Amateur Photographer (2019-04-13)

subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 April 2019

David’s top tips

Allow yourself to take that

honeypot shot, but only once

you’ve exhausted all options

Do your research –

then stop

Photographers often do far too much

research before a trip begins. This not only

empowers, but it also antagonises. Nothing

is worse than feeling down because you’re

looking at a smartphone full of amazing

work, which leads many back to the safety

of the cliché. Arrive on location, throw your

arms wide, and then get to work.

Thelastresort

Ratherthanbaga cliché,remindyourself

thatyouarebetterthanthis.If youknow

wherea popularcompositionis at the

locationyou’rein,onlyvisittheconcept

whenyouhavecreativelyexhaustedall

otheroptions,oryoucouldfindabsolutely

nothingelse.

Changeyourvision

Manypicturesareclichésbecauseof

popularfocallengths.Manylandscape

photographersusea magicformula(likea

rockin theforeground)andsimplyrepeat

theconceptagainandagainratherthan

experimentingwithotherfarmorecreative

options.Denyyourselftheeasyoptionand

tacklea clichéin a newdirection.

Bepreparedtofail

Noonelikestofeelthattheycouldlose,

butultimatelysucha feelingwillempower

you.Spendingtimefeelingnervousabout

theoutcome,insteadof comfortably

photographingclichés,canoftencreatethe

verybestwork.Walkingawayfroma shoot

knowingthatyoutriedhardtoinnovateis a

goodfeeling,whatevertheresult.

It’snotgoodenough

It canworkwondersif yousetthebarhigh

andrestrictyourapproach.Spendsome

timeonrefiningtheconceptof a

composition.It willimproveyourvisionand

confidence.Trustyourinstinctstocallyou

onwardstoa betterpictureandenjoya far

betterresultwithouta clichéin sight.This

Norwegianimage(belowright)took 40

minutestofind,aftermanycompositions

wereabandoned.

Communicate

yourvision

Walkingthepathof aninnovatoris going

totakeguts.Donotexpecta rapturous

responsetoa freshperspectiveevenfrom

a knownlocation.Clichésalwayspulla

guaranteedaudience,butoftentheirvision

is lesscomfortablewithchange.

Nonetheless,showyourstrengthby

communicatingyourconcept.

Above: If you want that honeypot shot, reward

yourself once you’ve explored other opportunities

Above: Experiment and make your own

compositional rules; it’s all about trial and error

Above: Putting yourself under pressure and

preparing for failure can often yield great results

nothing wrong with playing other
people’s songs and having a really good
time doing it!

Side-step the clichés
One way of avoiding clichés in your work
is to not visit them at all, but just because
you are in a beautiful place, it doesn’t mean
you won’t see other things that are far more
interesting. Some photographers seem to
decode the world around them eff ortlessly
wherever they are. While staying away
from clichés is good for the mind, it can
also be a terrible struggle. Although it may
appear so, you don’t have to walk a
miserable and lonely path. What you have
to do is think diff erently and stop
approaching photography with the same
clichéd mindset – that’s where the clichés
are really lurking.
Something as simple as changing the
focal length can be all it takes to trigger
the mind to see a new and exciting way.
Approaching the same subject from a
diff erent angle and position can not only
stimulate a new idea, but can also be all
it takes to generate an entirely diff erent
picture. Why not try a completely diff erent
time of day? Or how about shooting a
well-known location in a diff erent
frequency? Personally I use an infrared
camera to help me to see things in a
completely unique way.