Finding the spark
One of the pleasures about being a photographer is that our creative life is not always client dependent. I am constantly shooting and exploring my visual world. So where does the inspiration come from? Recently, I was stuck in traffic on Chicago’s infamous Eden’s freeway when I heard somebody on the radio say the phrase: “Fragile Beauty.” Those words struck a chord, which I will explore photographically. Later that day, a client asked me, “What have you been thinking about?” We talked for a while about the relationship between abstraction and universality. Both of these encounters will somehow work their way into my photography.
For me, inspiration can also come from a simple model. I might meet someone at a casting call and will find their look, and more importantly, their personality, captivating. I will then develop shooting scripts around what intrigues me about them. The script ideas can often come from day-to-day life. I then set the scene and let the talent act it out. It is during this performance and setting that I seek to catch the spark.
Fanning the flame
I might expand the emotional gestalt of a shoot by having the talent playing the scene from several points-of-view. If I’m after a romantic couple I will also have the couple act as if they are angry, blissful, contemplative or bored. By swinging back and forth through different emotions, the talent will often reach a truer sense of their feelings and a newfound comfort with one another. This exercise also builds trust between the models or employees. Most of our emotions are not always pure, they have many shades, many sides, and can be complicated. Powerful photography can capture a moment that is truly authentic, and I consistently pursue freezing these moments in a way that captures and captivates. I believe that building trust on set is key to capturing honesty in a photograph. By giving our talent a world of possibilities to act within, they more easily enter into and perform best in their roles. One of the coolest things about shooting digitally, for example, is that the talent and the clients can see the scenes take shape on a large monitor. Once they see how it is all coming together, their trust factor and their confidence goes way up, which helps to lead to the success of a shoot. This can really move inspiration from a spark to a flame from which to increase the intensity of the resulting shots and begin to thread together a stronger theme and support a broader storyline.
Keeping the fire alight
On many days in our rush to meet life’s demands we don’t always hear those voices of inspiration very well. I try to live with my eyes & ears open. Twyla Tharp in her wonderful book, “The Creative Habit,” talks about the relationship between physical acts and creative ones. She says if the brain is stuck… move the body. I say, if the picture is stuck, move the camera, move the lights, and move the models. In essence, move the needle.
