From Idea to Image Part I: Planning

Creating an image means a lot of decisions made before the shutter clicks.

Side by side, two photographers looking at a scene, unless they are trying to make the same image, will create two different images. The differences in their images depend on a host of reasons. These reasons include their intentions, their skill level, and the decisions they made according to these elements. Some people call it vision.

When you make an image, the result is a combination of your decisions.

To make the best possible image you can, it’s important to be aware of how your particular idea becomes the image you end up making. How do your decisions result in good work?

Start by thinking backwards.

Backward design is something that grew out of education. When teachers design lessons, they often start at the end. When they begin at the end, teachers know that they can break down the result into what they have to do to get there. They are in effect making a map of how to get to the end result they want.

Analyzing the resulting image you want, breaking down what you have to do to get there, and then following a path to success is a process that affects your images. It can make the difference between an impactful image and one that may be technically perfect, but does not express much.

Note down the techniques you need to use to make the image.

Do you need to use particular camera settings to get to the end in mind? Which techniques will produce those results? Why should you use one technique over another? Are some questions you can ask yourself at the planning stage of your project.

Let’s say you want to show the theme of time. Organizing the theme of time into concrete images involves a bit of technique. Will you slow time down for us to see it in the blur using panning? Will you speed up time using a high shutter speed? Can you show passing of time without having to resort to a series of images, but use conceptual interpretation instead? How much will you show in the frame? What elements will impact your design?

Starting with strong questions in your planning can help you get to the result with greater efficacy, and your resulting images will show this skill.

Gather the equipment you need to get to your result.

Once you know the techniques you need, you can gather the actual tools you can use to accomplish the technical part of your shoot. Choosing the lens is the most important because the lens dictates how much you include or what you exclude to compose your imagery.

A variety of accessories exist that help you to achieve a ‘look’ in your images. For instance, you might need a polarizing filter, or a set of ND filters. You might need lighting help from reflectors or flash units. Or, you might need a tripod to make those slow shutter images. Whatever you need to get the results you want, planning the stuff you need to make those shots ensures that you give yourself the best chances for success.

Rehearse the skills you need to get the result you want.

There’s a reason why teachers give homework. Homework is not to make students suffer, but to rehearse skills needed for a big assessment or test. If we extend the metaphor to our craft, we recognize that the decisive moment of making a shot involves a test of some kind—the readiness to get the shot you wanted through preparation.

That preparation includes practice. If you’re scheduled for a portraiture session, for example, go out and shoot portraits. Change up the situation during the practice session to give you rehearsal in how to solve problems—lighting problems, composition problems, posing problems—these skills rehearsed give you the opportunity to make sure your actual test, the actual shoot you have to perform and get those amazing results, is something you will pass with flying colors.

Evaluate your results, and realize new things you learned that got you there.

Finally, take some time to evaluate how you did. A great way to improve your photography is to look at past images and ask yourself if there is anything you could have done to make them better.

Writing teachers always say, “Don’t fall in love with the first draft.” This is to tell students that there are always things we can do to improve our work. If you follow this advice in your shot making, you might just stumble upon an improvement cycle that will continue your learning and result in images that just keep getting better and better.

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Sell an Experience, Not Just Photos

Up next: From Idea to Image Part II: Lighting
Join me as we walk through the process of conceptualization and lighting set up for a portrait!