THE LEADERSHIP LENS Newsletter <download pdf>
September 2005, © Mark Sincevich, Staash Press, LLC
A monthly resource providing insight, opinion and practical information on creativity, balance, personal leadership & perspective

Just Go For It

I had planned how long it would take me to travel to the wedding, but the wild card could be things like a bright setting sun, an accident or road debris bringing traffic to a standstill.   I wasn't going to be late, no way.   I had packed all of my photography gear including my backup camera and extra batteries.   This wedding assignment required me to wear a tuxedo so I drove in my white t-shirt and black trousers with my formal shirt, jacket and accessories tucked neatly in the backseat.   It was an evening wedding and I wanted to capture the bride and her entourage arriving by limousine and the groom being escorted by a loyal best man in balanced early evening light. Even this morning I was reminded of last week's wedding assignment as NBC's Today Show broadcast their annual wedding. The lucky bride and groom got married next to the water along the Chesapeake Bay in a beautiful hometown ceremony.

Luckily I had arrived in plenty of time to another version of a hometown wedding, but I was fidgeting with my bow tie.   I tried to recall the exact looping and twist of the wrist, but I wasn't getting anywhere.   Perspiration was pooling on my forehead as my heart rate increased.   I tried to remember all of the times I had practiced around my right leg when I started working at Lord & Taylor many years ago.   Still nothing.   A few people who were working with the wedding party asked if everything was ok a few times. Sure, I'm fine.   I'm anxiously tugging at my collar, walking in circles and talking to myself for close to twenty minutes in penguin suit. Traffic I anticipated, but I never thought that I would be delayed by my bow tie.   I took three slow deep breaths, and gave it one last attempt.   While holding onto one corner of the bow tie, I managed to slip it through the underside of the loop above.   After a couple of quick tugs, it was securely on. I dashed out to take some memorable photographs.  

I like to capture all of my assignments in a photojournalistic style, a way that tells the story of the event or assignment through photographs.   The best photographs don't need a description as they often times draw people into the frame and ask more questions the longer you look at them.   Photographs also have a way to increase our awareness and creativity by challenging us to look for the deeper meanings in the picture.   I try to remember advice like this when I am amongst people taking their pictures.   At a wedding I balance my need to document the 'magical moments' that most people miss with the posed family documentary photographs that everyone wants for their wedding album.   However, it's my goal to be behind the scenes and as unobtrusive as possible. One of the best compliment's I can get from a customer is, 'I didn't even know you where there.'   It's a little easier to take photographs at a wedding, but what about taking pictures at a park or festival where you aren't hired by a bride and groom?

One assignment had me photographing the people of New York City's Washington Square Park.   It was a sunny Saturday in the autumn and people were watching street performers, playing games and having a great time.   I tried to capture images of people from a distance, but the words of photographer Robert Capa kept whispering in my ear, "if it's not good enough, you're not close enough."   Sometimes I have to ask people I don't know if I may take their photograph.   I let them know that I am on an assignment, hand them my card in case they want a copy of the picture, and then get them to relax a little by smiling.   Nearly every time I get the person to say yes to at least two or three snaps of the shutter.   After the third photograph I think their vanity is replaced by the possibility that I might be a 'stalker' of some sort.   Above all I treat everyone I meet with respect so that they will more than likely say 'yes' to the next photographer asking for their photograph.  

As in a wedding or on a travel assignment, sometimes it just isn't feasible or possible to ask people for their permission.   I have this amazing photograph of a Buddhist Monk walking to the side of a moving train at the Bangkok Train Station.   I was already in another train with the window open and had the chance for this one photograph.   Based on my experience with memorable photographs, there is usually just enough time to press the shutter once and then the person passes or they turn their gaze elsewhere.   I believe it's a photographer's job to bring images back from one's travels.   It's a way to tell a story and to involve the audience in a world or with a person that they would otherwise not have met.   People tell me that they are afraid to take another person's photograph out of fear of rejection or that they might be sued later.   National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry feels that if you ask someone to sign a model release after you take his or her photograph, you somehow betray the trust of the moment and the magic that you and the subject share.  

The First Amendment not only provides for a freedom of speech, but it also protects photographers when they use images for newsworthy and editorial purposes.   If we constantly worried about being sued, then this fear could affect our ability to relate to other people and their cultures.   A lot of people have stopped taking photographs of others and this has led them to stop taking other chances too.   This lack of doing has become paralyzed by a tangle of 'what-ifs' that erode our sense of adventure.   Perhaps one of St. Augustine of Hippo's quotes fits well, dilige et quod vis fac , which means, 'if you are loving and diligent, you can do whatever you want.' We need to learn to take more chances, and we need to keep searching for the deeper meanings behind the things we do and the products we create.   Instead of asking for permission for things like a photograph, a new business venture or even a first date, we need to embrace the 'just do it' mentality.   And maybe, just maybe, you will be pleasantly surprised by an amazing photograph, a new product or the love of your life!

About Mark Sincevich
Mark Sincevich works with organizations to develop leaders with more focus and creativity. He uses a unique photography angle in his speaking programs and writing. As a result of Mark's work, his customers gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business. Mark is the chief perspective officer of his organization, Leading with Focus, the founder of Staash Press, a member of the National Speakers Association and the executive director of the Digital Photography Institute. He is frequently quoted in the media and the author of three books including, "The Leadership Lens." In between assignments, Mark can be found spending time with his family in the Washington, DC area or writing in cafés with character. He can be contacted at 301-654-3010 or www.leadingwithfocus.com .  

Order Mark's Latest Book, The Leadership Lens - key lessons from behind the camera about leading in an uncertain future, immediately available at www.staashpress.com/llens.html .