“I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don’t like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging it, I arrange myself.” – Diane Arbus
Photojournalism – the style and not the profession – is elusive to me. It’s a style that lends itself to freedom from convention in the fields of portraiture and wedding photography. It’s more than a candid shot, and it’s more than just shooting what’s in front of you without interference. When done correctly, that one single shot, distils the complexity of life into one complete moment. A moment that tells the story with eloquence, and without judgment, but with unvarnished truth. Whether it’s a picture from the 1940’s showing scientists feeding radioactive food to sheep at the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant, or a bride sitting in the middle of a picnic table taking a moment for herself, despite being surrounded by her family and attendants. It’s truth, and truth has power.
As I begin the 5th Unit in my certification program at the New York Institute of Photography, this in one of the challenges set before me, and it’s more daunting than lighting, exposure, and composition, combined. It’s a line I’ve drawn in the sand for myself – I MUST master this if I’m going to tell stories of people.
In the next few weeks, I’ll be tipping my hand in this direction. I’m nervous, but I’m not going to learn about by reading about it. I have to get out behind my lens and shoot.
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