Sometimes we lose sight that photography is an art form and form of expression. There are certain rules and parameters that commercial photographers sometimes need to follow that instinctively seem wrong but that’s the compromise you need to sometimes make to please a client. I have learned through trial and tribulation that the best way to handle those situations is to shoot plenty of coverage in a few styles so that your client or subject can pick those standout images that they may have not envisioned.
There are many different takes on trusting your gut. A very experienced videographer friend of mine goes by the theory of shooting what you want because more than likely the client will like it any way, which is saying don’t ask for permission but instead ask for forgiveness if it comes to it. When dealing with clients there is no reason that you can’t open your mouth and walk them through a better process than what they had envisioned. You have to remember that you’re the one holding the camera, you know how to use it, and they hired you for a reason. Part of that process is not getting clouded by someone else who has no experience shooting. It’s up to you to say;” This is how I do things and this is why you hired me.” Of course you should be polite about it.
Trusting your gut comes in to play in full force if you’re out on assignment for a client, company, or organization. Sometimes you are left with minimal instructions as to what to do on a certain gig. That means its up to you to do your research on whatever it is your shooting and do the best you can while hopefully learning something along the way. If you shoot for your eye and not your pocket then trusting your gut is all your have no matter how niche your work may be. If you have faith in your skills and have a clear focus in mind for your photography then you should definitely stay the course and follow that through to wherever it may take you.
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty and for every shot we take there is one we miss. That’s just the nature of the game. You need to know when to make the call on certain shots. The world is a miraculous thing through that lens and a photographer’s eyes are windows into his soul and craft. It can be a very personal thing. With pictures we want to evoke emotion from the most mundane of work to the most extravagant. It’s our job to make things “sexy”, and breathe new life into things that are around us all the time. We shift perspectives on a daily basis and when you trust your gut – you in turn allow an audience to explore something in a way they may never have before. Through our instincts behind the lens we have the ability to make something old new again or something new become something magical.
