Today my wife and I started our new adventure. Part photography, part exploring wine and beer, and part scouting places where we might like to live.
Today also started a new photography project I will be putting together. Watch for the project to begin to take shape here on my blog site.
One of the best things that has happened during my photographic journey is the friends I have made along the way. They keep me inspired and moving. My photography friends help me see new things and help me see familiar things in new ways. We don’t compete with each other we just talk, walk, and photograph together. We reach out to include each other and to help each other out.
Find yourself photography friends, it will help you grow and improve without the competition we often encounter.
Last Friday I had a film noir style photo shoot planned. The model I was photographing is one of my favorites. I arrived about an hour before she did to do some final location scouting. As always with digital photography the originals were all color and were converted to black and white in post-processing.
Black and white photography is one of my favorites because I feel I get to photograph the person’s soul rather than their clothes. For me, color sometimes gets in the way.
Last night I had an amazing photography session in downtown Kansas City. I get up this morning to do some edits and write my blog only to find out I have no internet or cable tv service. Ugh! Whatever will I do?
To compensate a bit I took a screenshot of one of my photos and no writing this entry via my cellphone since I do still have cellular service. If needed I could do a cellular hotspot but I’m not really setup for it. I’m just spoiled by stuff just working. I guess my idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn Express.
When I take photographs my goal is to create rather than merely record a scene. I don’t mean to imply that recording a scene or subject is bad or wrong it just isn’t my style.
The version of the featured photo above looks good and it is a close representation of what the scene looked like in reality, but it doesn’t reflect the same mood as the final black and white version. The black and white version with the darker background was what I envisioned in my mind’s eye.
For me, the difference between a photographer and a photographic artist is to envision the image I want to present to my audience.
A question many modern photographers need to ask themselves is am I a photographer or a picture taker. Do you merely photograph what is in front of your camera or do you interpret what is in front of your camera? Do you photograph people or do you strive to bring out the personality of the people in front of your camera?
As a photographic artist, I choose to let the scene talk to me. I work to relay a story with my photographs. I haven’t always done this though. In the past, I was often a picture taker. See the scene and take a picture. Today, I am striving to take my images to a higher level. I am striving to complete a story, and give the world a feeling of knowing a person just by seeing their photograph. Picture taking is easy, creating a work of art and a true photograph can be much more challenging but, in the end, much more fulfilling. Become a photographer, not merely a picture taker.
I don’t mean are you a painter, sketch artist, sculptor, photographer, etc. Are you a trailblazer, setting your own path, creating unique art, and using your vision, or are you a trail follower, creating art that is the current trend and similar work to others?
I don’t think there is anything wrong with either type, just be honest with yourself and how you present yourself and your art to the work to the world. If you’re a trail follower don’t try to sell yourself and your art as unique and different than others. If you want to set yourself apart from others, truly set yourself apart and create your own unique look and style.
Being a trailblazer can be scary. You’re going where few to none have gone before. You may come across obstacles, thorns, and other dangers along the way. You may find many don’t like the work and are critical because you’re not following along with what is popular. Being a trail follower you’re just one in a massive crowd. Sort of a “where’s Waldo”.
I’m not sure which group I fall into right now, but my goal is to become a trailblazer. To stand alone and stand out. To create a path for others to follow. It isn’t that I want to become a legend but that I want to say that I was able to do this thing on my own. I want to create artwork that is truly mine.
I may have started out on the path but maybe it’s time to blaze through the heavy woods of creativity and see what is hidden in the forest of art.
I took much of the past several days off, no writing, no photographs. I spent much of the time with family or just “chilling”. It was time to recharge. I have a big, hopefully productive, photo session coming, plus I’m getting prepared for a big life milestone. It was just time to sit and enjoy some free time. Now, it’s back to work.
During my recharging days, I did give thought to creative concepts and ideas. Thinking about how there are many ways to recreate moods and emotions in the same image with just lighting changes. I’m also working with another photographic artist on what may be a unique new take on a photographic concept. Exciting times, but never forget, sometimes you just need to recharge the creative mind.
Do I really need a photographic style? We often hear a lot about photographic styles and the need to establish your style, but what if my style is to have a variety of styles. The style I choose may work better with one subject or even one photograph versus another. I may use a different style throughout a photographic session. For me, having the ability to draw from multiple styles is an asset as an artist. Even if I were to run a business taking portraits, I believe it would be an asset to be able to adjust styles to better fit the need or desires of my clients.
Finding a single style, to me, is self-limiting. It is, to me, like saying I only like hamburgers but only with American cheese, mustard, and ketchup. The greater sign of an artist is to be able to create and modify styles based on their vision.
Use a single style, no, thank you. I like love the freedom of not having just one style.
Throughout my journey as a photographer and interacting with other photographers I have found the two most common mindsets of photographers are those who think they are better than they are and those who think they aren’t as good as they are. I have also found some that bounce between the two mindsets and I think I may be one that bounces between them.
There are times when I go out and think, “I’ve got this!” and start shooting away snapping pictures like crazy then I get back to my digital darkroom and realize I bombed it. Other times I get out there and think, “I I’ll give it a go” and get back and look at the results and realize I killed it.
The photograph I posted above was one of those times I thought “I’ve got this” but I have since become very disappointed with the results. I went unprepared. I went with a mindset of succeeding rather than learning and experimenting. You see, I had not done any of this type of photography before. I am a huge proponent of lighting and creative lighting techniques but this was new to me. Lesson learned. As the Captain said in the movie “Cool hand Luke”, You ain’t gonna need no third set, ’cause you gonna get your mind right. Working on a photography session, project, or even practice, you have to get your mind right. Confidence when called for, humility when needed, and student when necessary. The key is learning to recognize what mindset is appropriate at the time. Stay humble and it is easier to adjust that mindset to fit the moment.
Photographer Clay 