(See the history behind the term “Photographic Sketch Scouting” in “One Week from Today! And… isms?”)
In “One Week from Today! And… isms?”, I promised to review a method that I was going to use on the 2nd Annual “Turkey Shoot” with Photowalking Utah called “Photographic Sketch Scouting”. My desire was to determine if sketching while scouting a photographic route, or for a photographic series, would benefit me in any way. Not to spoil the ending for you, but I believe it did. From “One Week from Today! And… isms?”
“I do not spend much time thinking about what I might photograph when I arrive at the location I have chosen, because typically I have not been there before, or if I have, I have not looked at and thought about what I want to capture when I get there.
I believe sketching might be the key. At least the key for me. So this is what I propose to do in testing how sketching might benefit me as a photographer in conjunction with next week’s “Turkey Shoot”.”
…
“I will be scouting the route that [has been] determined at the time that has been pre-determined for the photowalk. I will do this with my sketch pad in hand to sketch what I would like to photograph prior to next Thursday.”
…
“My desire in the end is a hope that the results of putting in some leg work prior to the leg work of the walk will produce better made and well thought out images. I also think that by doing this I will waste less time looking around for something to shoot. It is my desire to “go pro” as an architectural photographer one day soon and I believe with that comes some responsibility to know what I am going to do and how I might go about doing it.”
Allow me to start with this statement. Photographic Sketch Scouting is not something that I would recommend for a group photowalk like the one I attended on Thanksgiving Day with Photowalking Utah where this method was tested. Photowalks are designed to have fun and to seek out something new as a group to photograph that you have never noticed before.
They are led by someone, in case of the “Turkey Shoot” Harley Pebley, familiar with the area where you are walking who has taken the time to find just the right route for great photos. They are designed for coming together as a community of photographers to learn, develop, teach, and socialize and it is difficult to do these if you are focused on getting that one photo related to your sketch. So, in regard to sketching for a photowalk leave your sketchbook at home and simply go to have a good time.
Photographic Sketch Scouting, however, is a good thing for those looking to shoot a series of photographs (storyboarding your series) or when a camera is not handy and you want a point of reference, so that you can return to the place where you saw what you saw. After all, a sketch can be done on anything handy, i.e. a napkin, a piece of paper on the ground, a small notebook you carry with you. The point is to get it down NOW no matter how rough, so you can go back to it and photograph it the way you envisioned it.
I found that as I walked the route with my sketchbook prior to the photowalk that I was more in tune to things around me. Going in to the sketch scout I had something on my mind, so my focus revolved around that instead of haphazardly looking for something interesting to photograph. Architecture was on my mind.
I am preparing to photograph an A to Z of architectural elements in black and white, so as I sketch scouted, the things related to the architectural elements that I have studied for the series were upfront and prevalent in my mind. I found some of the elements that I am looking for to appear in the series and with each I sketched an approximate (I use that term rather loosely) image of the way I wanted the photo to be presented. I also included a note about where the element was found and what part of the element was important.
Here is my case in point. The images below are the sketch I made of the architectural element I found on the north side of the Federal Court House in Salt Lake City, Utah and the photograph of the element as I wanted it to appear based on my sketch.
The architectural element I was seeking and found on this building was a “voussoir” and part of a larger element called a “keystone arch” (see another image of a “voussoir” below; “Old College, University of Edinburgh” by William Henry Playfair). Please note here that in my sketch I have noted the element and where I the element was located. I must have been very excited about finding it too, because of all the exclamation points.
I had two or three days to think about the image I “pre-visualized” for the photograph and returned to the sketch regularly to remind me about what I saw. It prepared me for the image that I knew I just had to capture for the series. I had to be patient and very thoughtful about whether or not this was really something I wanted to appear in the series I was going to produce. That was probably the hardest part of the whole in testing this method of sketching while I scouted.
When I found this my immediate response was to return home, grab my camera, and go back to photograph it. That, however, would have defeated the point in doing all of this. Instead I waited and I am glad I did.
I took many photographs of the image above just to get it the way I wanted it and I believe I would have stood there all night had I not done the sketch scouting. It gave me the upper hand when I finally did get the opportunity to make the picture, because I knew exactly what I wanted when I got there. Sketching benefited me greatly in that way.
It also added something to my photography that I did not expect. I was forced to focus on the things around me without the benefit of a camera. I not sure about your methods when you have a camera in hand, but I know what I am like. I am “in the zone” when I’m out walking and photographing. Sketch scouting removed me from that zone.
Sometimes I become oblivious to sights and sounds around me, because I am so focused on that one shot I’m trying to get. When I’m done with capturing that image there is a since of pressure to find the next. I could almost term it as “angst”. Photographic Sketch Scouting alleviated that pressure and allowed me to be fully “in the zone” freely without the distraction of seeking that, which is next.
I knew what I wanted to photograph on the route, because I had taken the time to work things out in my mind prior to walking the route without my camera. I felt little or no pressure in “seeking” the next shot, because I knew from where the next one was going to come. For me, this was a very unexpected and pleasant side benefit.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend Photographic Sketch Scouting for those who are seeking to be a little more organized and better acquainted with the objects they have a desire to shoot. In my mind it is an absolute if you are going to photograph a specific series. I feel taking the time to prepare with a sketchbook handy prepared me for that moment when the image was to be made and improved my ability as a photographer. One with or without a camera.
(Image from Wikipedia: “Old College, University of Edinburgh”. This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years. Detail of the facade to the courtyard of the Old College, University of Edinburgh by William Henry Playfair, architect. Image scanned from A. J. Youngston, The Making of Classical Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press 1966.)
