- When discussing his photos of snowboarders and surfers, Jon Foster is able to look at his printed photograph and clearly articulate the choices he made when he was shooting it. Notice how he talks about even the smallest details: "I chose this point of view because the sky looked slightly lighter than in the other direction, which I knew would show off the snowboarder better . . . I chose the angle from the street because I liked seeing the height of the cut snow bank and the added danger of cars coming toward the camera." Now focus this kind of close analytical lens on your own writing. Read a recent essay draft that you've written and write as specifically as possible about the choices you made—logical, rhetorical, and stylistic—and why you made them. After you've written a few paragraphs analyzing your own writing the way Foster analyzes his own photography, think about alternative choices you could have made. Are there better choices you can make in revision?
- Foster notes that in addition to being an experienced photographer, his job requires him to be a capable snowboarder, skier, and surfer. That is, he can't get the right shots unless he knows the sports themselves inside and out, and he can't get the shpts at all if he's not out on the mountain or in the ocean with his subjects. Think about this philosophy in relation to writing. How well do you need to know your subject to write a compelling article about it? Could you write a successful article on extreme snowboarding even if you cannot snowboard yourself? Write a few paragraphs explaining and supporting your position on these questions.
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