Photographing in 2

Many artists find it enjoyable to create their craft together with another person that shares the same interests as they do. Being afraid that the other person, with which you share locations, opinions, ideas, might still your images is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

We (myself and Ionut) are lucky enough to share everything (except our cameras). From the computer, printer, image gallery, website, everything represents what we are as a team and this gives us a competitive advantage over other photographers and not an envy of one over the other. We learn from each other, we encourage ourselves and procrastinate together and we never ever went together to a location and shot the same image. As close as we are as a couple, as different we are as individuals and this gives our images their unique touch.

We are all different and this can be easily seen in what we do, how we think and what we photograph. Being close to another photographer can only have advantages. You can exchange ideas, give and receive unbiased feedback about his/her/your work, discuss opportunities and challenges along the way and most importantly, it can help both of you improve photographically.

We always get out in the weekend and explore areas in the middle of the nature that are some hundred km away from our home. We usually visit the same places over and over again, trying to find new subjects or improve our previous images. In our last trip to Tyulenovo, Bulgaria, Ionut took a look on our past images in that location and suggested that I could try to improve the image below

by repositioning the stone in the sand from the right corner of the image, in the middle, so it can be used as an anchor point, that drags your eye into the image. Then he suggested that I might switch my camera to landscape instead of portrait mode.

This is a really remote place, but we haven’t been here for more than one year, so I doubted the conditions can be the same. Still, this was a chance to improve an already existent image and play what what was now at the location.

Surprisingly enough, everything was as we left it and after a careful reconsideration of the composition, below is what I ended up shooting

I don’t know if this image is better than the previous one, but it is most certainly different. A different image, a different feeling, a different mood and all by collaborating and openly discussing our work, brainstorming what we can do to improve.

Of course, there are people that prefer photographing alone, going out by themselves, learning to deal with how they feel without anyone around and this is ok as long it works for you. Whatever keeps you photographing and evolving, whatever is the right recipe for you, that is what you aught to be doing.

Do you photograph by yourself, or with somebody else? We would love to hear your photographic experiences.