Apogee Photo Magazine

SEEING DEEPLY

by John Gerlach

Some of us take the same picture over and over again without realizing it. Learning to see more deeply may be the key to breaking out the rut.

I've been looking at things all my life, but learning to see deeply from a photographic perspective was one of the most difficult things I had to learn to improve my own photography. Even today, I spend more effort at seeing well than any other part of photography.

I had a tendency to photograph the same subject like a dewy spiderweb the same way year after year. After awhile, I noticed that all my dewy spider webs and dragonflies looked rather similar, all my wildflowers were photographed in similar ways, and so on. Once I became aware that I tended to approach similar subjects in the same way from year to year, I was gradually able to find new ways to photograph these subjects, but it took a great deal of effort and thought on my part.

For example, I have photographed arethusa orchids for years. When I first started to photograph them, I tended to compose a single blossom as a tight vertical portrait with the stem running out of the bottom of the frame. After a couple years of shooting arethusa mug shots, I learned to look for orchids growing up through other vegetation like the low branches of a tamarack tree. Now I worked the tamarack branch into my composition with the orchid still being the main subject. Since the arethusa orchid which always grows upright was now smaller in the frame, I could now compose effective horizontal compositions and well as verticals. By learning to do this simple thing, I moved up one more rung on that endless ladder to great seeing. I was now a better photographer, but I still strive to continue to see better and move up the ladder.

Seeing well apparently is easier for some than others, but everyone can learn to see well if they wish to and work at it. For example, my wife Barb, has a highly developed natural ability to see really well and she has taught me a lot. In the beginning, she had to work on the fundamentals of photography like exposure and using equipment while that part of photography was always extremely simple for me. So it worked out well for both of us. She helped me to see more deeply while I made sure she mastered the technical side of photography. We both benefited greatly from this arrangement.

The best way to learn to see well is first to be aware that you can learn to see better if you really try. When you travel in wild areas and consciously work at seeing better, you will. Shooting lots and lots of photos should improve your vision as long as you don't shoot the same subjects over and over again in the same manner.

Another excellent way to learn to see better is to study how other excellent photographers see by the photographs they create. There are a lot of single photographer books available that I strongly suggest adding to your personal library. I have more than 100 of these photo books and learn a great deal from them. Pat O'hara is a photographer who sees really well and has produced many wonderful books. His recent book "Wilderness Scenario" shows how he uses soft light, diagonals, and reflections to produce many outstanding photos. It's published by American & World Geographic Publishing. Westcliffe Publishers is another fine company that produces a series of beautiful photo books that are shot by some of our countries best landscape photographers like Larry Ulrich, Carr Clifton, Jeff Gnass, Steve Terrill and others. O'hara's WASHINGTON: IMAGES OF THE LANDSCAPE is my favorite book in the series. Other companies that produce quality photo books include Falcon Press, Northword Press, and the Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company. I highly recommend writing for their catalogues. You'll be amazed at all the high quality books that are available.

American & World Geographic Publishing
P.O. Box 5630
Helena, MT 59604

Westcliffe Publishers, Inc.
2650 South Zuni St
Englewood, CO 80110

Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
P.O. Box 10306
Portland, OR 97210

Falcon Press
P.O. Box 1718
Helena, MT 59624

Northword Press
Box 1360
Minocqua, WI 54548

Collecting quality photo books and carefully looking at all the photos will help your photography. You probably won't like every photo in any book, but that's okay. We all have different tastes. Undoubtedly, you see a photo that is just super and you'll wonder why you didn't think of it. For example, O'hara photographs many reflections. Have you ever spent time photographing reflections as a central theme? If you look at his photos and then decide to go looking for good reflections and eventually take a number of successful reflection photos, you'll grow as a photographer and move up the ladder of great seeing a rung or two. And you aren't copying them. After all, you'll probably have a totally different subject in a different part of the country during a different time of the year. Photographing reflections or dewy dragonflies for that matter is an idea. That's what these books do for you. They show you what great photos look like and give you ideas that you can pursue to create your own wonderful photos. Over time, you'll discover more ideas and modify old ideas. Eventually, you'll take everything you have learned from others and mix it together with your own discoveries to evolve your own unique vision. And that's when photography really becomes fun!