In the Zone - Photography jargon explained
In the zone is a term used by street photographers when
they are tuned into their surroundings and the pictures are
coming easily.
It isn't unique to street photography, it can happen in any
field of endeavour. You are in the zone when you are so
engrossed in an activity that space and time seem to stand
still. What seems like minutes to you can be hours in the real
world. It is that place where you are doing rather than thinking
about doing, there is no thought about the how, it is just
happening.
Intuition is in the driver's seat, training, knowledge,
experience and rational thought are at the back of the bus. More
than likely playing strip poker or engaged in some other
childish pursuit.
Being in the zone is the street photographer's nirvana.
They are one with the street. They are part of and at the same
time removed from the activity that is happening. They are the
objective viewer of the dance they are dancing. Their presence
is integral to the action and accepted by the other participants
without influencing the proceedings. There are no photo faces;
it's almost as if the photographer is invisible.
Canadian street photographer John Brownlow talks about going
blank, he surveys the scene through his camera until he goes
blank and that is when he presses the shutter.
With painting, writing or gaming it can last for considerable
amounts of time, with street photography it tends to be fleeting
but can happen several times in a shoot. It is the dynamic of
the street, the ever changing kaleidoscope of activity, and the
nature of photography, the captured moment in time, that make it
so.
But it is in those moments that the inspirational pics happen.
Although this is not apparent until later, when looking through
the results of your walk, because rational thought is losing
their shirt at the back of the bus.
When a street photographer takes their camera for a walk, being
In the Zone is their hoped for destination.