I love the opportunity to photograph the urban landscape. This term I have tried to create a variety of photographic experiences by taking field trips every week. Today we went on a hunting and fishing expedition in downtown Spokane. The difference between hunting and fishing for photographs is the difference between actively stalking photos versus patiently waiting for an image to appear. I use both strategies and today I was on the hunt. We spent two hours walking through Spokane looking for photographic opportunities.
One concept I have tried to instill in my students is the importance of the combination of research and life experience. Research creates conscious intent whereby I create rules about what I am hunting for. Life experience creates reference material that can be accessed intuitively which allows me to capture photographs in an instinctual response to visual stimuli. It is the combination of developing creative imagemaking rules and honing instinctual awareness that allows a photographer to arrest candid reality into a compelling composition.
In the case of this photograph I had done some formal research into the urban photography of Allan Schaller. His work made me aware of proportion, scale, and the importance of deep shadows. When I saw this parkbench surrounding by shadow I knew I needed to stop and make a photograph. However it was instinct that made me wait until the silhouette of a human figure appeared. I think this is my own personal definition of the decisive moment.
In my work I try to combine active conscious thought with intuitive subconscious life experiences.
