The Yin and Yang of Photography: Spontaneity vs Planning

Christiane Dedeene: Portrait of former dancer at Maurice Béjart Ballet

Photography, like life, can be approached in two distinct ways: spontaneity and planning.

Photographers often categorise themselves as either spontaneous or planned — street or conceptual. I rebel against being put in a box. As you can see from my work, I'll tackle anything, use the best approach, and do whatever I please. I won't conform to a label imposed by myself or by others.

Let's look at the dance between spontaneity and planned photography.

Street performers dancing, England

Spontaneity is about embracing the unexpected. It involves capturing fleeting moments as they unfold, relying on intuition and quick reflexes. It allows us to stumble upon hidden treasures, capturing moments that may only last for an instant but leave an enduring impact. The results are often raw and unfiltered, revealing the beauty found in the unexpected. This is the joy of my street photography practice.

On the other hand, planning involves careful preparation and arrangement. It's about orchestrating a scene, considering every element and detail. Planning gives us the power to shape our artistic vision. We create images that evoke specific emotions and narratives by arranging and organising various elements. This approach allows for greater control and precision, producing a well-crafted image that tells a deliberate story. It's essential for following a brief or depicting a concept.

Both approaches have their merits.

Passion for Flamenco at the Carmen de las Cuevas school in Granada, Spain

Ultimately, photography benefits from the dance between spontaneity and planning. They complement each other, contributing unique flavours to our artistic practice. Embracing both allows us to explore the full spectrum of creative possibilities and fully express our artistic vision.

Wet dog water dance, Belgium

So don't limit yourself. Explore both extremes and use both simultaneously. Even when you've planned everything down to the last detail, be open to the unexpected and embrace the moment.

Comments

Overcoming creative block and self doubt

Every photographer, for that matter every creative, I've ever met comes to a point when they're not happy with the work they're producing. The pendulum between creative highs and dry spells swings continuously. For some the cycle is long and the bouts are quite mild for others the feeling of doubt about their work can be a crushing experience which returns all to frequently. It's actually quite healthy to have these periods of doubt because it can often be the beginning of something new and interesting which takes you further than you thought possible. Creatives in the commercial world have to always perform and although they may agree looking back that they've had a few patches where their work was less good, they always seem to bounce back. A very few creative geniuses deliver such high quality work that their poorest attempts still surpass the rest of us. But I have never heard of anyone, from tortured soul of Van Gogh to the supreme showman and genius, Salvador ...

What You Photograph Reveals How You Think

Photography is often described as a way of seeing. Less often do we talk about it as a way of thinking. What you choose to photograph, and just as importantly what you ignore, quietly mirrors how your mind works. Some photographers are drawn to faces, micro-expressions, emotional spikes. Others chase atmosphere, light, mood. Then there are those who gravitate towards structure, systems, order, the invisible logic holding a scene together. None of this is accidental. The camera becomes a sorting tool. It reveals what your brain prioritises. Where others see chaos, you might see alignment. Where some look for drama, you look for balance. Geometry, repetition, flow, layers, these aren’t just visual preferences, they’re cognitive ones. Strong graphic images tend to come from people who think spatially. Who notice how things relate before they notice what they mean. Lines before labels. Structure before story. And yet, the best images rarely stop there. They gain depth when human pres...

Why do you take photographs?

Have you ever asked yourself why you photograph? It's a question that can be answered with a simple one-sentence answer until you start delving deeper. The answer then becomes increasingly complex and challenging to unravel. I've again undertaken this journey recently, and my answer is below. Portrait of Paul Indigo by Magda Indigo. Thanks Magda! I also reviewed my images over the last ten-plus years, selected 30 of my favourite photos, and compiled them into a slide show. This was a challenging task. My favourites change by the day, probably by the minute. Still, eventually, I got to a selection I titled "That's Life." Please click through to YouTube to view the full screen. My approach to people and landscape photography is characterised by a distinctive blend of documentary and fine art techniques. I aim to create images that are both deeply personal and universally relatable. Through portraiture, I strive to showcase the broad spectrum of human experience. I a...

Beyond the obvious

Search This Blog