Photographic Point-of-View

Photographic Point-of-View

by William Lulow

Once you have learned the basics of how to make really successful images, you then need to put this information into practice. For most of my career, I have been a studio photographer who has been able to realize the concepts given to me as assignments from various art directors. Whether it was a product /fashion catalog or a portrait for a book dust cover, I have been able to execute an image from either a sketch or a written concept. This is because I know my lighting and my equipment so that I can come up with a great result every time I’m commissioned to do so.

Developing your own point-of-view and style as a photographic artist is another thing entirely. This usually takes quite a bit of time and effort as well as a compelling subject. Then the photographer has to be able to shoot in whatever conditions are presented by the subject matter itself. Sometimes one can bring a knowledge of lighting and studio techniques and sometimes not.

These days, I have noticed many photo editors and art directors choosing photographers who have a readily identified “look” to the kinds of images they make as well as a developed “genre” they have gotten used to using. These days, it seems as though photo editors at the big magazines have been interested in photographic “point-of-view” coupled with content that is timely and important. They then may ask the photographer to photograph something more mundane like a black&white portrait. This may not be the type of content the photographer is used to, but it’s the style and point-of-view that matters.

If you are a working photographer who has a studio where bills must be paid and you rely on your commercial photographic skills to earn your living, it’s not always easy to go to some remote part of the world to pursue subject matter in which you are very interested. There are some notable exceptions to this notion however. National Geographic photographers are few in number, but are often sent to these parts of the world to document life as they see it in their particular points-of-view. In the 1950s and 1960s, Vogue Magazine sent the likes of Avedon and Penn to remote corners of the world to bring back images of the people of New Guinea or the American Southwest to feature in the magazine almost as fashion plates. They paid not only for transportation for the photographer, his assistants and all sorts of equipment, but a salary or fee for the shoot as well. These kinds of large budgets don’t exist anymore. Many magazine art directors and photo editors would rather photographers come up with their own ideas and of course, finance them as well. Gone are the days of big budget shoots. I have actually done some articles, with accompanying photographs which have been published by some on-line magazines because they were mostly interested in the content.  Here is one that I photographed and wrote:

I am reminded of a photographer I met several years ago at a crafts fair. He goes out regularly, mostly for several weeks at a time. He picks one spot where he might set up camp with the equipment he needs and waits for just the right light in order to make spectacular images with stunning use of light. Most of us with daily business cannot really afford the time to do this. Ansel Adams often spent weeks roaming around the Southwest in search of spectacular images. He owned an International Harvester SUV (before the days when everyone had one) and actually slept in it. He built a platform on its roof where he could set up his Deardorff 8×10 view camera. He would set an alarm to wake him in the middle of the night so that he could get a perfect shot of the moon rising over a small town. This is the kind of dedication it takes to make truly remarkable images.  I have often been in interesting places with spectacular light, but only in passing. I had to try to make a great image sometimes in a hurry as the light changed.

Sometimes photographers have to be ready, know what they are looking for and have the wherewithal to come back with memorable photographs. That seems to be the trick these days. Have an idea about some content or point-of-view, be on the lookout for it and know how to capture it when you see it. This seems to be the trend in photography these days. I still get people who come to me for portraits or product shots, but for any large publication you need a point-of-view first.

Here are a couple of “on-the-fly” images from some interesting places:

Longboat Key, Florida 2020

Over Chicago, Illinois from 37,000 feet, 2015

Sunrise, Sarasota, Florida 2019

Mary Fahl, in concert. 2020

So, it can be done. We get used to shooting in whatever style to which we become accustomed and then bring that style to whatever we are assigned or assign ourselves to shoot. I have never actually limited myself to shooting assignments. I often give myself assignments to shoot.