DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Keeping Your Eyes Open

Sep 4, 2013 by Jeff Guyer Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Remember when I wrote about Quintessential Moments? It focused on benchmark or definitive moments in our growth as photographers. Maybe it was a photograph where a new concept fell perfectly into place. Maybe it was an image that had a profound impact on you– or someone else. One thing that I mentioned in passing at the end of the article was that you can’t force these moments. You can’t stack the deck and artificially create a defining moment.

I should have taken my own advice this past weekend.

Dragon*Con once again came to town, and with it came its annual parade. I have a pretty healthy comic book and sci-fi nerd streak in me, so it’s always a good time wandering around with my camera, getting fun shots of people with perhaps…well, let’s just say they take their love for these characters way more seriously I do. Way, WAY more seriously. And come on– who doesn’t love a parade?

spiderman1-guyer-photography

Anyway– back to the point. At last year’s parade I got two or three really cool shots of Spider-man. There were many Spider-men, but this was the real guy. Peter Parker in the flesh. Turns out, one of the photos won a contest a few weeks later and garnered a bit of attention. From the time our paths crossed to the time I conceived the shot, got him where I needed him, fired twice, re-posed, and fired twice more, a grand total of about a minute and half had passed. Photo shoots weeks in the planning hadn’t gone as smoothly as this.

A large print of the shot below hangs in my son’s bedroom, so I see it every day. Not too long ago I had a great idea for another shot. All I was missing was Spidey.  I was determined to find him at this year’s parade staging area and get the image. Simple, right? How difficult could it be to find the right Spider-man in a sea elves, orcs, stormtroopers, rebels, steam punks, and superhero wannabes?

spiderman2-guyer-photography

Obviously, I didn’t find him. I broke my own rule about forcing the moment. I got so wrapped up in getting that one shot that I don’t even want to think about the shots I’m sure I missed.  The moments that might have been had I just let things naturally unfold in front of me, rather than artificially trying to create them.

When it comes to my photography, I’m my own worst critic. It’s rare for me to walk away from a photo shoot completely satisfied. Even when I am satisfied, chances are that when I look at the images again a week, a month, or a year later I’m not going to be very happy with any of them. Or at least not as happy as I was. Always looking ahead– hopefully learning a thing or two along the way.

I think all of this really hits home for me with my street and candid photography. In the studio we plan. We diagram. We adjust. While there are a few street photographers out there staging their scenes and images. I think the vast majority of us are observers. I may have an idea I hope to capture, but I am usually content to sit back and wait. To observe and let things unfold around me with perhaps just a little direction from time to time. If you knew me better, you’d know how ironic this is, considering how overwhelmingly impatient I tend to be.

Forcing the moment (almost) never works. It’s okay to have a goal or an idea– a concept– in your head and run hard with it. But while you’re running with it, make sure you keep your eyes and mind open to the other possibilities around you. They won’t always be defining moments, but they don’t have to be.

Maybe realizing that and being comfortable with it is its own defining moment. Just something to think about.

About The Author

Jeff Guyer is a photographer based in Atlanta, GA., specializing in
commercial and portrait photography, as well as weddings, sports, and
street photography. You can see more of his work at Jeff Guyer Photography, or connect with him on Facebook at Guyer Photography, or Twitter at @guyerphoto.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

An Open Letter to People Who Write Open Letters 3 Benefits of Keeping a Photography Journal Preparing For Their 67th Wedding, This Couple Has Been Keeping Photographers Across The World Very Busy Impatient Patience…Keeping The Momentum While Learning the Ropes

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: street photography

Jeff Guyer: from diyphotography.net

About Jeff Guyer

Jeff Guyer is a commercial/portrait photographer based in Atlanta, GA. Still an avid street photographer and film shooter, Jeff also launched a kids photography class three years ago, where rumor has it he learns more from the kids than they learn from him. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter, or check out his work at Guyer Photography.

« Want To Get Your Subjects Comfortable In A Shoot? Get Them In A Shower
Seize the Moment – A Photographer’s Parable »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Samyang adds 100mm T2.3 to its compact autofocus cine prime lineup
  • Build your own DIY night vision camera with a Raspberry Pi
  • This adorable LEGO retro camera set hits the stores soon
  • Here are the cameras that shot Flickr’s best images
  • Meta AI image generator Imagine gets its own website

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy