The Art of Intuition

Intuition is defined as the ability to discover truth without reasoning, as knowledge gained by quick apprehension. This is a philosophy that has fallen out of favor in recent times, as the world in general-and photography in particular-have become very dependent on technology. Careening down the hi-tech highway, with equipment and techniques seeming to become out-of-date within months after being introduced, photography seems to be heading towards an antiseptic, souless goal.

Photography has seen a surge in automatic equipment this last decade, with cameras that advance film, set the exposure and focus, and rewind after the last shot. There are so many films on the market-making various grandiose claims-that it is a wonder anyone can decide which to use. This profligration has extended into black and white, especially in the paper market. One box of paper can cover a huge contrast range, requiring minimal time in the chemistry and wash.

Individualism and Intuition

The concept of the individual-in terms of a strong, creative being-has become politically incorrect, as it implies an unfair advantage held by a relatively small group of people. There will, however, always be free-willed, imaginative workers in every human endeavor, and these people will naturally rise to the top of their chosen profession.

In the field of photography, there has always been a small handful of people, during any given period, that are recognized as the best in the medium. Occasionally someone will invent a particularily catchy gimmick, and will garner a brief attention; however, the people who steadily produce strong work-who don't rely on a flashy style-these photographers continue to dominate their field. These people command a wide array of skills and talents, and have certainly mastered the technical aspects of their own style of photography. There is one talent that they all possess, however, that cannot be quantified. This immeasurable ability is intuition.

Alfred Steiglitz relied strongly on intuition in his photography; the concept behind his "Equivalent" series required a strong intuitive reaction, encompassing both the photographer and audience. Paul Strand also transcended his medium, creating powerful compositions and strong imagery. In modern times, Paul Caponigro and William Clift continue to create beautiful photographs, and both seem to have a natural compositional instinct. In other fields of the medium, certain photographers continually produce commanding, powerful work. Arnold Newman has created a huge portfolio of wonderful, insightful portraits, and Eliot Porter, several years after his death, remains untouchable in the field of color landscape.

All of these people neccesarily mastered the technical aspect of photography, in the process becoming master craftsman. After learning their craft, however, they have all passed through the learning process into the netherland of instinct. And this step is difficult, requiring an incredible faith in one's inner resources. Letting go of the panacea of technology is akin to taking a first step as a toddler, knowing that there will be a fall at some point in the process. After spending years studying the myriad technical aspects of the medium, this leap of faith revolves around the photographer willingly putting that learning behind them, in essence forgetting it. Of course, technique cannot truly be forgotten; rather, it must be forced into the recesses of the mind, only drawing on it after the intuitive process of choosing composition is complete, and the mundane aspect of focus, exposure, and development must be considered. Intuition is also an important part of printing, as the normal, full-scale, full-tone print will not always be the best response to a certain negative. Knowing when to surrender certain aspects of the printing process, when to sacrifice shadow or highlight detail in order to emphasize some other, more important part of the composition, this is when the intuition must be called upon.

The Horse and the Cart

During my tenure as a photo workshop teacher, I was regularly confronted by a strange phenomenon. Students in the sessions would constantly choose their compositions based on the difficulty of exposing and printing the negative, rather than reacting to a particular scene and then figuring out how to process the resultant film. It was difficult to push them past what was, to my way of thinking, a serious mental block. For instance, if the contrast range of a potential photo was greater than what they had been told was possible for the film to handle, the student would often refuse to shoot the scene. It was generally impossible to convince them to pick their photos based upon an emotional reaction to a particular composition, rather than choosing an image based on how well the tonal range would translate onto the paper. This step, relying on their intuitive response to any given image rather than a technical response, was one I rarely convinced any students to take.

Intuition is a strongly individualistic characteristic, and cannot be taught. It is possible, however, to nurture and develop this trait, and it is an idiosyncrasy that-to one degree or another-everyone inherently has. The most difficult learning step in photography, in my opinion, involves forgetting everything you have learned, an implication that is frightening but neccesary. It requires a suspension of belief and knowledge to make an intuitive leap.

The intuitive process, by definition, is improbably hard to quantify. It is an amorphous subject, difficult to discuss, impossible to teach. It is, however, incredibly important to the creative process, especially in photography, where the technical side always threatens to overpower the intuitive aspect. Emotional content, in photographic terms, is difficult-if not impossible-to achieve in a final print if there was no intuitive response by the photographer to the initial scene. There must be huge commitment towards whatever subject is being photographed, and, above all else, there must be an intuitive approach.

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