A few weeks ago I was heading into town, running an errand. After turning into the grocery store parking lot, I had to chide myself: the grocery store was not the intended destination. Out of habit, I went one way when I should have gone another.
Has this ever happened to you?
It's an example of something called automaticity: an automatic response pattern which enables the brain to perform tasks efficiently without having to give them much thought. This can be quite useful since it enables our brains to do things simultaneously and also to manage otherwise complex everyday tasks. Think how difficult it would be to work on your computer if you hadn't mastered how to type on a keyboard.
There are downsides to automaticity, though.
Disengaging the autopilot is essential for landscape and nature photographers. This is not always easy, especially now: we live in an age of distraction. (I'm looking at you, smartphone.)
I've seen smartphones described as "pocket heroin." How sadly accurate. Study results published early in January noted that the average American checks their phone more than 200 times a day and spends the equivalent of 2.5 months looking at that nasty screen over the course of a year. Sample sizes were not indicated nor was there a lot of information regarding how the survey was conducted - but, regrettably, the findings sound believable.
How fortunate nature and landscape photographers are to spend so much time in an environment which is far healthier! (In my opinion, it's a big plus when connectivity is limited.)
Still, it's not always easy to transition into the state of mindfulness that is so important when we're in the field.
For me, the absolute most critical thing to remember is to slow down. This can be accomplished in many ways:
Don't be in such a hurry to take the camera out of the bag. Spending some time just enjoying what you're seeing and feeling (you have five senses; engage them all) can pay dividends. Connect with the place. Open the lines of communication, so to speak. What does it have to say to you today?
Take the blinders off. It's easy to be so focused on what's at the end of the trail that you fail to notice the million little details along the way. You're looking, but not seeing. There might be something much more interesting than what you thought you wanted to shoot, just waiting for you to notice it. Slow your pace; it's not a race. Likewise, when on location, take the time to look up, look down, and turn around. The photograph might not be in front of you, where your attention has been focused.
Don't put the camera away too soon. Work the scene! If you've been composing horizontally, maybe there's a vertical there, too. (Depending on end use, it's often very helpful to have both orientations.) What about swapping lenses? Move the camera: up or down. Move yourself. Not putting the camera away also relates to what's going on around you. Conditions are often changeable: the light, the color temperature, the position of the clouds, and so on. You might be rewarded with something quite different - and maybe more compelling - if you give it just a few more minutes.
Don't be afraid to linger. Sticking around probably means you won't be able to cover as much ground on a given day. So what? Give yourself some time, and you might be surprised at all the things you'll see and end up capturing with your camera.
To achieve mindfulness one must also let go of expectations. Twisting yourself up over conditions that aren't what you hoped they'd be, or anything else that is outside of your control, generally leads to frustration and takes your attention away from the here and now. What are you seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling right now? What kind of photograph can you make?
When you're fully present, rather than "finding" the photograph, it might come to you instead.
“To me, photography is an art of observation...I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
~Elliott Erwitt
Following is a simple example of what can happen if you stick around and keep the camera out.
These two photographs, made in late autumn at Rye, New Hampshire, were captured within about twenty minutes of each other. You're looking at the last of a Nor'easter moving out over the Atlantic Ocean at the beginning of the day. I was quite happy with the first image and didn't expect any significant change in the conditions - but look what happened.
Odds and Ends
More mountain snow is on the way beginning today and continuing through next Tuesday. Grand Targhee will be open through Easter Sunday (April 20). Jackson Hole is scheduled to close for the winter season on Palm Sunday (April 16).
Lunar eclipse (blood moon) overnight tonight! I won't see it since it's completely overcast with precipitation here, but maybe you'll have the opportunity.