Closer Together

The old mantra is, if your picture isn’t good enough, you’re not close enough. We hear that and think that it means something in the external world comes alive when we stand closer to the subject matter. Yes, that’s mostly true, but it misses something—and that something is the photographer.

The faster the photographer finds a way to let their process get out of the way, the closer the viewer gets to the person making the image. In a sense, being close enough is a mantra about being a photographer. It’s about you being closer to what’s happening so that the viewer is closer to you.

That’s when photography gets real interesting. In a way, it has nothing to do with gear, specs, and physical proximity; it’s about consistency. Through consistency, we stand closer together.