Which stage of photography do you like least?

Saturday 28 March 2020, 15:51 by Elvira Smit | 4,222 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

When you take photographs, you usually go through three stages. But do you spend the same amount of time and attention on each one? Probably not. That may be what is holding you back from becoming a better photographer.

That is why here is an explanation of the three stages, so you can see what you are good at and where you can improve.

Some time ago, photographer Ed Kashi talked during a workshop about a simple breakdown of his photography. He said that photography has three moments of joy.

For him, at least.

Because I think most photographers do have a preference for one, or two, of those moments. There is nothing wrong with that, but it helps a lot if you know where you stand. Because then you can do something about it. If you want to, of course.

Right, let us take a look at those three stages:

1. Taking the photo

The first moment of joy: you take the photo. This is what attracts most people to photography, including people who do not call themselves photographers, whether amateur or otherwise. After all, it is a magical phenomenon that we can simply freeze a fragment of time and keep it for later.

You get an instant dopamine hit and feel in charge. You decide what goes in, and what does not. It is addictive, as shown by the absurd number of photos we take every day.

2. Soaking in your photo

Great, you have taken the photo. Now what?

Now you get to work on it. The fast-food version of this step is applying an Insta filter. Mediocre photos of shadows, beaches and sunsets are given a bit more weight.

Although only briefly, Instagram is also designed for an attention span of 1.5 seconds. Your photo does not need to hold its own for any longer.

The slow version is editing your raw file in a photo editing programme such as Lightroom or Photoshop. You give the image your attention, look at it critically and refine it where necessary. Ideally, you do this a good while after taking the photo.

You leave the image alone and only look at it weeks later, with fresh eyes. You really immerse yourself in it and investigate whether you still find the photo interesting after a week on your pinboard.

In short, in this stage you see whether the image can hold its own. Is it interesting enough?

3. Sharing your photo

After stages 1 and 2 comes, sometimes, stage 3: you share your photo. On Instagram, WhatsApp or countless other ways: publishing it on your website, putting it on your wall, selling it, approaching a magazine or newspaper, entering a photography competition, publishing your own book, or simply printing it and showing it to your friends.

The above is, of course, a simplified version of reality. Because you can easily expand these stages further. For some photos, I do quite a bit of preparation, such as making a shot list.

Which stage do I like least?

The third stage, sharing my photos, does not come naturally to me. I have piles of photos at home, but I hardly ever share them. Usually, they only serve as illustrations for an article, just like now.

Now that I know this, I have made a plan for this year in which I share a photography project every month. Sometimes directly with family, or on my website, for example.

Which stage can you improve?

Sometimes it changes too, what you are good at. I have whole periods when I hardly take any photos, and suddenly find stage 1 really tedious.

Fortunately, there are things that get me going again. Like this photography game.

Take a look at your own process: which steps do you go through? Which do you enjoy most, and which least?

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About the author

Ik heb een eigen fotografieblog, Kronkeling. Daar schrijf ik om de week twee artikelen. Over hoe je je blik kunt scherpen, je creativiteit kunt aanwakkeren, en over fotografen die mij inspireren. Geen technische zaken, wél over hoe je leert kijken. En dat blijkt nog een hele klus. Een mooi startpunt zijn de Kronkeltips, die vind je hier.

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3 comments

guest wrote on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 12:12 | reply
What strikes me is that you don't describe a stage before you start taking photos. What do I want to tell with the photo, will it be one photo or will it be a series, is the location right, the weather conditions, do I have the right model, is the subject clear, which materials am I going to use, what is the photo or what are the photos intended for? In short: the preparation.
Translated from Dutch.

Elvira Smit wrote on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 15:11 | reply
@guest: very good addition! There are indeed many more phases, and moreover the entire process is different for every photographer. It's nice to look at your own phases, and at where you give sufficient or insufficient attention. And that is also the purpose of this article: it is not complete, but hopefully it will prompt some meaningful reflection
Translated from Dutch.

Huub Keulers wrote on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 21:14 | reply
Hi Elvira, first of all, a really nice article that gives food for thought. Thank you for writing and sharing it. You are absolutely right that it will be different for every photographer. For me, the phases even depend on the type of photoshoot. It is different for a sports shoot than for a corporate reportage or portrait shoot. I will share the seven phases with you for my greatest passion (sports photography):

1. The preparation at home (applying for accreditations etc.)
2. The preparation at the location (scouting the location, setting up in the press room etc.)
3. Social contact and networking with the athletes and coaches
4. The actual photographing
5. During the event, transferring some photos to the press agency if it is an assignment.
6. Looking at, selecting and picking out the best of the bulk of the photos at home
7. The post-processing
8. Sharing on social media and/or website

Of these, I like phase 1 and 5 the least. My favourite phases are 3, 4 and 6.

I wish you lots of wisdom for your phase 3 and lots of fun and success with your other two phases.

Greetings, Huub Keulers
Translated from Dutch.

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