Some lessons weigh more than others

As the year at PrairieView (PV) is drawing to an end I thought it would be most fitting to reflect on the ten months that have passed. Though it'd be impossible to list off every little important lesson I've found some stood out to me a bit more than others:

1. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re cold! After crawling through the bush and skimming the Red to get into a blocked off area under the bridge to take some photos, the sun quickly set and the cold crept up on us. I thought "it’s all good, I have two flashes to counter the darkness!" Alas, I didn’t have enough clothing or body heat to counter it…and within an hour my model was cringing as opposed posing. Shooting in the day is best, because of the sun and abundance of natural light. If you are going to shoot come sundown, make sure you’re dressed for it! The students of PV have been warned by their teachers in the beginning of the year to stock up on warm, durable clothes so as to remain "ready shooters" but I have some advice of my own...create flashes with blasts of heat for your night owls Canon!

2. Adaptable and open. It may seem silly but this one occurred to me only most recently after a shoot was cancelled due to rain. I scheduled to reshoot in a few more days when the weather was "nicer". Nicer never came. It was then it hit me, I can't sit around and wait for things to align, for the clouds to part, and for that perfect moment to unravel in front of my camera. I had to have a plan B, and allow myself further than my comfort zone. I realized I had to be open to the ideas that came to me as I shot, and allow them to grow as I go. In a way that's the beauty of it, sometimes there's an opportunity way better than your original idea waiting to be seized.

3. "F-8 and be there" During the course of my studies at PV the quote "F-8 and be there" has stayed with me. Although the quote has an air of truth to it – all technicalities aside, the photographer’s got to be there (right place at the right time, shoot, etc.) – I’ve found that it takes more than just being in the right place at the right time; you’ve got to be there emotionally and mentally as well. Taking pictures of someone is exposing them, and capturing those feelings forever in still image. Some of the models I have shot over the course of the year are unsure of themselves, insecure, and aren’t always on the same page as I am when it comes to the shoot. As the photographer and one with the creative vision, it is up to me to direct the shoot and keep the models motivated. I need to be in the right frame of mind (no pun intended) to get through a shoot successfully and it can be exhausting at times. The models need to be told how to pose and I am constantly chasing the light and seeking neat new places to shoot. Thus, in order to re-phrase Capa, it’s more than just "F-8 and be there," it’s "F-8 and be there – mentally, emotionally, and physically – oh, and don’t forget your batteries!"

Stephanie Johnson

PV Diploma Student
2011-12