Assignments and Photographic ideas

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Larry Berlin writes:

>*****  It's not the ideas so much as what happens when the camera is in
>your hands and you're on the prowl at night... Film is at hand... 

I happen to believe that if you just pick up the loaded camera and
shoot around aimlessly for a competition with a general assignment 
(like "after hours", "tabletops", etc.) in your mind, without thought 
or plan, what will develop will be mostly garbage.  Or, most probably, 
a terrible mental block will prevent you from shooting anything.

I like to take my time thinking of the assignment.  Sometimes I
take a few pictures, then change my mind, or learn from the
experience and shoot again.  I always have an image or an idea
and I am working on improving it.  If I am lucky it can take
a few weeks.  Or, it could take months.  (I am not getting paid
to take pictures :-))

Example:  Assignment in Detroit is "Symmetry".

First picture:  A coworker is growing sunflowers at home.  He brought
a few at work and was impressed by their size and amazing natural 
symmetry.  At first, I did not make the connection with the assignment.
Later, while I was actively thinking of symmetric objects to photograph,
I remembered the sunflower.  I asked him to bring one for me.  He did.
I took it home and put it outside.  Using my SLR with a macro lens
and natural light I took a few pairs looking straight down the flower's
center,  The resulting pair won second place and was my only image 
that won HM for the "Slide of the year" competition at the end.

Second picture:  I saw an image of B&W dice arranged in a symmetric
pattern, in some catalog.  I cut the picture and put it in my notebook.
A few months later I went to the drug store and bought several packs
of B&W dice.  I set them symmetrically and took a bunch of pictures
at different configurations and angles.  The results just did not move
me.  Later, I saw some colored dice as part of a board game.  I ordered
the game and continued looking for colored dice from different sources.
When I had enough dice (more than 100!) I decided to take the picture.
I thought of different ways to arrange the dice.  Finally, I placed
them on a mirror to add to the depth with the extra reflections.
Using natural light, I took several pictures.  I selected the "best".
This picture won first place in the "Symmetry" assignment (but I did
not enter it in the slide of the year because I liked the sunflower
better).

All in all, it took more than half a year to complete my idea with
the dice.

Good pictures can be the result of a "lucky accident" but many times
they are the result of careful planning, patient research and trial
and error.

Another example:  Coming back from the Statue of Liberty, I use my
SLR and normal lens to take hyperstereos of the Manhattan cityscape
as the boat moves.  No assignment in mind.  Just the pursuit of good
stereo photography.  Most pairs failed because of opposite movement
of the clouds.  One pair works (no wind, clouds did not move, lucky 
accident, but I did have a specific idea of what I was trying to 
achieve).  Picture wins 3d place in Detroit in the "Open" assignment 
and award for best "Architecture" picture in DSG PSA competition in 
Germany.

If you are interested, I can list more assignments and photographic
ideas that either worked or failed.  It's been a while since we
talked photography in the list :)

-- George Themelis


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