How a Photographer Builds a Spy Scene

[Kirk]

As a photographer, I’ve spent my life studying light, timing, and perspective. Those same tools that help capture the perfect portrait also build tension in a spy scene.

In photography, light doesn’t just illuminate, it hides. The shadows around a subject often tell a truer story than what’s in plain view. The same is true in writing. When I set up a scene, I think about where the light falls, what the camera would see, and what it wouldn’t. Sometimes the most powerful image is what’s just outside the frame. I write like I’m looking through the lens at the scene. Like watching a movie, only in your mind.

Composition matters too. Every lens choice, every angle, every bit of focus tells the viewer where to look. In a spy thriller, that’s pacing. That’s suspense. The writer chooses what the reader sees, and just as importantly, what they don’t. Because of iPhones and all those Apple and Samsung ads, people think what they get from a phone camera is real photography. Well, it’s not. Writing is exactly the same. It’s crafting, shaping, and painting pictures with words instead of light.

And then there’s timing. In photography, one click too late and the moment is gone. In storytelling, one sentence too early and the reveal falls flat. Both crafts rely on anticipation, on that heartbeat of waiting just long enough. In photography nothing feels quite as good as clicking at exactly the right moment. Writing is the same. When you nail the scene, it just feels right.

All those habits I built behind a camera helped me build the world of my novel, Double Exposure. It’s a spy thriller told through the eyes of a photographer, where a camera becomes both weapon and cover.

I’ve been a professional photographer for over forty-five years. I do for a living what most people call a hobby. Writing, on the other hand, is something I’ve only done for a little over a year. Double Exposure is my debut novel, though in truth, I started writing it in my mind more than thirty years ago. It’s been written and rewritten hundreds of times, mentally.

Recently I found the time and the spark to finally put pen to paper. So now, writing has become my hobby. You could say I do for a hobby what most people call a living. I guess that makes me a little backwards.

If you choose to check out my novel, I thank you sincerely. And if you’d like to talk photography, I’ve got plenty to share. Thank you to everyone in this group for letting me be part of the conversation!

Kirk Voclain