I set out for Portsmouth last weekend on a short road trip. I was with my Brother and we were visiting our childhood home and extended family. A trip that wasn’t just years overdue but decades. In the days running up to the visit I knew that I really wanted to use the opportunity to do some photography there. But in my heart I knew that there just would not be the time to do it in the way that I wanted.
Not for the first time it brought into focus the fact that, for me, two of the greatest assets for any Photographer are independence and freedom. Being able to choose what you photograph, when and how and having the time to fully engage with your subject matter is at the heart of making great images.
I find it so difficult to integrate the kind of photography I want to do into other activities, especially when I am doing them with other people. Don’t misunderstand. I neither begrudge or wish that I wasn’t spending the time the way I did in Portsmouth. It was a Fantastic Trip and I had a Great Time. But the Photographer in me had to be put firmly away in a box like a ventriloquists dummy. Occasionally I heard his muffled cries of “let me out” and had to ignore him. But it did set a strong thought process going and strengthen my resolve to find a way to return solely to take photographs.
If it was simply taking photographs it would be easy I could make a shot list and get it all done in under 2 hours
Really what I should be saying is “I want to return to explore and discover”. Find out what it is that I want to represent through photography .
‘Being There and Being Present’ is the most fundamental part of being a photographer. An artist can be inspired and go into the studio to create their work if required. If they need to they can go to spaces that don’t exist and they can go back in time. They can go almost anywhere. Photographers actually have to be there.
It’s not that we don’t have poetic license as photographers it’s just that people spot it when we cross a line and distort reality beyond what the eye and the mind will allow. As a general rule Photographers are concerned with presenting aspects of reality through the medium that the camera offers. And I think that to do it as well as you can takes time.
So if you are setting out and constrained by time and people there’s a good chance that it is going to impact on your picture taking. Being a Photographer when I am with non photographers really tests their patience. They don’t get it. They can take a picture in just a few seconds with their phone. So why does it take me so long.
Finding time for yourself doesn’t mean you have to have a half day or a full day. 10 minutes or half an hour can work just as well. Just make sure it is only for time for yourself and Photography. Not walking the dog or going down the shop. Just simply for being in a bit of the world you have chosen and that interests you. And leave your camera in the bag until you get to the point of picture taking. just having it in your hand can stop you thinking about where you are.
You can do this close to home. It doesn’t have to be anywhere exotic. The benefit here is that you can come back again and again. Day after Day. You can start a walk and if you only make a few hundred metres and spend the rest of the time taking pictures in one spot then no problem. You don’t need to finish the walk. If time is all used up then all you can do is turn around and head home. A further benefit is that by taking this very mindful approach you will be in much better shape as a Photographer when you arrive somewhere different and unfamiliar.
Of course sometimes the opportunity can present itself at the end of the time window you allowed yourself. If you haven’t found a picture that you liked up till that point you are going to be tempted to either be late or settle for a quick shot. This will happen whether you had half an hour or half a day. I sometimes think that this is the effect that not getting a picture can have on the mind. You focus harder or construct a picture opportunity where there really wasn’t one. Given the endless subject matter available to us and our sense of not wanting to miss a thing ( bursting into Steve Tyler in my head as I type ) this is almost always inevitable.
As far as Portsmouth goes I don’t yet know how I’m going to see it. After all you don’t know what you don’t know. Theres always a chance that I was wrong and there was nothing there for me. The upside is that I will be happy trying.
The seeds were already in my mind about turning this location into a project. The idea hadn’t germinated. I’d discounted it because of the time and distance involved in the journey. At three and a half hours each way a single day is not enough. But on this trip I saw and felt enough to decide that this has to be part of my Photography Work going forward. I’ve figured out some of the Logistics so that I can consider doing a series of 2 or 3 day trips dedicated entirely to photography.
Historically My Coastal Photography has been about locations known to me through family holidays. There was already a strong familiarity and attachment to these places. Now I want to try and invest time in a place with a connection but almost no familiarity.
What also excited me about the idea of Portsmouth was the combination of the coast and a much more metropolitan vibe. I’ve been drawn to elements of street photography in some my Cambridge Pictures and I feel that this cross over might have more legs in a place like this.
I did manage to take some pictures in Portsmouth on this trip. Not many. It took longer to wrangle my M50 in and out of my pocket than take the pictures. But I’m adding a couple here. Now Lets see if I get back to Portsmouth and how things turn out.
Spinnaker Tower and the Naval Dock Yards. Portsmouth. Canon M50 MKii
Bro at the Waters Edge. Langstone Harbour. Canon M50 Mkii
Sun Breaking Through the low Cloud onto Langstone Harbour. Canon M50 Mkii