Aaron Outward: Our Preconceived Expectations

I was practicing eliminating unwanted things from my frame.
So I was using the vines to get rid of an ugly building from the frame

It is one of the most natural human obsessions; before we go into any situation we have always analyzed it to death and have some expectation of the outcome. Most often this is just setting us up for failure and disappointment as the situation never turns out quite like the preconceived expectation was in our mind. I bring this topic up because it reared its ugly little head in my photography journey recently and has caused me to step back and reflect a little.

The other day I had to run a couple errands, and since I am doing my 365 project I decided to bring my camera along as well. Lately I have found a style of photography that I really enjoy and seem to developing pretty rapidly with, street photography. So I grabbed my camera and off I went.

I have used a telephoto lens for most of my street photography up until the weekend, so I could be undetected and shoot from a far. Unfortunately, after some research I learnt that some of the greatest shots can be achieved with a wider angle lens. Of course to achieve this you have to be able to get much closer to your subjects. This past weekend I wanted to try it out so instead of the long lens, I grabbed my light small lens and off I went. I absolutely fell in love with it. It was very intimidating and difficult at first but as the hour went by I found myself really enjoying it and I ended up with some decent shots.

I digress; let’s get back to my errands. So I brought along the small lens with the intention of practicing some more street photography when I was done them. The sky was very overcast and rain was looming, so the streets were bare; not a person in site. As I continued to walk there were a few people out, but all walking head down with a purpose; not making the best photos. I learnt very quickly I am not at the comfort level of the great street photographers. It is much easier getting close unnoticed in crowds like on the weekend, but when it is just you and the subject you stand out quite a bit. First lesson of the day, increase my confidence and comfort level. If I am not comfortable, it will make my subject even more suspicious.

I had all these preconceived plans of practicing my new craft and it felt like nature was conspiring against me. I found myself longing for my longer lens, and contemplated just going home.

It was then I realized my disappointment was my own doing. I was the one who had set this preconceived expectation of what my photo walk would be about. I realized I just needed to be more adaptable. So instead of going home, I decided to embrace this situation, as nature was telling me I should practice something else. So I decided to use the time to practice with my camera.

I ended up focusing on patterns, lines, textures and using different perspectives. I also began working on learning to do manual exposures because I knew my subjects weren’t going to be moving on me J

The day made me realize something very important. It is natural for us to set preconceived expectations for ourselves; I don’t think this is something we will ever get away from. But we need to always remember that they will probably never work out the way we planned. Knowing this going into the situation will allow us to be flexible and adaptable, making the best of the situation. Often by doing this we will find more enjoyment and success than we originally planned in our preconceived expectation.

At the end of it all, I ended up scraping most of my photos from the day, but I did get a few keepers. The image at the top of page came once I opened my mind and got rid my preconceived expectations for the day. And then on my walk home wouldn’t you know it, I was rewarded with a great this street candid shot. Isn’t it funny how things work out sometimes? J