Paul D'Andrea Photography

Why shoot a ton?

I may not blog a whole lot (or at all) when things get busy, but I still try to keep shooting as much as I can. It’s a common suggestion to help improve your photography, to shoot all the time.

I’ve been thinking about the reasons why this is. A big one is that you simply grow familiar with your tools and how to use them. Another is that, at least for me, “seeing” is a frame of mind that that I’m sometimes in and sometimes not. With pretty constant work though, it seems I’ve gotten to the point where it’s something that I slide into pretty easily. (Unlike writing, which often feels clunky to do if I’m not in the mood. I think I’m beginning to understand where the idea of a muse comes from, sometimes writing is pretty effortless, and other times… not.)

I think a big part shooting tons is that it gets you to the point where you just can’t shoot another one of “those”. You start to look for new ways to show and express the things around you. It reminds me of the Minor White quote, “Take a picture of what is…and what else it is.”