A Walk in the Woods
Yellowstone National Park - 2025

I am not a big believer in rules in
photography because if it is an art form,
it is good to remember that art should
be without rules. A prescriptive process
pushes against the notion of freedom of
expression. Warhol is often credited with
the line “art is whatever you can get away
with” and whether he actually said that is
secondary to the power of the message.
Authenticity is everything and it should
be a personal crusade.
I do think, however, that visual harmony
within an image is something to strive for
if it is available. If there is some stability
in the weightings, or even better, a
symmetry, the photograph - whatever
the subject - can be more pleasing
on the viewer’s eye. Chaos works for
photojournalists capturing decisive
moments, but what I try to do is make
pictures as opposed to take them. It is
a less relevant and a less noble genre of
photography than working on the Foreign
News desk and the goals are entirely
different.
These thoughts were very much on
my mind in Yellowstone National Park
when working with this lone bison. The
only shot that could work had to have
symmetry as well as detail. If the bison
was a meter either side of this position
then there would be no image.
Of course, the truth was that most of
the photographs that morning were
lopsided and aesthetically awkward. The
bison would not be at right angles to my
camera and not starring down my lens or
the head would clash with the trees and
create a nasty tension point. It’s a low
percentage gig.
Luckily all a photographer needs to show
is one shot.