William Neill Photography

What kind of photographs do you make? The most common answer I hear to that question is: "Oh, I try a little of this, and a little of that". When I have taught workshops over the past twenty years, the seductive power of the camera is evident in student work. Since the visual explorer is naturally pulled towards many subjects, the class portfolios most often indicated diverse interest and little focus. Certainly the world is full of wonders to photograph, but how many of us have the time to take every branch in the road? The hectic pace of our lives, and the expediency of clicking the shutter conspire to distract us.

I think that many photographers would benefit from a more focused approach to their imagery. If you are a landscape photographer, and you see something of yourself mentioned above, consider what subject matter REALLY attracts you. The subject can be broad or narrow, such as forests or aspen, deserts or Death Valley. The important thing is to focus on a theme, and photograph with the idea of creating a portfolio. The portfolio can take many forms: an actual portfolio box of fine prints; a book; a slide show; or simply a page of slides. The idea is to make photographs, and then edit them, with the intention of putting your best images on the subject in one place.

There are two main requirements for your portfolio. First, as I said before, there must be a coherent theme that moves you and motivates you. Let's say that you have picked a theme of landscapes with some aspect of water involved. Possible images could include waterfalls, rivers, lakes, or the ocean.

The second criterion is that there should be no one image that is of lesser quality than another. In any situation where you show your work, great images are diluted by the average images that you might use to "fill out" your presentation, and the overall impression of your photography is reduced. The editing process is not given enough priority by many aspiring photographers.

The next step is to go through your files to find your very best "water landscapes." If you adhere to my second premise, you will find the editing difficult! Being self-critical is critical! Don't be surprised if you only find a few images that are of equally high quality. The ultimate editor is you, the artist, but you may find it valuable to have your work evaluated by other, more experienced photographers, such as a workshop instructor. This "second opinion" approach will either confirm, or force you to reconsider, the level of your imagery.

You should now have the foundation for your portfolio, be it two or twenty images, and a baseline from which to measure your progress. When you continue to photograph for the portfolio, your planning, exploring and image-making is concentrated on the theme. New images are compared to your standards of excellence, and can be added to the portfolio if they measure up. Over time, some new images might replace the original images as the overall quality of the portfolio is elevated. The images that endure, that still excite you, remain in the portfolio. By evaluating this collection of premier images often, you can see, and are rewarded by, your progress.

This project could last just a few months, or last a lifetime. Like many nature photographers, I love to photograph trees and I have an on-going tree portfolio. Several years ago, my images were chosen for a book project to illustrate novelist John Fowles's essay entitled The Tree (The Nature Company, 1994). For me, the book provided an opportunity for my images to compliment a classic piece of environmental writing with a strong message about the human need for wilderness, but it was not my ideal tree portfolio. The problem with doing books is that sometimes the photographer is not the editor!

One recent photograph of mine, "Trees growing on moss-covered boulders, Baxter State Park, Maine, 1995," has assumed a position among my select tree photographs. As is often the case for me, the process of creating this image began with discovery and a sense of wonder. The roots of these trees thoroughly amazed me with their grace and determination! My judgment of the image rests on: the overall technical quality; that I feel the image is as good as my best tree photographs; and that the image reconnects me with the sublime experience of being there.

To compose the image, I had to maneuver my tripod onto a nearly-vertical, muddy slope and use a 90mm wide-angle lens on my 4x5. This slope limited my options and forced me to compose tightly as I was using the widest-angle lens I have. The viewer‚s attention is centered on the two roots coming down the rock. The entire boulder is not shown but its large size is implied. A sense of the surrounding forest is conveyed by small sections of trunks visible across the top of the frame. The previous night's rainstorm had knocked down an abundance of leaves, which added an extra dimension to the wonder of the scene. The rainfall and the softness of the lighting conditions allowed the film to record rich, saturated colors.

Once you have explored a theme in depth, and hopefully you have seen your own vision of the subject grow and coalesce, you will probably find other themes in your work to cultivate into new portfolios. As I write these words, I contemplate themes in my own body of work to develop! Creative thinking along these lines may lead you to themes, evolving from your own personal passions, that are yet unexplored by other photographers. The potential for rewards in terms of personal satisfaction, in the refinement of your presentation, and for marketing your work are increased. The first level of creativity comes with the image-making, but the next phase comes with the editing and organization of images in ways that reflect the photographer‚s unique style and perspective.

Find your passion, develop depth, edit tightly! Simply put: focus!