Postcards from the Creative Journey

441 - My Photography Is All About “The Process.”

Terminal Lake, Mt. Baker Visitor Center

I hear that from a lot of photographers. In short, the only person that really cares about The Process is the photographer. Okay, maybe some other photographers that do similar work might be interested in The Process out of curiosity.

The only thing the audience sees (and cares about) is the result. They look at the photograph and they see the result of The Process. So, while you might be enamored with The Process, remember The Process is used to create The Art, which is shared with the audience. Your audience cares about The Art, not how you made it.

440 - A New Skill to Learn

Cottage, Academy Street, Cary, NC

We know have lots of images to choose from. In fact, some consider the number of photographs being created an assault on the senses. Internet facts abound on the astronomical number of images we create because digital photographs can be created so easily.

While the “ten best photographs” still number ten, one must wade through an exponentially larger number of ill-considered images to sort out the ten best. Photographer’s output used to be limited due to the cost of film, processing and printing. I just checked and Kodak 5x7 TMAX 400 is about $3.60 per sheet! That is just for the film. Add to that, developer and then more for printing paper and another set of chemistry. After spending all that money, there is no guarantee that your exposure or your development was erroneous. Just the cost involved with large format photography was enough to slow you down and make you very careful. When I was using that film, it was much less expensive and I edited, pre-visualized and triple checked my exposure calculations to avoid an ill-considered exposure. With digital photography and the zero cost to make an Image, we have reaped a whirlwind of images to edit. To get to a great photograph today, selection and editing of images after they are made is probably the most important task photographers need to master.

439 - Museum Pieces

Tree, Lembert Dome, Yosemite

A while after I visited the Ansel Adams exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art, I thought about those young photographers that never really were exposed to Modern Photography (the aesthetic, not the magazine). New photographers that only know the digital process are not aware of the major technological constraints of analog photography. These constraints defined much of what could be photographed and we learned to create within the confines of these constraints.

The technological growth of digital photography has been so rapid and the breadths of the techniques available is so bewildering that, as a whole photographers seem to be engaged in a lot of experiments trying to figure out what photography is really supposed to be in a world that is constantly changing.

The speed of change is not surprising because photography has essentially gone from physical to virtual. In the past, one needed to purchase specific equipment to create photographs. It took a lot of time to design, test, manufacture, publicize, and distribute physical products. Now everyone can create photographs with equipment we all use (smart phones, computers and printers), and use software to process images and share them via the internet. The virtual world changes at a speed that far outstrips the physical world. The time needed to update software is much quicker and the distribution of a finished upgrade is instantaneous. This path will only continue to accelerate as technology continues to advance.

I feel a bit sad (and a whole bunch older) knowing that the technology that I used up until about ten years ago is now relegated to display in a museum.

438-Reclaiming Your Photographic Mojo

A Sailboat. In Color. Abstract. Something Different.

It struck me after last week’s post that it was just about half of what was needed. I suggested that it might be valuable to your creativity to lay off photography for a bit. Well, if you take some time off from photography, you will need to motivate yourself to get back in the groove of being creative or, as I like to call it, reclaiming your photo mojo. None of us want to lose our photo mojo. So, how do we get it back? Here are some things I do to get my photo mojo working again after taking some time off.

We all own some photographic turf. There’s a subject that we love to photograph more than anything else. Start making those photographs; landscapes, old houses, table top still lifes, flowers, macro, whatever photo subject you love to photograph, go photograph. Get what you love in front of your camera. The idea is to do something you love and do it successfully. Basketball players start with lay-ups and then move further away from the hoop with each shot. This is a good lesson. Make photographs of things you enjoy and you make well. A “quick win” is what you’re after, something that you can look at and say, “Yeah, I can make this type of photograph and make it well.” It’s a pump priming project to get you back in the world with a camera in your hand. It’s a kind of warm up project that will get you doing photography again.

Some folks like new photo gear. While it could be expensive, there’s nothing like trying out a new accessory to get you back out into the world with a camera in your hand. It can be as simple as a new photo hat. You don't think it matters what type of hat you wear when you photograph? It does. Go out and test some photo hats. It's much less expensive than a new lens and you will be out in the world photographing. You can test to your hearts content if that’s what it takes to get you back in the world with a camera in hand. But be cautioned, endless gear testing is not really photography. It’s an evaluation of tools to help you make real photographs. The goal is to make real photographs again. You may get something new, do some testing and then figure out how to use it to make photographs.

What were you thinking about when you took some creative time off? Look at that project again with fresh eyes. If that project stopped you, go back and look at it with fresh eyes. Consider what stopped you and how you can solve that problem now. Time off allows your subconscious to work on your problems. See if your subconscious has solved that problem for you while you were doing something else. Sometimes it pays to sit down and rest in front of the wall you were banging your head against. When you get up again, you may have figured out a way to get around that wall. 

What’s your next project? Do you have a list of projects you want to do? If not, make that list. Then pick one to complete. It doesn't have to be a big, complex or grandiose project. Do you need some new photos around the house? Search through your files and find some images that are worthy wall art. Then edit them, print, mount, mat and hang them on the wall. That's something photographic. If you can't think up a project for yourself, you can look outside for your next project. Do any of your local arts groups have a call for entry? You could make three or four photographs for that juried exhibit. Do your local municipal galleries have a call for exhibits? That would be larger group of photographs, but it would get you back in the photographic groove. Both of these outside projects will give you requirements, a deadline and those will force you to complete some photographs.

Starting to get the idea? There are a lot of opportunities for you to get out there and create some art. Identify them and make some photographs. The real key element in all this is simple. You have to remember how much you really love photography. Maybe these simple thoughts will help you remember what you love and inspire you to do it. 

You’ve had enough time off. Go out there and make some art.

437 - Give It A Rest, Will Ya?

Relevant Graffiti, Fort Worden

In the quest to advance our personal photography, we are always looking for the next thing to do to improve our technical skills, seek inspiration for future work or plan out projects that have moved beyond the concept stage.

Sometimes we need to take some time to recharge our creative batteries. Not “doing” is as valuable as “doing.” Hitting a creative wall or having a case of “photographer’s block” is something that happens when we’ve been working intensely for a period of time. Stopping work to let our subconscious creative thoughts ferment and bubble up to our consciousness is a great thing. Studies have shown than constant working or thinking without a break of any type results in lower productivity and less creative thought. When your mind stops working, listen to it and take some time off.

So, give it a rest for bit to help improve your creativity. Enjoy the vacation from photography, but don’t be gone so long you forgot how much you like to make photographs.

Oh, and please come back next week to learn how to regain your photo mojo after a week off.