One frame

Hey guys, Andy here. As we kick of the new year, I think it’s worth re-introducing myself. I began my photographic journey in 2009 after a career in the military and, looking at the photography industry, the landscape has changed beyond recognition. A raft of socio- politic changes mean, sadly, the path I trod does not exist anymore, however this is not a retrospective, rather it is an acknowledgement of who and where I am today.

I am, and have always been, a digital photographer. As such I appreciate how easy it is to take another frame, or another dozen frames, thanks to the capacity of digital memory. And I used to do this. However today my aim is not to take 10, 100 or even 1,000 images to feed to the doom scroll on social media. My aim is to take 1, maybe 2, final frames. The number of final images depends on the shoot but my wider point remains extant; why take endless images which will, in all likelihood, be mediocre at best? Why spend time trawling through countless frame after frame, prospecting for gold, rather than invest time, during the event, to get the best shot possible? When I first came across the concept of aiming for one final shot in a session, I laughed; I thought it was an extravagant use of time and budget. How could anyone justify handing over a single frame at the end of a shoot? However the concept stuck with me and the more I considered it, the more logical it became.?

How much content do you really need? Quality, be it whatever type of content or product, takes time and it takes effort; there is no short cutting this. I see posts of people claiming to take fat stacks of quality content in a single session and I shake my head; it’s simply not possible unless your definition of quality is vastly different, and I daresay lower, than mine. Thus this is where I find myself; wanting to take the best quality frame possible. This mindset is then applied to the rest of the workflow; the planning, the lighting, the deliberate slow pace of the shoot, the post production and, when required, the printing.?

Printing may be last in this list of considerations but it is by no means the least; I want to create something good enough that whoever commissions me will want to print it and not merely view the image digitally. My time investment into this part of the photographic journey, the element where a digital asset is turned into a tangible product, comes from the belief that a physical print has far more depth and, therefore, interest than a digital photograph. Add to this is that a large majority of digital images are consumed on a phone; ie via small and low quality JPGs. While this may be convenient it is far from ideal; it is an irony of modern photography that the most convenient way to consume it is also the method by which the product is the least impressive.?

I know I should never judge a book by it’s cover but I can not help myself, I do judge people by the quality of the photography they show. You can not tell me that you, or your brand, values authenticity and embodies quality if your visuals are poor or if you’re promoting yourself via an AI generated headshot. These are non sequiturs and, usually, the justifications of doing so tie themselves in knots.

I used to work quickly. I used to work with the aim to publish the image as quickly as possible and for the images to be seen as soon as possible. However… the concept of one image stayed with me. Why? Why not aim for one memorable, arresting and striking image in favour over a legion of mediocrity? Why spend time and effort mass producing content which will be forgotten the moment you scroll past it? Why not instead spend that time trying to produce a gem?