What are you focusing on?

Despite amazing DSLR technology these days, cameras still need a person to drive them. A photographer often has to get close to the action or move into a visible position to capture the moment. Perhaps the best example of this reality is a photojournalist. If you watch the evening TV news covering a political or sporting event, there will invariably be a ‘press pack’. These guys have all the fancy gear and are willing to invade the personal space of others in order to deliver the goods for their employer.

Are you comfortable doing what it takes to get the shot?

I remember learning about three levels of communication during a public speaking course many years ago. These three levels can be applied to photographers, especially event photographers. Imagine that you are standing in front of an audience about to give a speech. What are you focusing on?

• Are you focused on yourself?
• Are you focused on the content of your speech?
• Or are you focused on the audience? 

In the same way that a public speaker could be focused on different parts their situation, photographers can be more aware of certain aspects of their role too. This graphic summarises the three phases of awareness a photographer goes through.

Self Conscious

The self conscious photographer is the one who hides in the background because they are worried that people might see them taking a shot. I remember this being an issue the first time I covered a wedding. I kept thinking that everybody was looking at me, that I was distracting people, that nasty things were being said about the annoying guy with the camera.

Just like a public speaker who is nervous about what they might say or worried that they will stuff up, a new event photographer has to deal with the fact that they need to be in the action to get the job done (capture the moment).

In most cases, our fears about being noticed are unfounded. Let’s go back to the ‘press pack’ example. TV viewers ignore all those photographers in the frame trying to grab a shot. They’re focused on the politician talking about climate change, tax or the latest party scandal. It’s the same at a wedding (or other public event). If you’re walking around with a big camera and flash, everybody knows that you’re the photog and it’s your job to move around and cover the event. You become part of the background.

Gear Conscious

The gear conscious photographer is focused on their camera. What ISO am I on? What shutter speed do I need to use? Did I bump the aperture setting? The white balance is totally off! My memory card is almost full! Do I need to replace my flash batteries?

The ‘gear conscious’ photographer is like the public speaker who has their head down the whole time and just reads the script. Think of that lecturer at university who stood out the front and read their notes in a monotone voice. They were technically correct… but the audience was left out of the equation.

Of course, a good photographer will be aware of their gear and know their camera settings. But ultimately, you want to move on from your camera and get to the final stage of awareness.

Subject Focused

The subject focused photographer has a high level of situational awareness. They notice when a good photo opportunity is about to present itself. They wait a few seconds for that candid smile, move a bit to the left so the pole in the background isn’t coming out of the bride’s head and know when to get out of the way so they don’t become the focus of attention.

Like the audience focused speaker, a subject focused photographer is not self-conscious, knows how to use the tools of their trade (camera instead of paper) and is reading the body language of the people they want to connect with. This is the where you want to be as a photographer… focused on the subject.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to progress through these three phases. It takes time and practice. But being aware of what you’re focusing on can help you take steps to improve for the next event.

What are you focusing on?