Three Tiers of Photographers: Intent Over Luck

The distinction between a snapshot and a portfolio picture typically comes down to at least one factor: whether or not you meant to make it. Understanding how intuition and intention work collectively adjustments the way you strategy each shoot.

Coming to you from The Bergreens, this considerate video breaks down what they name the three tiers of photographers. The first tier is reactive. You see one thing, you carry the digicam, you press the shutter. There is little reflection, little management, and sometimes a niche between what you hoped for and what you captured. The second tier brings intention. You start to acknowledge gentle, timing, gesture. You wait. You reply. The third tier is the place you may previsualize a body earlier than you arrive, then execute on demand, even when situations aren’t splendid.

That framework provides you a solution to assess the place you stand on any given day. The leap from tier one to tier two is about consciousness. The leap from tier two to tier three is about consistency. In tier three, you don’t depend upon good luck or good gentle. You can storyboard, scout, and stroll right into a scene with a plan. That capacity closes the hole between style and talent. You cease hoping the picture seems and begin constructing it on objective.

But the video doesn’t deal with this as a strict ladder. Bergreen pushes again on the concept everybody should reside in tier three. You would possibly really feel most alive in that second tier, responding to what unfolds as an alternative of forcing an idea onto it. There is freedom in capturing that method. Waiting for one thing to maneuver you may produce sincere work. Still, should you solely shoot when impressed, your progress slows. Discipline builds intuition. Structured apply sharpens reflexes. Over time, planning turns into inner, even while you suppose you might be simply following a sense.

The examples shared make this sensible. Early consumer work meant scouting places prematurely, figuring out predictable photographs, then pushing for a contemporary angle. Sometimes that meant climbing a tree for the next perspective. Sometimes it meant getting onto a rooftop to transform a well-recognized backdrop. Personal journeys included literal picture sketches in a journal: particular frames imagined months earlier. That type of previsualization trains you to see choices quicker when situations shift. At the identical time, inflexible plans can collapse when climate, gentle, or entry change. If you cling too tightly to a psychological picture, frustration replaces creativity.

You see either side laid out clearly. For planners, the recommendation is straightforward: previsualize one picture this month. Scout digitally. Draw the body on paper. Show up and attempt to execute it. Do not goal to be higher than another person. Aim to be completely different. For intuitive shooters, strive the alternative. Arrive someplace and wait earlier than elevating the digicam. Visit the identical spot thrice and power your self to create three distinct photos. Notice how temper, time of day, or climate shifts your perspective. Structure and intuition can strengthen one another should you allow them to.

The actual stress comes when situations are dangerous. Flat gentle. Tight timelines. No spark. On these days, inspiration is not going to rescue you. Skill carries the load. On different days, the plan fails and intuition saves you. Learning to maneuver alongside that spectrum provides you extra management with out draining the enjoyment from the method. There is extra nuance in how Bergreen describes that overlap, particularly in how they steadiness consumer calls for with artistic vitality. Check out the video above for the total rundown.