Photography has long been celebrated as a medium that captures moments, freezes time, and conveys stories. It’s an art form that requires careful consideration, often a great deal of research, and – sometimes – months of planning. 

Canon recently launched a series called Beyond the Kitbag where Cecilie Harris, head of creative services at Canon EMEA spoke to 20 Canon ambassadors to find out how what motivates them to pick up their cameras and continue exploring their passion. 

Recent scientific studies emphasize the significance of storytelling and emotion in photography and how psychological events such as entering a “flow state” can be a contributing factor to a successful career. 

In this study, Cecilie Harris enlisted the help of Dr Richard Stephens, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Keele in the UK who analyzed 20 interviews in an attempt to work out if there is something that unifies freelance photographers. 

What Stephens calls a “flow state” comes from a recurring theme through his research interviews. Participants described feeling completely in the moment, as if on autopilot where creating felt calm and peaceful, and their mind was free of stress and anxiety. But that’s only a small factor in what keeps these professional photographers going. 

Stephens was able to break down the photographic process into four psychological states, all of which contribute to a feeling of satisfaction and complete immersion in the task. They are the flow state, creativity, the eureka moment, storytelling, and emotion. Although flow state might not be possible at all times, it’s this feeling that often drives photographers to create their best work. 

Flow state

If you’ve ever experienced a feeling of pure contentment in your photographic practice, you’ll know how rewarding it is. That feeling of pure bliss and unadulterated focus is what we all strive for; your mind doesn’t wander and you’re not left with any feelings of self-doubt. With imposter syndrome not knocking at the door, you tend to feel free of stress and anxiety i.e. you have entered a flow state. According to Dr Stephens, a flow state can be defined as an experience that is “intrinsically rewarding, leading to a great sense of achievement”. 

Several Canon Ambassadors mentioned times when they had experienced this without knowing what to call it. Lucia Griggi describes how she can “look the camera and nothing else matters,” Julie Pike explained how when she holds the camera, things happen automatically, while Emmanuel Oyeleke uses his camera as a tool to “overcome and mask my shyness.” He says it gives him a sense of boldness when it’s in his hand.

To be completely lost in the moment, unaware of your senses and surroundings, and not constricted by any doubts in your ability result in a dreamy, flow state that is the epitome of creative success. You’ll feel like time has been well spent and the positive effects will often carry into other parts of your day and life. 

The science of creativity

Photographers constantly strive for creativity, seeking to capture images that are authentic and engaging. The science of creativity defines it as the ability to generate ideas that are both novel and satisfying, but the pursuit of creativity can be challenging, especially when there are no clear goals at the beginning of a creative process.

Stephen Kotler, an American author, suggests science-based strategies to enhance creativity such as cultivating a good mood since it promotes a willingness to take risks and embrace unconventional ideas. 

There are several ways to coax creativity, you just have to find which suits you best. Canon ambassador Julie Pike tries to create a relaxing atmosphere on a shoot so, when she worked with the Norwegian singer Aurora and her sisters, she supplied Norwegian Bolle (sweet buns) and beer as a way of connecting with them and breaking the ice. 

You could also listen to your favorite music, set guidelines such as not shooting on sunny days, a tactic Martin Booth uses or even pass the creativity baton to your subject allowing them to be actively involved as Helen Bartlett does when shooting with children. By embracing these approaches, photographers can unlock their creative potential and continue to produce captivating work.

Eureka Moment

Eureka moments are sudden, euphoric breakthroughs that leave you and give you an instant, overwhelming feeling of victory. They often arise after a period of frustration or a creative block which is something most creatives will have to battle with at one point or another. 

For photographers, these moments are not uncommon, considering the inherent difficulty of the creative process which can lack a clear strategy from the start. These insightful breakthroughs where the solution finally emerges hold long-term motivational effects for photographers who can look back on these moments for reassurance. 

Several photographers shared their experiences of eureka moments during their creative processes. Helen Bartlett described it as a moment when you have a vision but it hasn’t materialized yet while Audun Rikardsen knows immediately when a personal image would have a lasting impact on him. Lucia Griggi, one of the few female surf photographers recalls a perfect wave breaking suddenly, leaving her in awe and Julie Pike recalled a moment when the perfect frame appeared before her eyes. These eureka moments serve as powerful reminders of the magic that happens when creativity aligns with intuition and inspiration.

Storytelling and Emotion

Narratives are essential for human cognition and communication, encompassing elements such as sequential plots, dramatic moments, archetypal characters, and moral lessons. Photographers adeptly capture the tension between exposition and impending action which evoke emotions and grabs the viewers’ attention. Emotional connections between photographers and subjects drive powerful images but purpose-driven storytelling required photographers to break boundaries, depict reality and often raise awareness around a topical or sensitive issue. 

Finbarr O’Reilly is a war photographer, but rather than capturing the cliché photos you often see of war, he tries to capture the people affected trying to maintain some normality in their everyday lives through his powerful image. Similarly, Wanda Martin strives to break down gender boundaries and depict the model’s personalities and the backstory of fashion through her editorial portraits. 

Photography is after all storytelling through images but more often than not it isn’t quite as simple as clicking the shutter and taking a nice photo. The most engaging of images that elicit emotion from the viewer requires careful planning, a lot of thought and a deep connection to the subject being photographed may that be a person, a landscape, or even a memory. By combining the four psychological states, photographers are able to push themselves further and delve deeper into the heart of who they are as creatives and what type of work they want to present. 

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Photos by Bloomsburg-based artist and railroad photographer Oren B. Helbok are part of “The Ties That Bind: Railroading in NEPA,” an exhibit that opens this week at Misericordia University’s Pauly Friedman Art Gallery.

We spoke with Helbok for a feature on the exhibit. This is an expanded version of the interview which appears in our main story. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: How did you come to be connected with this exhibit?

A: Erika Funke at WVIA deserves all of the credit for this. Erika did a Keystone Edition feature about train art and invited me to come onto the show.

Lainey Little (Ed: Pauley Friedman Art Gallery Director Lalaine Bangilan Little) was in the audience at WVIA. I handed her my card and I said keep in touch. A few months later that Lainey said, “I’m doing a show in the gallery with trains, and would you be interested in having some of your photographs displayed?” And I leapt at the chance.

Q: Tell me about your professional life, and your art, and how the two intersect.

A: I run The Exchange, which is a nonprofit arts organization down here in Bloomsburg. We take as our mission bringing the arts to all communities throughout our region.

It’s a deliberately vague mission, so we can do a whole bunch of different things. The heart of what we do is the gallery here on Main Street. We do nine shows a year, and most of them are open calls. We’ve done about 80 shows here since we moved into this space in 2014. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 people have shown work, and that’s everyone from university art professors to two-year-old children, and it all goes up together.

We also do other things. On the last Wednesday of every month we do live music. We call it the Listening Room. It’s not like going out to a bar where there are televisions and people talking. This is an intimate performance.

Q: How long have you been in Bloomsburg?

A: My wife (Sara Baker) and I moved to Pennsylvania in 1992, and we moved into Bloom in 2010.

Q: Tell me about your railfan photography. When did it start?

A: My father handed me a camera when I was six. That was in the spring of 1972. I had shown from the time I was teeny tiny an interest — I mean a passion for — trains.

I grew up in the Bronx. My parents would take me down to the Hudson River in our neighborhood to have picnic suppers. We’d sit on the platform of the train station at Riverdale, or we’d go out on the rocks on the river. But I was not watching the river. I was watching the trains.

Q: (Laughs) I know the feeling. I do! And your father was supportive?

A: My father had been into airplanes. He had gotten his private pilot’s license at age 18, but had never flown after that because he couldn’t afford it. He saw my passion for trains, and he just jumped in with both feet and became a hugely enthusiastic and knowledgeable railfan.

Q: I’m going to ask this question — and I’m not sure as a railfan if I could properly answer it myself — but what fascinates you about trains?

A: For some kids it’s planes. For some it’s cars. For me, it was trains.

When I was a kid, I think it was really the hardware. Trains are big and they move fast. And I think there is something fairly universal about the appeal of the railroad.

The epiphany I had about this was back in the fall of 2014. My daughter and I were on a college visit tour out in the Midwest. We were crossing Ohio. I like to avoid the interstates, so we’re taking the two-lane road. And every now and then up ahead, we’d see that little yellow sign for the railroad crossing. As we cross the track, I would look in both directions, you know, just to see if there’s anything there. I think that actually there’s something universal about that. When anyone — whether it’s a railfan or not — comes across a railroad track, it’s perpendicular to the way that they’re going. And it opens up the world in that perpendicular direction.

I think that was true for farm kids growing up in the Midwest 150 years ago, or someone up in the coal region. It was a way to get out and get somewhere else.

Q: You grew up in the Bronx, where of course there’s, there’s so much going on in terms of rail transportation, especially passenger service. Did that influence the way you looked at railroads?

A: Actually, even from the time I was a kid, I photographed minimally in the Bronx. I wish I had done more.

Q: Ah! Interesting. Where were you shooting then?

A: My father and I were traveling to go see steam trains.

Q: That seems to be your main focus, so I guess that hasn’t changed much over the years.

A: Right, though it’s not exclusive. What has changed, though, is that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the appeal of the railroad and of railroading. It’s broader than what I had initially experienced.

To me, to photograph railroading and to photograph it comprehensively, there are three main themes: There is the hardware. There’s also the landscape and the way that the railroad interacts with its surroundings. That’s whether you’re in town or out in the countryside somewhere. And then there is the people. And the people have become much more central to my photography.

When I was a kid, every now and then I would photograph a human being working on a locomotive. Now that’s really most of what I do.

It’s partly to make up for all of those people who were so generous with my father and me, who gave us access to their railroads and taught us about what they were doing, whom I didn’t photograph. I regret that. And my way of paying them back is to do as much as I can of it now with the people who are here now, giving me access and showing me how the railroad works.

Q: You’re going to have a lot of folks who come to this exhibit who will be railfans, as we are, and who will appreciate the nuances that others may not see. But to those visitors who don’t necessarily have an interest in railroads, what do you hope they’ll take away from the exhibit?

A: I think that that railroading is a very broad subject. It’s not just the hardware, it’s the interaction of those trains with the environment. It’s the history. America was really built on the railroads.

And even in a place like Dallas, Pennsylvania, where the tracks have been gone for decades, part of the reason Dallas looks the way it does is because that track used to be there. There are still buildings left that were built there next to the tracks so that the railroad could provide freight service. The shape of those buildings, the shape of the landscape, was altered because of the way the trains came through.

I think it’s important for people to have that sense of how we got to where we are.

Q: Any other thoughts?

A: I would hope that some of them are also gonna be willing to call their legislators and say, “for crying out loud, can you just get a train running from Scranton to New Jersey!?”

Whenever I go on holiday, a weekend away, or even a day trip you can find me, camera in hand, documenting every part of the trip. From the journey there (unless of course, I’m driving), to arrival, to every meal, and even the moments of rest, I’m always ready to take beautiful candid snaps of my nearest and dearest. Capturing these moments is incredibly important to me, I love being able to tell a story of our time together through images but sometimes, I really do wish I was in more of them!

The one problem about being your friendship group’s sole photographer is that you won’t be in 90% of the photos. And the ones you are in are usually forced group shots or photos you have asked someone to take of you so it’s very hard to act natural. 

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It was my choice to be a photographer, no one is arguing that but sometimes I look back on the photos I’ve taken and it feels like I’ve written myself out of my own life. Sure my friends take photos of me on their phones or Instax but it’s not quite the same as being captured mid-laugh or dancing, completely unaware you’re even being photographed. 

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a yurt party in a charming little village called Bradley on the outskirts of Basingstoke, UK. The theme was Time Travelers Ball so, of course, this was going to be an excellent opportunity for photos. As normal, I got my camera out and started snapping away but much to my surprise as the night went on and sunset was upon us, my friends suddenly became very interested in using my camera. I let them take the reins for a change!

I didn’t make it easy for them, I passed over the camera in manual mode and told them which dials would affect the exposure and then left them to it. On its return, I expected to see quite a few blurry, out-of-shot photos but honestly, I was blown away by how good they were. Turns out my friends are actually a bunch of talented photographers and now I know this secret, I’ll be passing over camera duties more often. 

Not only was it really nice to appear in some photos for a change but it was an absolute pleasure watching the joy on their faces when they took a photo they were proud of. To open someone’s eyes to the reason why something is your passion is humbling, rewarding and totally magical. Most of my friends are DJs and producers, so they regularly discuss music-related things it was a really nice switch-up to see them getting excited about my area of expertise. 

Of course, I’ll never stop being the designated camera lady, I love doing it and I admit I can think of it as my gift to everyone in attendance, but it’s good to know that I can pass the baton sometimes. It means that in years to come when I look back at photos, I’ll actually be in the photos, not just appear as a shadow from behind the lens. 

All images were taken on a Sony A7 III and a Sigma 28 – 70mm f/2.8 DG DN lens

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HISTORIC TRIANGLE — Colonial Nature Photography Club is a group of nature and camera enthusiasts that meet the first Monday of each month to show off their skills and share experiences.

The club began in 2007, says club vice president Craig Hill, who joined the group in 2008, and always welcomes new members.

“The skill levels in the club range from real amateurs up to professional photographers,” says Hill, “Like any organization, we want to get more people because they always bring something new to the table. We definitely are not concerned with whether you are a good photographer or not, it’s about getting out and seeing nature.”

Everyone is welcome to attend meetings that consist of a monthly theme challenge, where members are encouraged to share up to three photographs with the attendees.

“We don’t critique them, we just want to have a space where we can share our work and maybe talk a little bit about how and where we got the shot,” said Hill.

Additionally, meetings have a specific program or guest speaker.

No fancy camera equipment is needed to join, just a love for nature and a willingness to get out, snap some shots and possibly share them with fellow hobbyists. “We have some folks just use their cell phone,” says club president, Glenn Woodell.

The group offers opportunities for members to learn and share with one another and enjoy the beauty of our natural surroundings. Once a year the organization hosts a photography contest with cash prizes.

Member Len Taubman states, “I joined the Colonial Nature Photography Club several years ago because I was looking for ways to expand my knowledge of photography and meet people who have the same ambition to become better photographers.”

Carol Annis agrees with Taubman, saying the club is a great place to share and learn about nature photography, “Being in the club has helped me to grow and become more confident in myself as a photographer!”

Membership dues are $20 per year and meetings are held at the James City County Library.

Visit the Colonial Nature Photography Club webpage and Facebook group to learn more.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – He had no idea at the time, but shortly after the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, Las Vegas photographer Al Powers snapped an indelible and symbolic image of the team celebrating the historic win.

Powers took thousands of pictures that night, knowing it was his job to capture the magnitude and emotion of the moment. But seeing VGK come together in the shape of a heart was unexpected and his image was unplanned.

“I had to scroll back,” Powers said of combing through his photographs. “Is that a heart? Oh my god, it is a heart.”

High above the ice, Powers had set up a remote camera. But the incredible image almost didn’t happen.

“Earlier in the game, I had a problem with the camera,” Powers explained. “The battery died.”

During the first intermission, he ran up and rectified the situation. An exhausted Powers posted the image on Instagram after the game and went to bed. By the time he awoke, his “Golden Heart” image was being shared everywhere.

““I love the fact that one moment in time can speak to people,” Powers said. “It spoke to me. I had no idea it would be this crazy.”

Powers has been photographing the team since day one, and he noted that the heartfelt bond between the team and the city was truly Vegas Born.

If you are a VGK fan that teared up at the sight of the image, you’re in good company—including the photographer himself.

“One of the perfect moments in time,” he recalled. “Glad someone captured it. Just happened to be me.”

You can see more of his work here.

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