Photography: Be PersistentWriten by Eric Hartwell
Are you hampered by your own inertia or the unwillingness of others? If so, in photography at least, you are missing out on some great opportunities,.
It pays to be persistent sometimes. How many times have you come across a great opportunity only to have it scuppered by either your own inhibitions or those of others. Many times a photo opportunity Is lost because the photographer has not been able to pluck up the courage to ask for permission to take the photograph. Or perhaps, that candid has been lost because you have been spotted.
It certainly can feel uncomfortable, but by taking the bull by the horns and steeling yourself, you can learn to feel more comfortable in these situations.
Asking someone if you can take his or her photograph will often be met with a yes and a subsequent great photo which you can even share with your subject. In other cases, a polite no is the response, in which case thank the person politely and move on.
Access to land for the purposes of photography can also be a stumbling block. But if you see a potentially great image in the making, whats the problem with knocking on someones door to ask permission to photograph? If you explain why you wish to do so and offer to share the images you will feel more comfortable doing it. Again, a negative response can simply be shrugged off before moving on to your next assignment.
Be persistent.
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com