Champion Projected Image at the 2018 PSNZ Central Region Salon
For as long as I can remember I have been labelled a Landscape photographer. But I have never seen myself as a Craig Pottenish type photographer. Don’t get me wrong, the images are beautiful, and there is nothing like being up at stupid o’clock seeing the wonder of nature unfold. But I feel there is more to photography, more to this world than a beautiful sunrise. For the longest time I have struggled with giving myself the license to pursue the ideas in my head. But the heart wants what it wants!
“But that’s when the heart whispers, wait for the right pose and then take the photo anyway. Thanks to that tiny whisper, the image went from a nice shot of the sunset, to something far more.”
Photography is a process that needs your whole attention. What do I mean by that? In my opinion good images come when the brain and the heart work in unison. The brain does all of the technical stuff, planning, prep, exposure etc… the How. The heart is the motivator, the artist, the director, the Why and Where. This image kind of feels like it happened by accident, but that is the calling card of the heart. The brain was on a mission, get the cloud platform on the Napier Parade with beautiful sunset colours in the background. Great idea! But then, just as the light was getting close to perfect, who walked into the scene to enjoy the exact same sunset. We don’t own the view, the platform, he had every right despite the frustration I felt. But that’s when the heart whispers, wait for the right pose and then take the photo anyway. Thanks to that tiny whisper, the image went from a nice shot of the sunset, to something far more.
Reflecting - Mike Gannaway