I have always known when it comes to photography, Allen is relentless. He is artistic, creative, imaginative, and innovative; all of which show through in every image he creates. It is intense watching him work. He looks through every little 1/10 inch area and can see things with his eagle eyes that no one else sees. I don't know how many times he'll point something out to me and I'll be going "Huh? I don't see it."
You can argue that he is a professional photographer, therefore, he has better eyes and better color sense. But I've seen enough of other photographers' work to know that too many people call themselves "photographers" just because they own a camera and can point and shoot. Their images have no style nor feelings. Even more "photographers" have no post production skills that the images are so 'raw' that I would be embarrassed to post on the blog.
I went on a location scouting trip with Allen this weekend. Honestly I wasn't very happy. He scrutinized every square feet of the park and criticized every angel I proposed. "No, there is a building there.". "No, there is a parking lot behind there." "No, the power pole is in the way." "No, too much concrete in that shot." "No, too much rock in the frame." "No, you don't want to shoot that way because there are too many cars that way."
I gave up! It's unfortunate that the hotel where the bride and the groom are staying has no greenery; and the venue where the ceremony and reception will be held also lacks scenery. So we have to go to a park, a public park, not a private garden. So there are going to be a lot of people on a Saturday afternoon, OK? If you think I sound a little irritated, well, I was.
Allen calmly expalined to me; "Listen, I am the photographer, it is my job to know how to choose a spot for the best possible shot. Yes, most people probably don't care nor even notice. But I notice and I care. I want my clients to have the best shot possible even in a difficult-to-shoot location". It brought back a lot of memories while we were on vacation where he'd wait for as long as 1/2 hour under a scorching hot sun for other tourists to pass by to get that perfect shot. I remember when I showed my friend some images Allen took of the Forbidden City in China (if you've been there, you'd know what I am talking about. There are hundreds of tourists swarming around at every spot), the first thing they said was "Where are the tourists? How did he manage to shoot this without anyone around?"
I guess in the end, I do understand. It is, afterall, what I admire about him the most - even in an imperfect situation, he will still mange to capture that perfect image. PERFECTION is what Allen always strives for!
