The Art of Managing Timing

I have always found the concept of timing a central criterion for evaluating actions we take. As a health care professional, I have applied and promoted the axiom that quality of care is achieved by “doing the right thing, the right way, for the right person, at the right time”. In addition, there is an art in medicine that cannot be separated from the science (no matter how incomplete the latter is.)

As a photographer, the timing of a frame is as important for the quality of the outcome. And, the art in photography is expressed through aesthetics, as the medium of expression is primarily visual.

Eventually, timing is important for all of our acts and actions. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is a recipe for undesirable outcomes or acts. And, being with the right person, at the right place and right time can only result in memorable consequences.

… Back to photography. A colleague while showing me his recent photos of sunsets stated:

“I waited for hours and days for the right light. I wanted to capture that split second when all became harmony.”

To which I replied:

“Is that an aesthetic goal or a technical one?”

He scratched his head for a second and said:

“I do not know – I leave it to the buyer of my work to decide.”

… I have not pursued technical perfection in my photography. In fact, it is practically impossible to do so as a street photographer who has no luxury to frame, compose and wait for “all to become harmony”. My purpose has always been to be a story teller, as I have in my literary works. Yet, timing remains critical as both of us have to capture that split second scene, albeit while pursuing different goals.

So, I showed him a few of my scanned photos.

Maria Sharapova, US Open, NY, 2011. She is among the most photographed tennis player in the world. With my 1970s film camera and telephoto, it would have been foolish for me to try to take a photo comparable to ones modern day digital magic-boxes can do. My light-box (or dark-box) could only hope to find an unusual yet aesthetically pleasing composition of her. And, she is best known for her moments of “self-composure” when she regroups after critical points.

I tried to capture that iconic composure. The lens was wide open sacrificing detail to isolating her from the background.

Paris, France, 2009. I carried a Mamiya 645 medium format camera that day. Two American tourists, young women full of excitement for being in Paris, were approached by this man who, among other things, wanted to impress them with his athletic prowess. When I saw him jump once, I pointed my lens and clicked during his second jump. I did not crop the picture – his head was indeed not in the frame. And the feet, body posture and bewildered smile of the young women make the shot. For me, the aesthetics of the photo come from the old stones in the background and other passants’ debonair attitudes.

Mumbai, India, 1998. I stayed at a motel on the beach called “Sun & Sand” (yes, still remember the name…). One morning, before starting work, I was having tea while looking at the ocean when this family came by. A few minutes later he was throwing his daughter in the air. I had my Olympus OM-1 with me and took this quick shot. It was only a few minutes later that I understood why he was doing this: he had seen me and he came over asking for money for having “watched the show”…

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, 2011. This was the year when “occupy” was the name of the movement. From Wall Street to the bank and cities themselves, there was a social movement in discontent of decision-makers’ perceived behaviors. The streets were filled with demonstrators that day so I took my bicycle to move around with ease. Also took my 1969 Nikon F for the ride. I did not want to take photos of demonstrations or demonstrators. This was the only picture I took.

It is technically very flawed as I had to stop my bicycle, rotate my camera from my back to my face, focus and click. Yet, aesthetically I got the two ladies in the positions I wanted regarding the letters on the banner and the photo tells the story of the times.

… So, technical, aesthetic and story-telling dimensions seem to find their way into the understanding and managing of the concept of timing. Eventually, I believe that the successful synthesis of these dimensions is elegance.

September 13, 2016

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2016