SCOTT BOURNES

ESSAYS ON INSPIRATION,
CREATIVITY & VISION IN
PHOTOGRAPHY
All text and photographs by Scott Bourne
This entire publication is Copyright 2011
Bourne Media Group LLC - All Rights Reserved
For more information on this publication please contact:
Scott Bourne
Bourne Media Group LLC
1445 AMERICAN PACIFIC DR # 110-285
HENDERSON, NEVADA 89074-7402
p:702-558-3805
bournemediagroup@gmail.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I nt roduct i on
Essay #1 St or yt el l i ng
Essay #2 New Vi ews t o I nspi r at i on
Essay #3 Seei ng
Essay #4 St or yt el l i ng Par t 2
Essay #5 Creat i vi t y
Essay #6 Cl ar i t y
Essay #7 More I nspi r at i on
Essay #8 New
Essay #9 Creat i vi t y Par t 2
Essay #10 I nvi si bi l i t y
Concl usi on
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INTRODUCTION
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I got t he i dea f or t hi s e-book sever al year s ago f rom Davi d duChemi n. He' s bi g on
e-books and bi g on vi si on. Hi s t agl i ne - "Gear i s Good, Vi si on i s Bet t er " has al ways
st uck wi t h me as somet hi ng t hat ever y phot ogr apher needs t o t hi nk more about .
I t t ook me a whi l e t o get around t o i t , but I ' ve f i nal l y done i t . I ' ve gat hered some of
my ear l i er wr i t i ngs on i nspi r at i on, creat i vi t y and vi si on i n phot ogr aphy and compi l ed
t hem i n one pl ace. I ' m of f er i ng t hi s i nf or mat i on as a f ree e-book. Thi nk i f i t as a
t hank you t o t he phot o communi t y t hat has suppor t ed me. I ' m al so hopi ng i t wi l l
hel p some of you t o make bet t er phot ogr aphs.
These essays were compi l ed f rom wr i t i ngs I ' ve publ i shed over t he l ast t hree year s.
I ' ve updat ed a f ew of t hem and t r i ed t o make t hem rel evant t o t oday. I hope you
f i nd t hem hel pf ul and i f you do, pl ease f eel f ree t o pass t hi s f ree e-book on t o
ot her s.
Wi t hout f ur t her ado - here are 10 essays on i nspi r at i on, creat i vi t y & vi si on i n
phot ogr aphy.
Thanks
Scot t Bour ne
scot t bour ne. com
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ESSAY #1
STORYTELLING
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I l ook at a great deal of phot ogr aphy. I l i ke t o l ook at phot os f or many of t he same
reasons t hat wr i t er s l i ke t o read. I t hel ps me get bet t er at my cr af t .
I encount er l ot s of vi si on-rel at ed phot ogr aphy probl ems ( and I am NOT t al ki ng
about t he f act t hat I now need bot h dr i vi ng AND readi ng gl asses! ) I see phot os
where I am not sure what t he phot ogr apher was t r yi ng t o accompl i sh. I n t hose
cases I l i ke t o pl ay doct or and I have a si mpl e prescr i pt i on: Become a st or yt el l er
r at her t han a phot ogr apher.
Why t el l st or i es wi t h your camer a? Wel l , f or one t hi ng, peopl e who l ook at pi ct ures
wi l l enj oy l ooki ng at a st or y over a snapshot any day. Tel l i ng st or i es wi t h your
camer a f orces you t o sl ow down and t hi nk about what you are doi ng. What i s i t
about t hi s scene t hat makes you want t o make a phot ogr aph? What moves you or
at t r act s your eye? I s t here a poi nt of vi ew t hat you want t o capt ure and preser ve?
Aski ng t hese t ypes of quest i ons wi l l al most al ways l ead t o a bet t er phot ogr aph. I n
f act , i f you j ust want t o do ONE t hi ng THI S YEAR t hat wi l l si gni f i cant l y i mprove your
phot ogr aphy, do t hi s - t el l st or i es r at her t han t ake snapshot s.
I f you need hel p get t i ng t o t he poi nt where you are a st or yt el l er, you can use a
vi si on exerci se t hat I of t en t al k about cal l ed SAS - whi ch st ands f or Subj ect ,
At t ent i on, Si mpl i f y.
Usi ng SAS, I approach each scene aski ng mysel f what i s t he SUBJECT of t hi s
phot o. There i s a real t empt at i on here t o over si mpl i f y. I am not merel y sayi ng t hat I
can i dent i f y t he obj ect I am poi nt i ng t he camer a at . I am t al ki ng about t he st or y
behi nd t he i mage. I f a phot o wor ks real l y wel l as a st or y, i t doesn' t even need a
capt i on.
Once I have my subj ect . I now have t o dr aw ATTENTI ON t o i t . That i s t he "A" i n
SAS. Thi s t echni que can hel p you t el l your st or y. I t f orces you t o f ocus, l i t er al l y and
f i gur at i vel y, on what ' s i mpor t ant i n t he shot .
To dr aw at t ent i on t o t he subj ect , I of t en shoot near l y wi de open usi ng a l ong l ens. I
shot wi t h a reasonabl y nar row dept h of f i el d t o hel p bl ur t he background. Thi s
aut omat i cal l y f ocuses at t ent i on on t he subj ect i n t he f oreground. I use a l ong l ens
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because i t hel ps me i sol at e t he subj ect . Thi s i s j ust one exampl e, but hopef ul l y i t
hel ps.
Just l i ke ever y good st or y has a begi nni ng, mi ddl e and an end, ever y good
phot ogr aph shoul d have an obvi ous way t o dr aw t he vi ewer i n, somet hi ng t o hol d
hi s at t ent i on once he get s t here, and somewhere t o go when s/ he' s done.
The l ast par t of SAS i s SI MPLI FI CATI ON. I t ' s t he most i mpor t ant par t of t he SAS
regi men. John Shaw says t he di f f erence bet ween a prof essi onal and an amat eur
phot ogr apher i s t hat t he pro knows what not t o i ncl ude i n t he phot o.
When you are composi ng an i mage, t ake a moment t o l ook around t he f r ame and
ask your sel f . I s t hi s t hi ng necessar y t o t el l my st or y? I s i t par t of what real l y
at t r act ed me t o t he i mage? I f you see a wat er f al l r unni ng past a boul der and t he
power st r uggl e bet ween t he boul der and t he wat er i s your st or y, t hen you don' t
need t o i ncl ude t he f l ower s, t he sky, t he gr ass, et c. I ncl ude onl y t hat whi ch i s
necessar y t o t el l your st or y and not hi ng more. Thi s wi l l i mprove your phot ogr aphy
i mmensel y and i t won' t cost you a new pi ece of gear t o do i t .
CONCLUSI ON
Al l I real l y want you t ake away f rom t hi s i s t he f act t hat i t ' s a good t hi ng t o t hi nk
l i ke a st or yt el l er r at her t han a pi ct ure t aker. Ever yt hi ng el se i s secondar y.
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ESSAY #2
NEW VIEWS TO
INSPIRATION
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I f your creat i ve vi si on has hi t a wal l or you are j ust bored wi t h your phot ogr aphy,
consi der shoot i ng wi t h t he panor ami c f or mat .
Whi l e t he panor ami c camer a i s as ol d as phot ogr aphy i t sel f , I was not aware of
panor ami c phot ogr aphy unt i l 1995. At a phot o wor kshop, t he t eacher ( Joe Meehan)
had i mages past ed on t he wal l t hat t ook my breat h away. They were panor ami c
i mages of nat ure scenes, and I coul dn' t st op l ooki ng at t hem. That was when I
deci ded t o t r y panor ami c phot ogr aphy.
Not ever y si t uat i on l ends i t sel f t o panor ami c phot ogr aphy. There are however, many
si t uat i ons t hat scream f or panor ami c vi ews. Group por t r ai t s, seascapes, gr and
sceni c vi st as, archi t ect ure, st adi ums, skyl i nes, st age product i ons, and ci t yscapes
are al l popul ar panor ami c subj ect s. I t i s i mpor t ant t o remember t hat seei ng a
panor ami c i mage i nvol ves scanni ng f rom si de-t o-si de r at her t han i sol at i ng one
si ngl e domi nant aspect of a scene.
Recent l y, panor ami c camer as have been f i ndi ng t hei r way i nt o l ess convent i onal
si t uat i ons. Tr y phot ogr aphi ng a spor t i ng event wi t h a pan camer a. Or how about
doi ng an envi ronment al por t r ai t t hat real l y shows t he execut i ve i n her el ement ?
Exper i ment at i on i s t he key and t hankf ul l y, t he angl e of vi ew t hat most panor ami c
camer as of f er i s so di f f erent t hat exper i ment at i on comes easy.
When I at t end or t each wor kshops, j oi n I nt er net di scussi on groups, read phot o
magazi nes or gener al l y j ust chat wi t h ot her phot ogr apher s, I hear peopl e t al ki ng
about seei ng t he same ol d i mages. I bel i eve t hat panor ami c phot ogr aphy i s a great
way t o def eat t hi s l i ne of t hi nki ng. Rent , buy or bor row a panor ami c camer a next
weekend and go shoot some of your f avor i t e l ocat i ons.
You can al so use di gi t al t ool s t o st i t ch t oget her i mages and make t hem i nt o
panor amas.
I am wi l l i ng t o bet t hat t he panor ami c f or mat wi l l change t he way you see and hel p
you make new and exci t i ng i mages of ol d and f ami l i ar pl aces.
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ESSAY #3
SEEING
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Why does one phot ogr apher wal k by an oppor t uni t y t hat someone el se t ur ns i nt o a
magazi ne cover ? How can you l ear n t o see creat i vel y? Your camer a manual won' t
answer t hese quest i ons. But wi t h t he r i ght t ool s and process, you can i mprove your
phot ogr aphi c vi si on.
The t ool s t hat hel p phot ogr apher s t o creat i vel y see i ncl ude pat i ence, posi t i ve
at t i t ude and an open mi nd. Whi l e most peopl e possess t hese t r ai t s t o some degree,
t hey usual l y l ack t he process t hat pul l s i t al l t oget her. On your next phot o shoot ,
use t hese st eps t o i mprove your phot ogr aphi c vi si on.
1. El i mi nat i on. Most phot ogr apher s i dent i f y t hei r subj ect usi ng a l ogi cal pat t er n.
They usual l y el i mi nat e i t ems f rom t he f oreground and background unt i l somet hi ng
cat ches t hei r eye and t hey make t he phot ogr aph. Unf or t unat el y, most shoot er s
el i mi nat e t hi ngs unt i l onl y t he most obvi ous choi ce remai ns. Then t hey f i re away at
t he subj ect wi t hout t hi nki ng about ot her opt i ons. Phot ogr apher s who see creat i vel y
est abl i sh rout i nes t hat l ead t hem t o see ot her ways t o f r ame a subj ect . A
phot ogr aphy t eacher unknowi ngl y t aught me t hi s ver y poi nt when he opi ned, "Look
up, l ook down and t hen l ook al l around. " He was t r yi ng t o get me t o see t he same
subj ect i n many ways. To t hi s day I pr act i ce hi s approach.
Exampl e: Layi ng on t he ground t o change per spect i ve and usi ng wi de-open
t el ephot o t o compress background as wel l as f ocus at t ent i on on t he f oreground
al l ows t he phot ogr apher t o el i mi nat e cer t ai n el ement s t hat a st andi ng phot ogr apher
woul d have no choi ce but t o i ncl ude.
2. Evol ut i on. Tr y r ai si ng your camer a i n si x-i nch i ncrement s f rom t he ground t o your
t r i pod' s maxi mum hei ght . Look caref ul l y at t he subj ect on ever y l evel . Thi s
i ncrement al approach t o maki ng di f f erent phot ogr aphs of t he same subj ect i s a
per f ect exampl e of evol ut i onar y creat i ve seei ng. Make many smal l ref i nement s t o
your composi t i on f or t he best chance t o see t he best shot s. Thi s approach i s
especi al l y val uabl e when phot ogr aphi ng f ami l i ar subj ect s.
3. Rei nvent i on. I n t he l at e 1800s, t he head of t he U. S. Pat ent Of f i ce advi sed
Congress t hat t he Pat ent Of f i ce shoul d be cl osed t o save money. He deci ded t hat
ever yt hi ng wor t h i nvent i ng had al ready been i nvent ed! I once heard a phot ogr apher
say t hat he woul d not phot ogr aph nat i onal par ks because t hey' d "al ready been
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done. " Thi s i s t he opposi t e of creat i ve t hi nki ng. There i s al ways a di f f erent or bet t er
way t o shoot what has been phot ogr aphed bef ore. You j ust have t o "see" i t .
Exampl e: Use sel ect i ve f ocus t o dr aw t he eye i nt o t he scene r at her t han j ust
gener al l y f ocusi ng on t he most obvi ous subj ect .
4. Revol ut i on. As phot ogr apher s we need t o approach our phot ogr aphi c subj ect s
f rom t he i nsi de / out per spect i ve i f we want t o see creat i vel y. Tur n t he probl em ( or
subj ect ) around. Af t er t he paper cl i p was i nvent ed, someone creat ed t he st apl e
gun. Thi s l esson can be appl i ed t o phot ogr aphy. For i nst ance, when you are t r yi ng
t o shape l i ght f or a por t r ai t , i nst ead of usi ng st robes f or t he usual t hree t o one r at i o
wi t h a mai n and f i l l , t r y subt r act i ng l i ght al t oget her wi t h scr i ms. Or t r y maki ng your
next l andscape bot h hor i zont al l y and ver t i cal l y. Whi ch i s bet t er ?
5. Synt hesi s. Thi nk of t hi s as t he mul t i pl e exposure met hod t o seei ng creat i vel y.
Combi ne mul t i pl e i deas ( seemi ngl y rel at ed or not ) t o make one i mage. Ansel Adams
di d t hi s by al ways t r yi ng t o put an i nt erest i ng obj ect i nt o bot h t he f oreground and
t he background. Thi nk of t hi ngs l i ke audi o books, di nner t heat er s and dr i ve-i n
movi es. These were al l i nvent ed as t he resul t of synt het i c t hi nki ng. How can you
appl y t hi s f or m of t hi nki ng t o your i mage maki ng? How about put t i ng a canoe i n a
f i el d of wheat t o i l l ust r at e "amber waves of gr ai n?" Or j uxt apose t wo t hi ngs t hat
don' t seemi ngl y bel ong t oget her. Tr y put t i ng a uni f or med basket bal l t eam i n t he
swi mmi ng pool f or t he t eam por t r ai t .
Exampl e: accent uat e an obj ect i n t he scene t hat you want t o dr aw at t ent i on t o by
usi ng l i ght or shadow.
6. St ar t i ng Over. Use t hi ngs t hat were i nvent ed f or one pur pose, and maybe even
di scarded, f or a br and new pur pose. Throw out al l t he r ul es and see what you can
see. Maybe you wi l l phot ogr aph your next subj ect whi l e l yi ng on your back. Per haps
i t woul d be a good i dea t o shoot sl i de f i l m i n a si t uat i on t hat nor mal l y cal l s f or
pr i nt s. Thi s ki nd of t hi nki ng l ed t o recent sur ges i n cross-processi ng, sel ect i ve
f ocus and t oni ng of col or r at her t han j ust monot one phot ogr aphs. Al l are now ver y
popul ar wi t h t he magazi nes but out i n l ef t f i el d when t hey were f i r st appl i ed. Ot her
possi bi l i t i es i ncl ude t he more t r adi t i onal t echni ques l i ke i t er at i on, use of col or as
subj ect , use of l i ne, shape or f or m t o dr aw t he vi ewer ' s eye t o t he subj ect .
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7. New Di rect i ons. Tr y a br and-new angl e, bot h l i t er al l y and f i gur at i vel y. Tr y al l your
l enses. Shoot f rom di f f erent per spect i ves. Change f or mat s. Maybe your shot woul d
l ook good as a panor ami c? Shoot a rect angul ar shot as i f i t were square. Focus
your compl et e at t ent i on on t he oppor t uni t y. Let t he process t ake care of i t sel f .
Don' t approach your composi t i on as i f t he sol ut i on i s more i mpor t ant t han t he
resul t . Use a f i sh net as a di f f user t o get a ni ce sof t l ook. Go cr azy and t r y new
st uf f .
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ESSAY #4
STORYTELLING
PART 2
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I l ove wor ki ng wi t h new phot ogr apher s. I recent l y had t he honor of wor ki ng wi t h
sever al hi gh school st udent s. They were exci t ed, ener get i c, f ul l of ent husi asm and
wi l l i ng t o l ear n. They al so brought a f resh per spect i ve t o phot ogr aphy t hat amazed
me.
Tal ki ng wi t h al l of t hem I was st r uck by t he si mi l ar i t y of t hei r quest i ons - most
havi ng t o do wi t h gear. What camer a shoul d I buy? How many l enses do I need?
Et c. These were f ol l owed by quest i ons l i ke - "What shoul d I phot ogr aph?"
To each of t hese quest i ons I answered i n a way t hat I am af r ai d mi ght have
f r ust r at ed some of t hem. Nonet hel ess - I t hought i t i mpor t ant t o gent l y gui de t hem
down t he r i ght pat h f rom t he st ar t .
I n each case, I responded wi t h f our l i t t l e words:
"Tel l me your st or y! "
You see ALL communi cat i ons and ALL medi a - whet her t hey be cent ered around
r adi o, t el evi si on, mot i on pi ct ures, bl ogs, podcast s or phot ogr aphy - revol ve around
st or y. St or y i s ever yt hi ng. I f you get t hat , you' l l be a bet t er phot ogr apher.
Bot h t he phot ogr apher ' s st or y and t he subj ect ' s st or y i mpact a phot ogr aph. The
phot ogr apher ' s st or y i s i mpor t ant because i t ' s about what t hey have t o say. Great
phot ogr apher s NEED t o t el l t hei r st or y or someone el se' s st or y. And t he st or y of
your subj ect i s what makes peopl e care about your i mages.
So remember. . . . don' t f ocus on gear, or t echni que - f ocus on st or yt el l i ng. The rest
wi l l t ake care of i t sel f .
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ESSAY #5
CREATIVITY
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Creat i vi t y i s a bi g concept . As phot ogr apher s, e spend so much t i me f i ght i ng
upgr ade f at i gue, l ear ni ng new sof t ware, wor ki ng out new t echni ques t hat we of t en
have ver y l i t t l e t i me f or creat i vi t y. But j ust t aki ng not e t hat we need t o t hi nk about
creat i vi t y i sn' t enough. How do we go about i t ?
Ever yone goes about bei ng creat i ve di f f erent l y. What wor ks f or me mi ght not wor k
f or you, but I ' m goi ng t o j ust share t hese t hought s on creat i vi t y wi t h t he hope t hey
wi l l hel p you concent r at e on somet hi ng ot her t han t he next l ens you t hi nk you want
t o buy.
For me, creat i vi t y i s about removi ng ar t i f i ci al l i mi t s. And I t hi nk most l i mi t s are sel f -
i mposed. More preci sel y, t hese l i mi t s are di rect l y t i ed t o l ow sel f -est eem. Now I
know you mi ght be t hi nki ng, what ' s t hat have t o do wi t h creat i vi t y? I n my
exper i ence l ot s.
We put boxes around our sel ves and make deci si ons t hat hamper our growt h
because of t en, as ar t i st s, we don' t real l y bel i eve i n our sel ves. How many t i mes
have you t hought you were j ust f aki ng i t ? Or have you ever j ust assumed t hat you
weren' t good enough? These t hought s murder your creat i ve spi r i t and you get
st ar t ed on a more creat i ve pat h when you st op t hat behavi or.
The creat i ve process can st ar t t o open up once you j ust t r ust your sel f . I f you
empower your sel f t o t r y somet hi ng di f f erent and gi ve your sel f per mi ssi on t o f ai l , you
become more creat i ve. Don' t make t he met r i cs of success or f ai l ure t he gui del i nes
by whi ch you proceed. I nst ead make exper i ment at i on, expressi on and j oy t he
met r i cs.
The second bi g poi nt of cont act f or me i s aut hent i ci t y i n my wor k. I f you can st ar t
t o l ook at aut hent i ci t y, r at her t han or i gi nal i t y, you wi l l become more creat i ve. I
l ear ned t hi s concept best by l i st eni ng t o John Paul Caponi gro. He was t al ki ng
about ot her ar t f or ms and ment i oned t hat i n Asi a f or i nst ance, ar t i st s don' t wor r y
about comi ng up wi t h somet hi ng new, t hey wor k wi t hi n an exi st i ng f or m and t r y t o
expand i t . When I read t he phot ogr aphi c f or ums, t he younger phot ogr apher s seem
t o beat t hei r chest s t he l oudest and procl ai m t hei r creat i vi t y si mpl y because t hey
di d somet hi ng "new. " Usual l y what t hey di d wasn' t new at al l , but r at her new t o
t hem. But i t doesn' t mat t er. Wor r yi ng about doi ng somet hi ng new ends up st unt i ng
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creat i ve growt h. Bei ng creat i ve does NOT requi re doi ng somet hi ng new. I t requi res
doi ng somet hi ng t hat i s aut hent i cal l y your real per sonal and t r ue vi si on. I f you t ake
away anyt hi ng f rom t hi s bl og post , I hope i t ' s t hat .
Last l y, creat i vi t y i s about choi ces. The choi ces can of t en be based on a f ew
dynami cs l i ke t ensi on, j uxt aposi t i on, conf l i ct and resol ut i on. These are good t ool s
i n a creat i ve envi ronment . But somet i mes, you l ear n most of your creat i ve i deas
f rom pure exper i ment at i on. Free-f or m musi c - cal l ed j ammi ng of t en l et s musi ci ans
come up wi t h t hei r best sounds. Wr i t er s use f ree-associ at i on and br ai nst or mi ng t o
come up wi t h t hei r best words. Why shoul dn' t phot ogr apher s use t hei r own br and
of vi sual exper i ment at i on t o f i nd t hei r own vi sual creat i vi t y?
To sum up - i f you want t o be more creat i ve, st ar t l ovi ng your sel f enough t o gi ve
your sel f per mi ssi on t o f ai l . I n f act , bet t er yet , don' t even wor r y about wi nni ng or
l osi ng. Just DO.
Don' t f ocus on NEW - f ocus on aut hent i c. Bei ng or i gi nal i sn' t bei ng new - i t ' s bei ng
you.
And r i f f . Go out t here and j am. Tr y t hi s and t hat and t hen i nver t i t al l . Go cr azy. Do
somet hi ng you' ve never t r i ed.
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ESSAY #6
CLARITY
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I j udge many phot o cont est s. I al so cr i t i que phot os on a regul ar basi s. When a
phot ogr apher st ands i n f ront of me and f eel s t he need t o expl ai n t hei r phot o, I
know I ' m i n t roubl e.
You see, i f you have t r ue phot ogr aphi c vi si on, you have cl ar i t y and i f you have
cl ar i t y, you don' t need t o expl ai n or def end your i mages.
Cl ar i t y i s about what emot i ons or f eel i ngs t he i mage i s t r yi ng t o evoke, not t he f act s
behi nd t he i mage.
Phot ogr aphi c cl ar i t y i s about passi on of pur pose. I t ' s about a si ngl e-mi nded desi re
t o prot ect a memor y. I t ' s about st or y t el l i ng wi t h a camer a t hat ' s so power f ul , no
words are necessar y.
Phot ogr aphi c cl ar i t y i s about t he f reedom t o express YOUR vi si on wi t h a camer a i n
a way t hat moves ot her s.
So don' t j ust t hi nk about maki ng a pi ct ure t hat t he pi xel peeper s down at t he
camer a cl ub wi l l not e as shar p. Make one t hat moves peopl e ever ywhere t o
under st and your vi si on.
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ESSAY #7
MORE
INSPIRATION
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To be a prof essi onal phot ogr apher, you have t o be abl e t o be i nspi red. Gut s and
t oughi ng i t out won' t be enough. You wi l l cont i nual l y need t o be i nspi red. Where
you dr aw your i nspi r at i on f rom i s a per sonal choi ce. I deci ded t o share some of t he
t hi ngs t hat have i nspi red me over t he year s i n t he hope t hat you wi l l f i nd somet hi ng
on t he l i st t hat i nspi res you.
1. Wat ch a movi e
Yes t hi s i s one of t hose r are t i mes when you are al l owed t o ki ck back! Wat ch a
movi e. St udy i t or j ust exper i ence i t . There' s al ways t he chance somet hi ng wi l l
cat ch your eye.
2. Read a book
Gr ab somet hi ng l i ght and f unny or deep and t hought provoki ng. But read. I l i ke t o
suggest The Ar t i st ' s Way. I f want t o be i nspi red as an ar t i st by readi ng, check out
The Ar t i st Way. I t wi l l do t he t r i ck.
3. Lear n a new goof y hobby
Take your mi nd of f t he wor l d and l ear n a new hobby. The ext r a space t hi s creat es i n
your br ai n coul d l ead t o bi g-t i me i nspi r at i on. Suggest i ons? Here' s a zany one.
Lear n how t o use a Yo-Yo. Yeah i t l ooks easy, but t o do i t wel l t akes some l uck,
af f i ni t y and ski l l . Bel i eve me, phot ogr aphy wi l l seem easy af t er t r yi ng t o mast er t he
Yo-Yo.
4. St udy and ask why
Look at phot ogr aphs f rom phot ogr apher s who you admi re. But i nst ead of t he usual
"Oh t hat ' s cool " react i on - st r i ve t o know why. Ask your sel f "Why di d t hey make t hi s
i mage? Why does i t resonat e wi t h me? Why i s t hat vi sual l y i nspi r i ng or ar rest i ng or
i mpor t ant ?" WHY i s one of t he most i mpor t ant i nspi r at i onal t ool s out t here. Peopl e
wi l l do cr azy t hi ngs i f t he WHY i s good enough.
5. Wat ch t r ash t el evi si on
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Okay I admi t t hi s one i s on t he edge, but i t wor ks f or me. One of t he t hi ngs t hat
st ops many of us f rom bei ng i nspi red i s bei ng down or depressed. Al l you have t o
do i s wat ch 10 mi nut es of Jer r y Spr i nger or some si mi l ar show t o real i ze how good
you have i t . I guar ant ee you t hat you' l l f eel bet t er about your l i f e af t er wards and i f
you go out wi t h your camer a r i ght away, you' l l see a smi l e i n your phot os.
These are j ust a f ew of t he ways I i nspi re mysel f . Tr y t hem and see i f t hey hel p you.
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ESSAY #8
NEW
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I am di st ur bed at t he r el ent l ess pur sui t of somet hi ng " new" by younger
phot ogr apher s. Don' t get me wrong. I l ove i nnovat i on. I ' ve proven i t . Nobody st ays
up wi t h changi ng communi cat i ons and camer a t echnol ogi es any more t han I do.
But when I hear new phot ogr apher s say t hi ngs l i ke, "Ah t hat ' s ol d and t i red. I want
t o t r y somet hi ng new" I am concer ned. I am wonder i ng i f i n t he pur sui t of new,
t hey f or get t he most i mpor t ant par t of bei ng a creat i ve. To be cool you don' t need
t o be new - you need t o be YOU!
I t ' s si mpl y i n-aut hent i c t o do somet hi ng JUST BECAUSE i t ' s new - i f you don' t f eel
i t i n your hear t . I saw a beaut i f ul por t r ai t at t hi s year ' s WPPI hangi ng i n t he pr i nt
compet i t i on. Whi l e t he younger f ol ks mi ght have cal l ed i t "ol d f ashi oned" I cal l ed i t
"cl assi c. " I t scored ver y wel l and shoul d have. I am sure t he maker was proud of i t .
I am sure t he subj ect of t he por t r ai t and her f ami l y l oved i t . But yet , I heard one
young woman l aughi ng at t he phot o because i t used a pai nt ed musl i n background.
She was havi ng a f i el d day at t acki ng bot h t he i mage and t he i mage maker because
t hat was such a "cl i che?" Real l y? Sor t of l i ke her bl ue hai r was a cl i che. Ser i ousl y.
Just because you make a spect acl e of your sel f al a Lady Gaga or Par i s Hi l t on, t hat
doesn' t make you cool or new. I t ' s t he t al ent under neat h al l t he t at t oos, l i p r i ngs,
dresses made of meat , hai r col or s t hat are of f t he RGB spect r um, et c. t hat mat t er. I
under st and t he need t o set your sel f apar t . And I don' t real l y care what col or your
hai r i s or how many t at t oos you have. What I do care about i s whet her or not your
phot ogr aphs represent your t r ue vi si on. I care about t he ar t i st under neat h al l t he
t r appi ngs. I f you expect me t o be i mpressed wi t h your out r ageous at t i re or at t i t ude,
f or get i t . That ' s bor i ng by now.
I want you t o use your camer a t o t el l a st or y so movi ng t hat your i mages ar rest me.
I want t o see t hat you poured your hear t and soul i nt o a pi ct ure. I want t o see t hat
you t r i ed t o use your camer a t o communi cat e wi t h SOMEBODY.
Don' t be f ool ed i nt o t hi nki ng t hat you' re act ual l y doi ng somet hi ng "new" anyway.
Because most of t he t i me you aren' t . I t mi ght be new t o you, but i t ' s al most
cer t ai nl y been done bef ore by someone el se, somewhere el se, maybe even l ong
bef ore your t i me.
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I remember when t he out of f ocus por t r ai t s were al l t he r age. Then i t was r i ng
l i ght i ng. Then i t was spl i t t ones. Then i t was cross processi ng. I t doesn' t mat t er
what gi mmi ck you use. Most of t he peopl e t hat used t hese t echni ques when t hey
were l i t t l e known, had no i dea t hey weren' t new. The t echni que and gi mmi ck can
somet i mes get i n t he way of t he i mage.
What mat t er s, al l t hat mat t er s, i s t he phot ogr aphs you creat e. The i mages are what
mat t er. They are what l ast . They are memor y prot ect or s. They are hi st or y f or
peopl es of t he f ut ure. 500 year s f rom now when you' re dead and gone. Nobody wi l l
know how out r ageous you were or how edgy you were or how cool you were. They
wi l l si mpl y j udge you by your wor k.
You may not l i ke "ol d-f ashi oned" phot ogr aphy. That ' s your r i ght . But make sure you
aren' t j ust t r yi ng t o be new f or new' s sake. Faux out r age, f aux dr ama, f aux at t i t ude
may score you poi nt s somewhere - but not here. Not i n t he wor l d where t he
phot ogr aph l i ves.
I f you want t o use a pai nt ed musl i n background or a bal e of hey t o shoot agai nst ,
go f or i t . Just be sure t hat i t ' s YOUR i dea - t hat i t ' s YOU behi nd i t al l , not a vai n
at t empt t o be out r ageous or di f f erent or new f or new' s sake. Your i mages wi l l be
much more power f ul and t he respect peopl e have f or bot h you and your wor k much
great er.
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ESSAY #9
CREATIVITY
PART 2
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I ' ve been havi ng some deep di scussi ons wi t h ot her phot ogr apher s l at el y about t he
need f or shoot er s t o devel op good t echni que. I n t he mi dst of t hese di scussi ons
t hough I remembered somet hi ng f rom my one and onl y ar t cl ass i n col l ege - There
i s no t echni que wi t hout expressi on.
My ar t t eacher bel i eved t hat pret t y much anyone who real l y want ed t o coul d l ear n
t he t echni que requi red t o provi de decent del i ver abl es i n any ar t i st i c endeavor. I
have seen t hi s mysel f . When t eachi ng br and new phot ogr apher s, t hey ver y qui ckl y
r un up t he l adder f rom r ungs one t hrough ni ne. They acqui re decent t echni que i f
t hey appl y t hemsel ves. But goi ng f rom r ung ni ne t o 10 - wel l t hat ' s a di f f erent
ani mal al l t oget her.
Techni que l eads t o cr af t smanshi p i f you' re real l y t al ent ed and real l y appl y your sel f .
And i n t he eyes of my ar t t eacher, t he next st ep i s expressi on. My t eacher sai d you
need t o l ear n t echni que not i n and of i t sel f , but as a means of expressi on. I t was at
t hi s moment t hat I f i r st st ar t ed devel opi ng my l ong-hel d t heor y t hat t he creat i ve
phot ogr apher i s real l y a st or yt el l er. Thi s i s where t hat i dea was bor n f or me. I t ' s
ver y et hereal . Some of you may be rol l i ng your eyes at me r i ght now sayi ng "Not
anot her post about st or yt el l i ng! " But I do t hi nk t hi s i s i mpor t ant . I al so t hi nk i t ' s
ver y hard t o descr i be l et al one t each. Hence, t he reason f or t oday' s post .
My char ge t o you i s si mpl e. Don' t j ust l ear n camer a or phot o t echni que. Lear n i t as
par t of a means t o an end. Lear n i t so t hat you can more f ul l y express your own
i nner, aut hent i c vi si on. See what you need t o see. Pr act i ce i n your medi um.
Devel op t echni que and THEN t hi nk about what i s i mpor t ant t o you. The next st ep i s
devel opi ng cr af t smanshi p and THEN you' l l be on your way t o t r ul y, honest l y and
openl y expressi ng your sel f as a phot ogr apher.
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ESSAY #10
INVISIBILITY
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Jonat han Swi f t sai d. . .
Vi si on i s t he ar t of seei ng what i s i nvi si bl e t o ot her s.
Thi s quot e i nspi res me dai l y as a phot ogr apher. As I wal k by a grove of t rees, I see
t hi ngs di f f erent l y t han my non-phot ogr apher f r i ends. They see a cl ump of t rees. I
see t he gr ass beneat h t he t rees, t he l i ght st reami ng t hrough t he l eaves, t he bi rds i n
t hei r nest s on t he br anches, t he i nt r i cat e pat t er n i n t he bar k, t he st rengt h of t he
t r unk, t he out growt h of t he root s, t he di f f erent col or s and t onal i t y i n t he l eaves, t he
way t he shadows f al l across t he wood, t he angl e of t he l i ght as i t hi t s t he canopy,
t he shadow t he t ree makes on t he r i ver bel ow, t he l i ne t he br anch f ol l ows f rom t he
t ree t r unk, et c.
When phot ogr apher s l ook at t he wor l d, t hey l ook at i t t hrough a speci al l ens - pun
i nt ended. I t ' s a f i l t er of sor t s t hat si f t s t he i mpor t ance of one t hi ng or anot her. Thi s
abi l i t y t o si f t and sor t , t o i ncl ude and excl ude, t o dr i l l down i nt o t he meat of t he
scene, t hat ' s what compr i ses t he phot ogr apher ' s vi si on. I l i ke t o t hi nk t hat we can
al l use more of t hat .
Exerci se. . .
Here' s a vi si on exerci se f or you t hat doesn' t requi re a camer a. Tr y t o descr i be
somet hi ng ( l i ke a t ree) as i f you were descr i bi ng i t t o a bl i nd per son who had never
recei ved t he gi f t of si ght . Then go phot ogr aph as i f t hat pi ct ure woul d be t he onl y
one ever seen of a t ree.
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CONCLUSION
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I hope you ve enj oyed t hi s f ree e-book. I f I ve done my j ob, you re now st ar t i ng t o
t hi nk about t hi ngs t hat go beyond camer a and l ens combi nat i ons.
Vi si on, creat i vi t y and i nspi r at i on are much harder t o come by t han camer as. I t t akes
pat i ence and pr act i ce t o be abl e t o respond t o any or al l t hree.
My hope i s t hat you wi l l go l ooki ng f or each t he next t i me you set out t o make
pi ct ures, not j ust t ake pi ct ures.
Scott Bour ne
June, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Speci al thanks to al l of my sponsors:
Ador ama
MACGroup
Ani mot o
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Epoca US
Bor rowLenses. com
Bay Phot o
Dynal i t e
Ni k Sof t ware
SmugMug
Kubot a I magi ng Tool s
Asuka Book
ADDI TI ONAL THANKS
Ani mot o. com f or host i ng t hi s e-book gi veaway
For more of my work vi si t:
Phot of ocus. com
Goi ngPro2011. com
3exposure. com
Car l oves. com
Fol l ow me on Twi t t er - @Scot t Bour ne
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VISION
Vi si on, creat i vi t y and i nspi r at i on. . .
These are t hi ngs you cant buy i n a camer a st ore. These are t hi ngs
ever y phot ogr apher needs t o be successf ul .
Award-wi nni ng, prof essi onal phot ogr apher Scot t Bour ne shares 10
essays on vi si on, creat i vi t y and i nspi r at i on i n t hi s new e-book. I f you
enj oy t hi s wor k, pass i t around f reel y t o your f r i ends. Theres never
enough vi si on. . .
S c o t t B o u r n e