Tag: learn

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.

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.

Don’t be halfhearted as an artist or photographer, or as I like to call myself a photographic artist. Every piece of work we do, especially if we are going to “release it to the wild” should be done with full intensity to make the work a masterpiece. As the saying goes, go big or go home. You cannot make a good name for yourself by churning out incomplete, half-baked, halfhearted projects, work, or art. After all, you are what you create.

Years ago, I was in a special operations unit. We trained for the “what-if”. When we trained we trained hard and with full intensity. What we discovered was if you trained halfhearted when the time came you were not prepared. While creating art and beautiful photographs may not be life-threatening or have life-and-death impacts the same concept applies. If a piece of work is released without your best effort it can, and often does, become the standard. Once the quality is sacrificed because “you don’t feel like it” you may find many other times when “you don’t feel like it” and release artwork to the world. Once it is out there, it is out there. You’ve let the proverbial “cat out of the bag”. This is especially true if we are producing work for others. Eventually, your clients or customers will see that this wasn’t your best effort and think why didn’t they give me the attention to detail others receive. It will reflect in your reputation.

The way to becoming better is to work to be better than you were yesterday, last week, or last year. An artist should always create with full intensity and fullhearted effort. Go big or go home or as Yoda (I’m a Star Wars fan) said, “Try not, do or do not, there is no try”. If you truly want to be a photographer and more so if you want to be an artist, do or do not, there is no try.” Even practice with intensity so that you are ready for the big show when it comes because you never know when and suddenly the opportunity presents itself and if you haven’t trained, you won’t be ready.