The Seguin areas photography lovers gathered on the fifth of October in Jackson Auditorium to hear famed photojournalist Harry Benson speak of his craft. Immediately I noticed that the man standing in front of me was significantly older than the picture on the flyer to encourage me to attend; seems men care how old they look too. The flattering and sickening introduction Mr. Benson recieved from his grateful sister-in-law was heart-felt, I just didn't have the heart for it.
Once the artist himself took the stage I found my heart stirring a bit more; his scottish charm and accent were virtually irresistable. Listening to him discuss his most famous photographs, I realized many of his quirky idiosyncracies and thought-processes were probably at least partly resposnible for his relative fame. Prime example: he was sliding up and down on a hand-rail made slippery from rain trying to get a shot of JFK, which he did get complete with the prez looking dead at him due to his trying-to get-the-shot antics. This kind of picture might not have had such a good presentation had it not been for the eye-catching non-tradional manner in which it was taken.
Benson's non-traditional manner aided him not just in that one picture but in his entire career.
The photo that launched this career and brought him to America was another, non-traditional shot: one of The Beatles commencing to pillow-fight upon hearing their single "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" had topped the charts and landed them a gig in the States. Had it not been for his intuitive sense of capture that compelled him to be "at the right place at the right time" AND get a picture of it, he might not ever had attained the status he has today as a contributer to the world of photography.
Benson repeatedly used the line and reason for his success of "being at the right place at the right time" but I found that to be deceptive. I felt that it was more than just the serrendipitous act of being present for something really amazing, because anyone can be around and point-and-shoot willy-nilly; it takes someone aware or what looks or translates well, what is captivating, the process of captivation...etc. Benson was aware of these and many other qualities wheter he knew it or not (which I find hilarious; he knew it, even if he didn't know that he knew it). I could have been in that room at the same time with The Beatles and if say, my lens simply wasn't off of my camera in time, I could have easily missed that shot.
So maybe, intuition, good-timing and preparedness.
Maybe that's what it all comes down to.
Analyzing someone elses success and good-standing causes me to bring my own potential status into question. Do I have the attributes that will help me to become a ravaging success? Do I have the characteristics to enable me to fail? Which set of traits is stronger?
Does any of that even matter?
Is it more about what I want or what I am given?
I didn't think a silly old Scottish man would give me so much food for thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment