My Zero (advice for photographers)

I have received a lot of e-mail from other photographers asking how I achieve my style. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to explain my inspiration and shooting philosophy. I wish I could spout off a handy list of tips and tricks, but I'm afraid it's much more complicated than that.

If I could offer ONE tip, I would say shoot what inspires you. Find your voice as an artist. Keep shooting and experimenting until you feel yourself swooning through the viewfinder.

To help you understand how I discovered my style, I'd like to introduce you to an artist who has inspired me.

Several months ago I stumbled upon a collection of portraits from Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was a french photographer from 1930s to the 1960s.

His work seems effortless and candid. His photos are timeless and I was very inspired by his work. Every single photo tells a story. (Like this portrait that is going for $19,000 right now. Dang!)

The foreward of this book explained a little about Cartier-Bresson's photography philosophy. He believed people should be photographed at their "zero." Natural and not posed.

I have thought a lot about this idea of shooting people at their "zero" and why it's so much harder than shooting posed photographs.

Think about it. When someone pulls out a camera, what do we do? We sit up straight, we hide parts of us we might think are unflattering and we give our practiced camera smile. No WONDER it looks fake. It IS fake! Breaking people out of this mode is SO hard. It makes people feel vulnerable and requires a tremendous amount of trust. And it requires PERFECT timing.

Cartier-Bresson said, "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said. "Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."

I keep the "zero" philosophy in mind every single time I pick up my camera. "Your life, through my lens" isn't just a catch phrase. It is my shooting philosophy. It is what inspires me.

(sometimes it backfires on me. Every time I point the camera at my husband he yells, "zero!" and gives me a serious face usually accompanied with nostril flare.)

This is the only pic I have where I feel like I am at my "zero". We were driving home from the beach. My boys were chattering in the backseat, my husband and I were taking in the North Carolina coastline, and I started to feel the prickle of a sunburn on my cheeks.
I was happy.
No make up, sandy hair, and my big roman shnoz front and center.
But you know what? It's ME.

Please keep in mind, you might be inspired by something totally different. You might love the elaborate set up and post processing of Nichole Van, or the urban, stylized photos from Angie Monson.

Whatever it may be, find your voice and stay true to it.

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I would love to hear your feedback, and keep the questions coming!