Last year while I was doing the daily portraits I had the opportunity to shoot a few famous people as well as a few heroes of mine who might not be known to all of you, and I noticed that unlike most of the other shoots, I got really nervous in the hours leading up to the appointment. I got cranky, my stomach turned, and I felt lightheaded.We've all heard the stories of the famous actors and singers who, even after years of playing to sold-out crowds, continue to get so nervous before the show that they actually vomit. To think that I'm hoping to get over that reaction.
A long time ago, I used to play the piano. I would feel similar to this right before recitals and remember thinking that the adrenaline helped my performance. However when I look back at recordings, I find that I rushed and I glanced over subtleties that I normally would have graced.
So I guess that's my question, is being nervous good for art?
Do I take better pictures when I'm stressed?
Or when I've got to deal with a limitation like a time constraint?
I'm not sure that I do. My favorite photos from last year are mostly from shoots that were more relaxed and where I felt comfortable. When I shot Buzz Aldrin I had about 30 seconds to get the shot, I took about 20 pictures. But I had bad light to work with, and a guy like Buzz always has his 'show' face on when posing for pictures. So while it was a great experience and I think I pulled it off, it wasn't what I wanted to get out of the experience, either photographically or experientially.
Maybe there are those times when stress forces you to be more creative in finding the solution to a problem, and I'm sure some people get off that buzz. I get off on shooting too, but it's usually when everything starts to flow and you know you're onto something special. As many of my subjects can attest, I get all giddy and smiles. I start to move around a lot too, and say "Oo, Oo, Oo" too many times in succession.
So, if that's the case, and I like not being nervous. What's the trick in overcoming it? Without resorting to Xanax of course. Is it a matter of experience? Then again, if that were the case wouldn't it get easier for those anecdotal performers?
I guess time will bear this one out. I'll keep you in the loop.
I had to smile when I read that, coz I just had a similar experience. I've admired the photography of Graham Watson for almost a decade. So two weeks ago when I was standing beside the road, somewhere in the Barossa Valley, waiting for the cyclists to come by I got the surprise of my life when Graham rolled up on his motorbike to snap a few photos beside me. I was shaking like mad and was not thinking straight when the peloton came past because I was so excited to be 'shooting with Graham' :P Anyway, in review of the pics I had to laugh at some very bad horizon lines on most of them but I did get a couple of decent shots.
It's like when you have a high expectations of a movie and then it is almost always disappointing, and yet it works in reverse. go figure!
I used to perform improvisational comedy. For me, I was especially nervous if a performer I admired or even a person I admired was in the audience. The best thing to do is to recognize the feeling of fear, understand where it is coming from, and then realize that your anticipation is almost always worse than reality. I believe that being in your head and worried about something usually stops creative flow.
I would also suggest the idea that each person's shoot is not the definitive end all of anything - your experience with that person, your ability to shoot, etc. Plus, each person is just a person. They may have done something you admire but realize that they may be nervous, too. Taking a few deep breaths always helps, especially with the stomach churning.
Sorry if this was unwanted advice or repeated cliches.
My father was a professional dancer. He was a pioneer of modern dance in the 30's and 40's, was the 6th man to join Martha Graham's dance company. Not only was he a man doing what until then had been a field dominated by women, but he was also unapologetically, unreservedly straight.
When I started performing in earnest, I was 11, I think. The best thing he ever told me about performing was (and is): Hug your nervous.
These days before I perform, I get very spaced out. I am not capable of holding a conversation that goes beyond, Where would you like the mic stand? - or - I'm really psyched to hear you play! This is, I guess, the manifestation of nervousness for me. But when I get up on stage, even if I'm shaking a little bit (I do that when I am anxious), I am so comfortable and happy being there. There is no sweeter place for me than on a stage in front of a group of people. It's my happy place.