Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision

Not-So-Great Expectations

It’s no secret that as humans we hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see. If our expectations determine, to some degree, what we see, then to that same degree our expectations determine what we will and will not shoot. In the case of photographing new places, especially where well-known destinations are involved, we have a lifetime of postcards and classic travel photographs that inform our thoughts and feelings of a place. In the case of photographing at home or in places we know well, these expectations often stand in the way of seeing a place more fully.

To the degree that we keep to that vision, we will never see, feel, or experience a place for ourselves. When shooting the Taj Mahal on my first trip ...