Plan, Pivot, Execute
Prepared for the Worst: Remnants of Hurricane Harvey drift menacingly over Midtown Manhattan. Photo by J. Heroun
Text by Joseph Heroun / Architecture Art
I’ve known photographers who wouldn’t pick up a camera unless they were getting paid to. I’m not one of them. Quite the opposite, actually. It’s how I’ve scored a wealth of arresting images.
For years, I’ve always taken a camera wherever I went, my radar on high alert for fleeting moments of exquisite light, dramatic skies, and, of course, the decisive moment. Or all of the above simultaneously.
(Equally fascinating are discovering moody scenes in unlikely places that evoke movie narratives. But that’s a story for another article.)
While I find it enormously satisfying as an artist to always be in the moment — I’m the type that brakes for cloud formations — delivering results on-demand that exceed expectations is an entirely different matter. It requires reconnaissance and might take two or more attempts when things don’t go my way or an unexpected issue prevents progress. For those occasions when weather is a factor, careful research on shifting climate patterns, optimal sun positions, foot traffic, and more is like an insurance policy. It’s simply part of the process to increase the odds of getting shots that impress and meet the objective. —JH
