Get More From Assignments By Working The Subject

Over the last two weeks I’ve given you photography assignments for summer and for travel. Today I’d like to explore a technique that will help you get the most out of any assignments you set yourself – working the subject.

Machine-gunning

There are two ways to approach taking photos. 

The first is to take as many photos as you can, without paying attention to what you’re doing. 

This is called machine-gunning, or spray and pray. It doesn’t involve careful consideration, or attention to detail when it comes to light and composition. It’s more a philosophy of take lots of photos and hope some turn out okay.

Working the subject

The second way is to take plenty of photos, but work with purpose. 

Think about what you are doing. Explore the possibilities and potential of the subject. This is working the subject.

Purpose and goals

The line between the two methods can be thin. An example is when you are trying out a new technique or testing a new lens. In both cases you need to make lots of photos to learn the technique, or see how the lens works. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

The difference is that the photographer who is working the subject looks at the photos they have taken already and evaluates what works. They they adjust their techniques and camera settings to suit their goal.

A machine-gunning photographer doesn’t think about what they are doing. They rely on luck, not skill, and probably don’t have an end goal in mind.

Working the subject = working purposefully towards an end goal

Fewer photos to edit

Another benefit of working the subject is that you don’t have as many photos to sort through when you’re finished. It’s a big time saver.

Working the subject example – photographing a garden

You can work the subject without making lots of photos. Let me give you an example.

Here are some photos that I made in a garden.

My goal was to make an interesting photo with the historical house in the background and the flower bed in the foreground. I used the same lens (23mm, APS-C) for each photo and varied the point of view, thinking about what to include in the foreground and where to position the house in the frame.

I made a total of ten photos, and then moved onto something else.

Digital cameras make this easy because you can review your photos and make sure you got what you wanted.

This is important. One of the things that sets machine-gunning and working the subject apart is that the photographer who’s working the subject knows when to stop.

Working the subject example – flowers

I take a similar approach when photographing flowers. The difference is that when I find a good subject, a beautiful flower against a beautiful background, I get absorbed in what I’m doing and spend more time exploring the subject. 

When you work in close-up a small change in camera position can make a huge difference to the composition. I also work with manual focus lenses, so I often make two or three photos of the same composition to help make sure I’ve nailed the focus.

Here’s an example. 

I made 28 photos, varying the composition slightly at first, then switching from portrait format to landscape, then playing with including a second yellow flower in the background. 

In this example I made more photos but I still worked the subject. I had a goal in mind and was thinking about what I was doing at every stage.

Don’t press the button every time

A photographer who’s working the subject may look through the viewfinder and see that something is wrong with the composition or the scene. 

When this is happens, they usually don’t press the shutter button. They think about what’s wrong and try to fix it first. 

This may be as simple as changing their position to improve the composition, or removing a piece of rubbish from the foreground. But they have the discipline to do it.

A machine-gunning photographer would press the shutter button anyway. They probably wouldn’t think much about whether they could improve the composition by changing camera position, or bother to remove rubbish. 

Making better photos

Part of working the subject, and being more purposeful, is thinking about how to make each photo better than the one before. 

You might also think about how the images are going to work together, whether you should try a different technique or another lens, or if you can find a different point of view to add variety to the photos.

Who’s going to make the best photos – the machine-gunner or the photographer working the subject?

I think you know the answer.

Conclusion

Creative photographers know when to work the subject. They are purposeful and intentional in their approach to making photos.

If you bring this attitude to your assignments you’ll make better photos, and get results you’re proud of.

The Assignments ebooks

Check out my Assignments ebooks for more ideas and inspiration.

100 Composition Assignments

100 Creative Photography Assignments

The Magic of Black & White: 50 Assignments