In the zone

Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania

IT’S quite an experience to be able to teach photography to students coming from different backgrounds. I normally ask them how they end up wanting to learn photography and their answer just adds to the complexity of why people love photography. There is really no pattern, just the same end in mind.

The bridge between starting up and gaining confidence with your shots is long and full of doubts. One student of mine told me that her shots look really bad and it seems photography is not for her. However, in that long journey of discovering and doubts, you’ll also experience moments of euphoria from exceptional photos you’ll get once in awhile.

This will drive you for another long haul until the next jackpot shot. Then you will realize that the gap becomes narrower and suddenly you’re in the zone. The thirst for getting the best shot is still very much the goal and the mediocre becomes intolerable as your audience is left in awe with a trail of amazing photos you’ve shot.

When I was starting up back then, the book “Learning to See Creatively” by Bryan Peterson was just a solid inspiration for me. He explained that to be able to see creatively, you have to train your eyes to see it. It is not something you buy or a pill to take to activate your attention to an interesting scene; it’s a process of waking your brain to see the unseen.

Although we all have our own pace in learning, one effective way of seeing things differently is to spend time looking at photos of a photographer that inspires you. Spend a lot of time to analyse their photos and try to reference it with compositional guidelines discussed in books. Next is to double that time taking photos yourself.

Nothing beats practicing. Since you know that skills are not included in your purchase of camera, hard work and persistence are the keys to sustain practicing. It’s that level of interest you have that will fuel your drive to continue. I have seen photographers who are really good and have continuously evolved. These are the photographers I follow.

I follow those photographers who are difficult to catch, so after a long period of time, I’d be able to cross more bridges and miles in my journey. You have to find that space for you to exercise and share your art to others. It’s the space you can escape to where everything is different and all to yourself. That’s the zone.

Learning photography is a process. Everybody has to go through it. There’s no shortcut. The more ground you cover the better you become. Keep on shooting, everyone!

photomania.sunstar@gmail.com www.albertpedrosa.com