‘Show your working’ was possibly the most annoying thing I heard at school. Ironically, I now love the act of taking notes and do it on a daily basis.
While it might seem like extra paperwork, the note-taking process for me has become a massive part of my workflow with every idea I have been written down in some manner so it can be preserved clearly later.
One of the great advantages of writing down these ideas is the freedom to express any thought in a form that is private. Regardless of how bad an idea I might have it really helps to be able to look at it without the need to worry what someone else might think. It can also let you dissect bad ideas for nuggets of genius and help develop those into something useful. This really takes the pressure off and while these ideas, in reality, might not be any use at the moment it may have some use in other plans I put together.
This flow means I have a resource to go back to again and again when I am putting together a shoot. A resource that really only gets more detailed with time. My notes play a vital part in just about everything I do and keep me focused on the task at hand.
It also allows me to write down any tangents that I might want to explore in later shoots. This again only gives me more to draw from later and keeps me on task.
Tangents and ‘to dos’ are kept on this. I keep it on me at all times.
While the initial notes that I take really aren’t that much use to anyone, the more advanced plans can really help when I try to communicate my ideas to others before or during a shoot. Any drawings, clippings and, diagrams also help if I am trying to communicate a mood, pose, theme or feeling to people.
A great book to read if you want to understand the importance of note taking is ‘Nude photography Notebook’ - the work of Allen Jenkins by Eddie Ephraums. When you read it you actually get a solid understanding of what Allen was doing, how he got the results he did and why he did it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/504636.Nude_Photography_Notebook
One last thing, if you are like me and really only shoot digital the act of note booking and scrap booking may feel a little odd. I exclusively only do these 2 things with real books and pens. Contact with IRL art supplies!
The tactile loss from analogue to digital is actually something a lot of people lament in the creative industry. Being able to utilise the digital and analogue not only helps me create better work it also makes my work more enjoyable and therapeutic.
Enough of my chat, what about you. Share with us your thoughts on note taking and scrap booking.
Be polite
Be efficient
Have a plan to shoot everyone you meet.