Thought process

Albert Pedrosa

I’M occasionally asked about my thought process when shooting. I would hear the same question when watching a photography video tutorial. When I was just starting, that’s what I always asked every time I met somebody I looked up to. When learning photography, the photos are the output of the photographer’s creative process.

In my experience teaching and practicing photography, there are two types of photographers. One is the type who creates the moment, while the other one finds the moment. I’ve been in this art long enough to know that I belong to the one who creates it. I’ve seen my photography students and know those who belong to the finding-the-moment type.

I’m the type who imagines the shot and creates it by finding the right location, model, outfit and shooting it with the right pose and emotion. I try to relate everything from what I have envisioned and allow the other creatives in the team to add to the theme. Planning and imagination is the main ingredient in what I do.

There are photographers both students and professionals who can just pick a spot from a random location and capture a beautiful frame with less planning and imagination. They are the ones who find a gem in every situation. They have a faster processor that allows them to compose, set the right exposure, and find the best angle, all happening while in action.

Although both types of photographers often crossover to the other side, they are more effective, though, in their dominant creative side. I can shoot finding-the-moment style with less planning and preparation and get a decent and acceptable output, but I wouldn’t expect it to be spectacular. If you know your strength, polish it and develop your weak side as well.

When I plan and envision an image for my shoot, I don’t imagine a particular shot. I imagine a feeling. I then try to find the right image that would visualize that feeling. From there, I add the details like the outfit, location, model, makeup and how the light should come out. This is where the team comes in and adds creative input. For a commissioned shoot, the client’s vision is incorporated in the creative process.

During the shoot, I allow the vision to grow and develop but only within the limits of the theme. You don’t stop until you get closer to the image you have envisioned. It’s a very intense and fun experience finding the right shot that would visually represent the feelings that you have imagined.

The creative process may change from one photographer to the other, whether you’re the creating-the-moment type of the one who finds it. It’s an endless road when you choose to be a creative. It’s actually the journey and not the destination.

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We will be having a Basic Photography Workshop on March 25 – 26, call Jennifer at 0942.487.0385. Keep on shooting, everyone!

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