Hunters-Gatherers

How do you find your motifs?

Let me present two diametrically opposite strategies.

One.
You go for a stroll, enjoying the landscape, pick your motifs, relax and think that Life Is Good And Photography Is A Nice Hobby. If you're urbanly inclined just swap landscape for something more concrete.

Got you nailed. You're a gatherer. Pure and simple. Nothing wrong with that.

Two.
You spend days on end in a hide, waiting for the wolverine to come and gnaw the bait. Or you hike up in the mountains carrying so much gear you feel the taste of blood in your mouth every fifty meters, knowing the the mountain poppy you're looking for can't adjust your mood even if you ate it.

Got you nailed again. You're a hunter. Nothing wrong with that either.

A pure hunter's satisfaction with Life and Photography can be every bit as thorough as is the gatherer's, but the amount of labour to get there seems to be in excess if you ask me.

The Hunter strategy is sometimes necessary to obtain certain shots, but the gatherer strategy seems a much better over-all choice. Not the least for the hobbyist. For starters it is more compatible with a social life, having a daytime job, etc. And the occasional winner motif WILL present itself before your lens no matter how leisurely you pursue.

There is just one thing you should beware of. The lust of getting the pic that requires just a little more effort. You know, the little-odd detour from the beaten path to find new motifs. Or perhaps the pursuit of the creative angle on a familiar motif. That lust is dangerous. Once you start feeding it, you never know where it will take you.

But make sure to get your priorities right, between family and wolverine.