How to cure the “Hurry-up” illusion

[Vaughn]

Another aspect of this is that I have been photographing along the same stretch of Prairie Creek for over 30 years. 'Waiting' can also mean coming back a week later, or next Fall. Having it start to rain (or the wind to kick up) just means I enjoy being there and I'll break out the camera the next time.

[Heroique]

I too have visited and re-visited special landscapes over many years, and I’m often surprised by compositions that take that long to catch up to me. 10 years. 20 years. 30 years. Leaves me w/ plenty of time to complete my most complex camera movements!

I’ve often asked myself whether I prefer, as a photographer, coming upon a new exciting place, or going back to beloved places time and again.

My best shots are about evenly divided between these two experiences, but my favorite shots come from the beloved places, where slowing-down time is of the essence.

[Vaughn]

A major aspect of a place is change. How can one fully experience a place without experiencing the changes it goes through? Time of day, weather, seasons, and just time itself. In the past thirty years I have seen favorite 'old growth' maples die and fall, seen open areas fill in, new open areas form when a giant redwood falls, and seen the fallen redwoods go from a bare trunk to an elevated forest of huckleberries, spruce and hemlock fifteen feet off the ground and 200 feet long.

Not that experiencing a place like this is required for a good photograph, but the can experience provide context for one's images. That 6-month bicycle trip in New Zealand was informed by a previous one year stay going to university (which included studying ecology) and a three-month failed photo expedition (hitch-hiking around NZ with a 4x5). Do I really know NZ -- not really...not like I know Prairie Creek, but I got stronger images the third trip because of the previous two trips (first trip was before I started to photograph).

I would love to solo bicycle around Iceland with a 5x7 for a couple of months -- on my list of dreams. If I had the money, I would consider going there on a photo workshop that catered to LF photographers...just so that I have the experience with the light and landscape there before undertaking a long bike trip. But I am willing to risk missing some images by just going on the bike.

Only half of this Big-leaf maple still stands
Scanned 8x10 Carbon Print

The snag leaning at 45 degrees is now on the ground (middle image)
Scanned 5x7 Carbon print

This redwood trunk is now an elevated forest
7x19 silver gelatin print (from a 4x5)

[ROL]

Just curious – we all see promising compositions disappear because we aren’t fast enough.

The light changes, the wind picks-up, the rain moves in – and you’re only half set-up.

But how many LF compositions fail to appear because you aren’t slow enough?

I’m thinking of the ones coming, not fleeing – the ones you don’t see because conditions (physical & psychological) haven’t quite created them yet.

How do you decide whether to wait for them, or abandon them and go home?

Do you think going slow takes more skill than going fast?

How absurd to even think of yourself as a(n) LF Photographer, much less an artist, if you do not have complete mastery over your tools, methods, time – hell even the heavens themselves.

[Joe Wright]

I formulated a plan for my next trip of taking two cameras and setting them up on the two compositions. My only worry is that this may cause some cosmic feedback loop and destroy the universe...

Now that would be a picture!

[John Berry]

Stereo 8x10

[mike rosenlof]

I've also been in plenty of situations where something looks great at first glance. I start setting up, study the scene or subject, think about it some more, and decide "nope, nothing here".

[patrickjames]

I always have a small camera with me when I have my 4x5 so I don't really ever worry about missing anything. The majority of the time, shooting the 4x5 to me is about commitment, not haste.

[chassis]

This happened to me this weekend - not working slowly enough. I set up for an outdoor portrait of grandparents and grandkids. I decided on how to light the shot and camera placement. I gave brief thought to group composition, and the least amount of thought to exposure. I assembled the group, focused and took a meter reading. By this time I was feeling hurried to get the photo taken before the kids got ants in their pants. So I didn't completely think through the right lens aperture, and didn't stop down enough.

Overall the lighting and exposure were good, just not enough depth of focus. Also, the arrangement of the people in the group could have been better.

With landscape subjects, I have made progress in working more slowly, but still have room to improve when making portraits.