believe it's important for everyone to continuously push their boundaries and explore new techniques. When I go out to capture a scene, I initially try to capture it from a more conventional perspective. Once I have some safe shots in the bag, I then venture into experimenting with abstract compositions.

Not every experiment is successful, but that doesn't mean I don't learn something new in the process. Some of the techniques I've tried in abstract photography have yielded successful results, and I've even applied those learnings to commercial shoots, transforming my creativity and perspective.

So, yes, I'm always open to trying something new, and abstract photography is definitely a part of that exploration.

Stacy Pearsall answers your Photography questions. See all the advice Stacy Pearsall has and get answers to your own Photography questions.

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Nikon Ambassador, combat veteran, educator, author, speaker, founder of the Veterans Portrait Project, and Producer and Host of After Action