Diane Patterson, singer/song writer on a mission performs in Ashland, Oregon recently.
Photographers can learn a lot from folk singers. For this lot, the song is all about the message. With deliberate clarity and an emphasis on repeating phrases and word choice, the singer/song writer mixes rhythm with reason to get the point across. Photographers need to think like song writers; where words, or in this case, light, wasted. Camera angle, exposure, timing, focal length, composition, and color are all part of the photographer's toolbox, just as measure and meter are the tools of a poet or song writer. When the photographer thinks pictures are only possible with a wide angle, they should step back and throw on a long lens to isolate the essential message being conveyed. Moreover, photography like a folk song doesn't always have to be about hitting a viewer or listener over the head with the message. The process can be subtle, and, the best pictures, like good folk songs appeal to both our intellect as well as our emotions.
