I might have some controversial opinions about intention within photography. I believe that less intention is more. When you consider intention, you might think that when you press the shutter, you must have everything pre-visualized, understood why you’re making the picture, and intentionally positioning yourself in a way that can convey a story that you would like to tell. I say, let the chips fall as they may, embrace the spirit of play, and move through the streets without intention.
Motivation is in your legs
First and foremost, we must recognize that motivation is derived from your legs. This means, the more that you move your physical body through the world, the more that you will see, and the more that you will photograph. Because I photograph with repetition every single day, I am gifted with moments that I otherwise would never notice. I’m not going out there with intention, looking for specific photographs, themes, or concepts to tackle. I’m merely remaining curious, looking ahead of me, recognizing the patterns between nature and human behavior, and photographing whatever my gut tells me to.
Childlike curiosity
When you were a child, did you go outside with intention to do something specific? I know that when I was younger, I would simply go outside first thing in the morning simply eager to go play and figure things out once I got there. I remember going into the woods, finding sticks to use for building, cross streams, and find new paths to walk down, without any intention. I believe that this mindset has carried with me throughout all of my travels and photographic journey as I never make plans and simply go with the flow.
The less intention I give myself, the better results I come home with.
Be foolish
Forget everything you think you know. Stop looking at the photo books, watching lame videos on YouTube, and planning your next trip. If you have a gut feeling that you should be somewhere and that you should photograph something, just go do it. When you’re in the moment, recognizing something interesting occurring, just shoot it! Stop thinking, planning, and trying to be so perfect. You’re not perfect, I’m not perfect, and life certainly isn’t perfect. Let’s embrace imperfection going forward.
Composition is made with your intuition.
There’s no ABC, 123, on how to see. You simply must be, in the moment, looking, observing, and feeling the streets in front of you.