When Everything Clicks

Editor's note: In the following weeks, you will hear and see images from our students themselves: their thoughts and reflections on the course, their work, and the work of others. Come back often to see what is happening in the Lambton Digital Photography program.

Guest Blog - When Everything Clicks   By Karah Schultz

Moments make up memories and memories make up a lifetime, so it is important to take every moment for what it is. However, not every moment is worthy of being stored in the locked archives of your life. As humans, it is our nature to push those dark moments to the back of our mind, so they no longer can be reached.

There are days when these moments collide and crash and crumble into a heap of unfit junk, but then there are days when these moments glide, and soar, and ease together to form marvelous creations of joy. Those days are when everything clicks and it is one of the most powerful things in the world. In one day, you can feel like you could concur the world.  Those days need to be cherished and never forgotten as the power from that one day can give you just the right amount of motivation you needed to reach your goals.  

Composing and forming a photo very similar to those powerful days. Most people believe that it is just as simple as pressing a button, and just like magic, a beautiful picture appears in front of you. However, that is most definitely not the case. The creation of a successful and compelling photograph is made up of many different aspects, and it is the photographer’s job to control every single one of them.

Light Abstraction created for Gallery Show photo by Karah Schultz

A compelling photograph consists of many components, like an interesting subject, creative lighting, and an intriguing composition. There are also many technical aspects such as exposure, depth of field, focus, etc. In order for these components to work effectively together, they need to glide and soar and ease together as the photographer controls and manipulates them into place. There are definitely times when these components don’t mold together so easily, but that doesn’t mean that photographers don’t do everything they can to make them work as one. They think and problem solve on their toes because they have to. If the available light at a location shoot is not what they thought it would be, they problem solve by filling in the shadows with a studio light or flash. It’s their job to make a great picture no matter what the circumstances are.

Fera Kennedy modeling under manipulated light. photo by Karah Schultz

Those tough days that I mentioned previously should be looked at like those tough circumstances photographers face. Take those darker moments and do what you can to make a beautiful memory of them. There are ways to take negative things and find the positive, and that is how photographers look at those sad moments and tough circumstances. Although they may not have gotten the perfect image they were looking for, the opportunity to face those challenges is the greatest lesson they will learn. They take those opportunities as a chance to reach outside their comfort zone.

Light Abstraction created for Gallery Show photo by Karah Schultz

Then there are times when a photo comes together with ease, and there may not be any other explanation except that all the aspects of that composition were meant to come together on that photo shoot. Just like the days when everything forms a marvelous creation of joy, photographers create photo shoots that work wonders. The beat is on that day, the energy is flowing, and the chemistry between model and photographer is unmistaken. The more opportunities that are taken to create a photo shoot, whether the result is positive or negative, the higher the chance of learning to formulate the aspects that produce a wondrous photo.

Over the past two years of my Digital Photography experience at Lambton College, I have learned and experienced all of this, and it has taught me the most valuable lesson of all: take every moment for what it is, and every bad moment for what it can be. You never know what’s going to take you where, so embrace the good with the bad. I quote from my professor, but more so mentor, David Chidley, “You can’t have good if there isn’t bad;” “Make it happen.”

If you want to read more about my thoughts on the philosophy of photography, visit my blog:

karahschultz.wordpress.com.