since i have a little down time, i would like to occupy my intellectual wasteland with an attempt at raising consciousness, whether mine or others concerning an issue that chris yeager touched upon, unawares, in his gracious response to critical acclaim arising from his last post. in short, he modestly suggested that the success of the image in question was simply a matter of "f8 and be there", which i believe is an old chesnut from the world of photojournalism. i thought that i would try to spark some discussion by setting this hypothesis, and see who would support it, and why:

a substantial number of the best photographs taken either by amateurs or professionals is simply the result of accident; that is, being in the right place at the right time, or being in a position to gain access to an unusual, beautiful, or otherwise outstanding human subject matter.

so, what say you all? if you are bored sometime, or just would like to play around with the idea, or actually give a damn, file your response at your leisure. i have my own position, but since i came up with the issue, and my spare time is up for now, i would hope that someone else start the ball rolling.

wayne harrison

-- wayne harrison (wayno@netmcr.com), November 27, 2000

Answers

I'd differentiate between the "f8 and be there" mode of photojournalism and the serendipity of other types of photography - say street or fashion.

The demanding conditions of many kinds of photojournalism put a premium on getting any image at all. Since it is rare to have the opportunity to exercise much creative control over the result, the photojournalist is as much valorized for his/her bravery, ingenuity, and persistence as for anything else.

At the other end of the spectrum, your journeyman wedding, fashion, or portrait photographer relies almost entirely on technique. Clients come to him for a specific product with a specific look - whether he works for Wal-Mart or is doing a full-page ad for Vogue.

But at some time we all hope to get the opportunity to be more creative. That's when technique and circumstance come together to give us something that we didn't (couldn't) have totally foreseen. When I did that shot of Vick, I knew the basic parameters of what I wanted - a b/w headshot that could be cropped square - hopefully down the center. However, the final result, including the angle I chose, the background he chose, and the light (that was unadulterated) was as much due to serendipity as plan. And I think that that little thrill you get when you first see your contacts (or an initial Polaroid) is a big part of why I like photography.

In short, "Serendipity Happens."

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), November 27, 2000.

Well, let me say that for this image it was no accident that I was at that festival, with a good camera, loaded with HP5, looking for portraits. It was no accident that I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to shoot. I'd sized up the light and figured f8 was ok for a grab shot, that took planning. What was accidental (and fortunate) was that Tim and Ruby were coming from the right direction to be lit nicely, that a man passed right behind them to separate their heads with his darkened form, and that their expressions could not have been better at that second. Back on the non accidental side, I had the experience to not just stand there admiring it throught the viewfinder. It was that quick- I know i didn't compose it- (it's cropped a little all around....)

So luck in great photos, perhaps, but dumb luck, no. I've come to believe that with a few exceptions, luck is indeed where preparedness meets opportunity- so get out there and get lucky!

-- Chris Yeager (cyeager@ix.netcom.com), November 27, 2000.

A substantial number? I gotta be honest, I'm not sure I've taken a photograph that wasn't accidental, at least in some way. I mean, how the heck do I know what the camera is "really" going to do when I press the shutter, and do I really know how my film responds to light, or do I just have a pretty good idea after x number of rolls? I'm always surprised at how the deliberate ones appear under a loupe.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), November 28, 2000.

"where preparedness meets opportunity"... indeed. I have a loud and well experienced friend who reminds me of this on a regular basis, albeit it usually occurs during a story illustrating what a great photographer he is...

Personally I feel there is a lot of serendipity in any good photograph. The subject is at hand, the photographer has the experience, the equipment is willing and the light... available (by whatever means). The most incomprehensible aspect of the magic, to me, is the containment of the seamless range of color and tone that is taken for granted in the thin emulsion waiting in the dark. It's pretty close to magic... t

-- tom meyer (twm@mindspring.com), November 28, 2000.

I agree that most really good photos have that spark of serendipity. But I've found that practice, preparation, and effort on my part increase the number of good shots I get immensely.

Besides, I have to take the blame for all the boring or crappy photos I take; I want to squeeze as much credit as I can out of the good ones. . .

-- Mike Dixon (burmashave@compuserve.com), December 01, 2000.

I'm not sure how I feel about serendipity. Of course, there is always being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes that is serendipity. But I think that what may seem to be luck comes from things inside that aren't easy to describe.

What I find for myself is that I often shoot in an almost unconscious state. I work best when my mind vaporizes. I suppose this could be considered the ultimate in serendipity, but to me it's just some sort of direct connection to the subconscious. Or something.

That photo I posted in the fashion thread I started, I can't remember taking it. I don't know where, I can only place when because of the roll of film. Seems like I have a fair amount of stuff like that...

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 02, 2000.

I seem to work from the exact opposite end of the spectrum. I have been carrying my camera with me everywhere for the past few months - but I haven't taken any pictures. I have, however, noted a number of places or scenes I would like to photograph in the future - but only when I have a detailed plan (in my mind at least) of both how to approach the shot and why I am doing it.

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), December 02, 2000.

This is a complex question and deserves much consideration, but for a few days all I could think of was this example from the Dilbert cartoon series:

Dilbert writes a poem and presents it to Dogbert:

DOGBERT: I once read that given infinite time, a thousand monkeys with typewriters would eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare.

DILBERT: But what about my poem?

DOGBERT: Three monkeys, ten minutes.

Scott Adams, Dilbert comic strip, 15 May 1989.

This is how I often feel about my photography; that it is nowhere near where I want it to be and is more-or-less the pure luck of clicking the shutter at the right instant. Or, to put my feelings the other way, I think that great photography takes planning and training and all the other things we talk about, whereas there are at least some photographs which are the result of being in the right place at the right time.

-- brian reeves (brianr@alpha1.net), December 04, 2000.

Actually, I'd like to be a bit more right-brained when I'm taking pictures. I love shots that are blurry and off-kilter - but usually only when someone else does them.

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), December 04, 2000.

Good question Wayne. There is an expression, " Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while ", or something to that effect. The point is that anyone is capable of at least occasionally taking a very good, maybe great, photograph when luck arrives on the scene. For that reason i tend to consider the body of work of any artist before i make a judgement as to their abilities.

You said, " a substantial number of the best photographs taken either by amateurs or professionals is simply the result of accident; that is, being in the right place at the right time, or being in a position to gain access to an unusual, beautiful, or otherwise outstanding human subject matter."

being in the right place at the right time is NOT always an accident, but is often planned, or at least happens because the artist is aware of the possible opportunity awaiting. In other words "being prepared".

As for "gaining access".... same thing..... i think many of these great photographs happen because the photographer recognizes fertile ground that others might not, and does what it takes to place him/herself in that position. Sometime that planning could take months but we don't know that when we view the image do we? We think " Wow i wish I had that kind of luck! "

I totally agree that preparedness, and technical knowledge to the point that it becomes second nature is a big component of success, and i believe that when you view the body of work of any artist and see repeatedly good works, the serendipity factor tends to seem less plausible as an explanation.

So.... that blind hog may find an acorn...... but it's because he knows what they smell like! He's not so "blind" after all is he?

-- Susan Daly (SLascaux@aol.com), December 19, 2000.

thanks, all, for your responses. i noted at the outset that i had my own position about the issue, and i suppose susan stated it as well as i could hope. still, i would add another element that i feel is a necessary requirement for anyone who proposes to take pictures of a particular genre: what we call "people pictures". that element is courage. from time to time i find myself with camera in hand, cruising my environment like a hawk floating over a broomsage field, when i see an image form right in front of me that i just *know* would be wonderful for one or more reasons. but instead of lifting the box to my face, i flinch. why? maybe i waited too long, got greedy hoping for perfection, and the magic was lost; but more likely than not, i just was afraid to anger or embarrass the people i was shooting. i believe that a truly great photographer of people must be fearless, intellectually and physically.

maybe that's why so many who fit that description are females...

-- wayne harrison (wayno@netmcr.com), December 19, 2000.

You could try the HCB approach, and never move the camera from your eye. Just use a quiet one, and frequent the same venues... t

-- tom meyer (twm@mindspring.com), December 20, 2000.

Hello colleagues,

With your consent, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ghirmay Abraham. Currently, I am doing the final year of my undergraduate studies at the University of Asmara, Eritrea. As part of my training, I am intending to prepare a senior paper on Photojournalism (Photojournalism and editing problems of news papers in Eritrea) and I have the difficulty of finding sources in our library. This is, therefore, to kindly ask you to help me in locating articles on the areas of photojournalism. I would really appreciate if some one out there could send me some publication/articles on photojournalism via my mail address and/or as an attachment to my email account. My full address is as follows:

Ghirmay Abraham P.O. box 1042 National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students Youngesters Radio programme Asmara, Eritrea E-mail: jomc358@yahoo.com or yonash@marine.uoa.edu.er

Thank you very much in advance for your kind cooperation.

Sincerely,

Ghirmay A.

-- Ghirmay Abraham (jomc358@yahoo.com), December 07, 2001.