Shooting Before Stopping and Thinking

In 2007, photographer Henry Wessel filmed a series of casual, conversational videos about his work and working style with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The video below outlines his artistic process. The main takeaway from this video is that in order to take truly unique photos, you cannot take the time to stop and contemplate your shot. Rather, you must simply take the photograph, and try not to think twice about it.

Wessel tells us that he tries to work before his mind interjects, such as contemplating what the shot could look like if things were shifted one way or another or if he could approach the subject from a different angle. While there are an infinite number of thoughts that might rush through a photographer's mind before they capture their image, Wessel is insistent that "you cannot be thinking".

Wessel believes that "Once you recognize something, then you're actually less aware." Once you become cognizant of your subject matter, that is the only thing you're able to focus on, and your photographs end up looking like everyone else's. This video is a wonderful insight into how a true photographer's mind works, and we could all learn a little something from Wessel, even if it's only that we shouldn't waste our time overthinking every little detail in life.

Henry Wessel: Arizona, California, and Colorado

Henry Wessel (1942–2018), was a photographer inspired by the works of Wright Morris, Robert Frank, and Gary Winogrand. 

In 1971, Wessel was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship with the goal of documenting the American highway system. What resulted was a portfolio of the American vernacular and the continuation of his documentation of the everyday. Below I have selected three of my favorite works. 

IMAGE ONE

Tucson, Arizona 1976

IMAGE TWO

Venice, California 1973

IMAGE THREE

Venice, California 1973

I am particularly interested in all three of these images as they all document different aspects of American life: inside public spaces, the exterior of the home, and roadside America. With great attention to light, Wessel was able to capture the spaces that many of us know incredibly well: the mundane parts of life that seemingly lack much interest or beauty. His minimalist approach to photography lives throughout his every piece, allowing us to bask in the small wonders of the everyday: chairs, windows, blinds, façades, even a long-gone telephone booth. In fact, Wessel summed it all up quite eloquently:

It can happen anytime, anywhere. I mean, you don't have to be in front of stuff that's going to make a good photograph. It's possible anywhere.

By simply glancing at Wessel's work, we have the opportunity to view the world through a completely different mindset: the everyday is, in fact, a beautiful place to be.