I have a chronic tendency to take as many different images as I can of any subject I might be shooting, and then hope to find something inspiring or interesting at the end as I post process them. Part of my goals of becoming a better photographer is to begin to spend more time pre-shoot to come up with objectives, both technical and creative, and to get in touch with how the subject impacts me and how I choose to capture it and to document it. After all, cameras don’t take images, people do and “the camera looks both ways.”

This month, I am taking a class at HCP called Words and Images ©Dion McInnis by photographer and author, Dion McInnis.

Dion teaches that we are both a visual and verbal species and that not only do images inspire our words, but the words we use to describe our images can illicit emotions and other images in our minds and the minds of our audience. The goal of this workshop is to learn to use words to expand and enhance our creative process, to discover the power and potential of words and images working together, and to learn to use those words in stories, essays, prose, and artist statements.

In the first day of class we learned methods of using words to plan our photo shoots. Words can be used to describe, inspire, and document our work. We start by determining the theme of our photo shoot. What’s the subject? Why are we shooting it? Once the theme is expressed, one then starts writing words about what one might see at the photo shoot, what one might feel about the theme or subject at the photo shoot, and what one might learn from theme or subject at the photo shoot.

The next step of the pre-shoot exercise is to quickly scan through the words in each column and highlight a few key words in each that stand out. Research what others have done on the theme or subject both in photography as well as other mediums such as poetry, songs, documentaries and essays. What key words do they use? How does this impact how you thought you would approach the theme or subject? Does it affirm your thoughts and plans on the theme or does it modify them?

I’ve created a pre-shoot worksheet to help with the exercise and to begin using prior to my photo shoots. Feel free to use it if you think it will help you with your work. I’d appreciate any feedback or comments you have about the worksheet, the subject, and how you plan and document your shoots.