Developing the art of seeing: the most important skill a photographer can have
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It all begins with seeing
Photography is nothing without a vision of what is in front of us. The best photographers make us look at something ordinary in a new way. Or they bring attention to something we would not have considered looking at.
We are all capable of doing this. Success does not lie in thinking about gear and technique. It lies in spending time with a subject, rather than making the first image that springs to mind. And it comes from deciding what your image is about: what you want to say with it.
My daily walk around my local lanes is unremarkable
There are plenty of other better viewpoints, nicer scenery and more notable landmarks nearby. But, over time, I have developed my art of seeing and my ability to give attention to what is around me. As a result, I have come to appreciate this unremarkable corner of countryside more and more. I am fascinated with the strange geometries around the telegraph poles and wires. I love the stark minimalism of the dead seedheads in winter. I like to watch the way the shadows change according to the weather.
And, now and then, I am rewarded with a special sight. The phone box I see every day emerging from the mist. Or a favourite tree silhouetted in the blue hour. Many people would walk straight past what I linger over. But I have stopped looking and started seeing.
What’s the difference between looking and seeing?
Looking is acknowledging what is in front of us. But we do no more than that. We acknowledge the presence of something with a quick glance.
Seeing is finding meaning in what is in front of us. We have a better understanding of it because we reflect on it. We are likely to connect our subject with thought or information.
If we look at something, we have a fleeting impression of what it is like. If we spend time with it instead and start seeing, then we begin to appreciate all the elements. And we may start to feel an emotional connection to it as well.
For example, if we look at an old tree, we will probably have the sense of a big trunk and a tangle of branches. A tree is a commonplace sight. So we move on without giving it much attention. Or, if it is nicely isolated and there’s a pretty sky, we may make a quick image without a lot of thought.
But if we spend time with that tree we begin to see more and appreciate it more. How wonderful is that texture of bark with all its intricate patterns. How old and gnarled the tree looks. Perhaps it reminds us of an elderly relative or even our own sense of ageing. And what about the curve in one of the branches? How beautifully sinuous it might be, reaching out into the sky as if it were the limb of a dancer.
Now we might begin to create some very different images, ones that celebrate the tree more. And the content of those images will probably be very different from a quick image made after just looking. Those images might cause a viewer to see or think about the tree differently as well.
A look results in a quick snap: a photograph without much to say for itself. It is a record of a scene without any interpretation. Seeing results in thoughtful images which are attempting to say something about the subject. The image might share a message, a feeling, a point of view or an experience.
Which type of image would you prefer to make?
I hope this chapter has changed how you think about seeing
I often meet photographers who are wondering what image to make next. They follow the technique articles in the hope that they will be given new ideas. They travel to classic locations because they know what to expect and they know there is a “good” image to be made there. But I am often told that ultimately it is usually a rather unsatisfying experience. It becomes another session in the skill of technical photography, rather than making an image that gives the photographer satisfaction because they are emotionally connected to it.
Once we stop consciously looking for something to photograph and realise that everything around us can become a potentially beautiful image then things change. Everything is turned around. We stop looking for subjects and start thinking about what calls to us.
It is at this point that we are starting to master the art of seeing.
This blog is taken from the first chapter in my book A Deeper Way Of Seeing: Developing Your Photographic Voice. It contains a much more in-depth version and I also cover small detail photography, intentional photography, project photography and photography and words. There are also 60 inspirational photography prompts and ways to review your work.
