Faith in the Unforeseen

Until that moment, nobody had thought about the red chair. The portraits were going to be shot against a white wall, in north-facing light. But the chair beckoned. The chair called out to be sat upon and known. As you can imagine there are many funky, featured elements around the Twitter offices, but the red chair was the perfect compliment for these headshots, which were meant to be casual, friendly, and inviting.

Often I will use an element from the environment where I am shooting, an element which lends personality and color to the composition. This is almost always a surprise. Unplanned. Pure serendipity. That’s how I know it is right. Spontaneous creativity tends to have the most impact. The red chair seemed placed there for us, as if we ordered it from a catalog. The photos would not have been as good without it. I was nervous going in but I calmed down when I found the chair.

You have to have faith in the unforeseen. That’s what I’m learning. I haven’t learned it yet, but I am getting there. I’ve found this to be true of photography and almost everything else. If you surrender to the moment, the moment will provide. Now, if only I can remember that.