Macro Photography: The Process vs. The Results
This is something of a mini-essay, so please be warned and feel
free to ignore what follows.
I have tried to discuss this concept in earlier postings on
NikonGear.com but probably did not present it correctly, the
difference (in photography) between process and results... and
their relationship. In other words, I want to contrast here the
‘process’ of doing photography with the end result, the final
photographs we tend to post.
Of course they are related and (for argument’s sake) I am taking
the side of the process rather than that of the end resulting photos
to make a point. For the most part (and this is not meant in a
derogatory way) this site is oriented more toward the final photos
and not so much on the process of how we got there. I understand
why this is so but am curious just the same as to what is lost in not
sharing more of the process of taking photography.
This is a question each of us have to answer for ourselves: do we
mostly photograph because we want to produce ‘great’ photos or is
the process of photographing itself something we depend on and
look forward to. For most of us, it is probably some of both.
And this may be especially true for beginners, those trying to learn
to get the results that they admire in other’s work. Beginners know
little to nothing about the actual process that produced the results
they seek because, by definition, they have not learned the
process. They only have seen the results and like them.
The beginning photographer often tries to produce the final result
without proper knowledge of the process required. This process is
either consciously kept secret or is (more likely) simply an oversight
on the part of the skilled photographers who are in the habit of only
presenting their results and not their process. In other words, the
photos we admire from our favorite photographers did not spring
full-blown like Athena from the head of Zeus but are the result of a
long (and often satisfying) technical journey we each must take.
Why is sharing that journey important?