Fishermen know the habits of fish and know they are creatures of habit. So they work hard to be in the best spot to drop their lines to catch fish when they bite.

There is a lot of waiting for the fishermen. I have sat for hours waiting for nibbles; then suddenly, you can catch fish as quickly as you can put the line back in the water.

Waiting takes a lot of time for the fishermen. The photographer spends time waiting for people. However, too many people live by the saying, “Be picky with who you invest your time in; wasted time is worse than wasted money.”

Dominican Republic [photo by Don Rutledge]

I think many, especially myself, for the first few years of my career, didn’t spend enough time on a subject when I had the time.

If I could boil down to one of the most significant differences between Don Rutledge and other photographers, I would say his photos were better because he had more patience and worked situations longer than anyone. But, unfortunately, he would be waiting so long that many writers and people who traveled with Don would say he would disappear into the room’s woodwork.

Oklahoma [photo by Don Rutledge]

Looking at Contact Sheets

I wish I could share the contact sheets of Don’s work, especially his coverage of Bailey King. But unfortunately, I don’t have easy access to them.

You would see situations with slight variance back to back and over time, then there would be about two or three lovely images, then maybe a frame or two more Don would move on to a new situation.

The difference between Don’s contact sheets and everyone else is how consistently Don would stay with subjects and then have an outstanding shot. You could almost look at the last 3 to 5 images in a series and always pick a winner.

Today I watch many photographers relying on their LCD on the back of the camera. They look, and if they think they got the photo, they move on.

Brazil [photo by Don Rutledge]

Don would ask me what I saw and why I started taking those photos when he saw some, and I moved on to a new situation. What is it you noticed that you were trying to capture? Then he would ask why he didn’t stay long with the problem.

Over and over, I watched Don review the photographer’s contact sheets, and the constant theme I heard over and over was that you need to stay longer on the subject and let it happen. So if you feel like you saw something, you will most likely see it again.

Creatures of Habit

People are like all animals. We are creatures of habit. Dave Black knows this all too well with professional athletes. They work so hard and are creatures of habit that they will go through the same routine repeatedly. So he would study tapes of athletes so he could anticipate their actions.

Don Rutledge [photo by Ken Touchton]

Don wanted to capture moments better, so he studied other photographers to see what tips he could pick up. It was common for Don to call up a newspaper and ask if he could ride along with some of the photographers while they were working.

While Don picked up some tips, he was also surprised at how often photographers rushed through assignments. One time they were covering a factory when the president asked if they would like a tour to see how they make their product. Don wanted to go on the tour, but the photographer he was shadowing didn’t want to stay. They left the place so the photographer could go and sit at a restaurant and drink a cup of coffee.

When Don told me this story, he told me this happens more often than he could remember.

The other day Mark Sandlin and I were catching up on memories of Don when this tidbit about Don came up. Mark pretty much talked about the same memories, but they were his of Don.

Maybe the one essential thing Don did better than everyone else was spending time with his subjects long enough to learn and capture those moments that encapsulated the person. He was so good at capturing a person’s character in a photograph.

The other thing that happens when you wait like a fisherman for a great photo—your compositions are stronger. You compose and wait for the characters to be the creatures of habit. You can anticipate just like the fishermen.

Maybe this is why so many fishermen enjoy certain fishing spots—they, too, become like a composition.

France [photo by Don Rutledge]

“What you invest your time in defines who you are,” said noted author & speaker Todd Duncan.

Don Rutledge spent his life investing in subjects with his camera telling their stories. His photos changed people’s lives. So many readers of the stories he produced would feel a call to help those in the stories and people like them. The photos also blessed the subjects of the stories by changing their lives forever.

Don’s investment in people changed their lives for the better.