Tag: motivation

To most people the two words are synonymous but to an artist, the two terms are very different. I know we hear photographers and artists talk about visualizing a work. A photographic artist can see a subject or scene and visualize a final piece of work. New photographers often struggle with this concept especially those who were not trained in art. Experienced photographers who can visualize a piece from a subject or scene often have difficulty explaining how to achieve the ability to visualize. I get it. Being able to teach someone how to use their mind and eyes to create a view of a work of art is at best a fuzzy concept. My photography school wasn’t particularly good at teaching this concept either.

One way I was able to teach myself how to visualize was through experimentation in post-processing and in using my camera and photography tools in manual mode. In the beginning, there were some horrible results. I won’t call them failures because it was a matter of learning. Another technique I used was watching movies, particularly old black and white classics. Many of the old directors of photography and gaffers were masters of lighting. Lighting effects had to be created at the time and not through the use of special effects. Today, we see many movies made that employ the use of color grading, one of my favorite techniques.

The entire point of this post is to get us to consider experimentation with our gear and software. Even if the experiment results in a horrible failure, it isn’t a failure. When we work with our digital assets we can work with copies and we can always start again. Don’t look at a horrible experiment as a failure but as part of a learning process. Take it further than you normally do you just may surprise yourself with your art.

I heard this question posed in a podcast I listen to a week or so ago and I have been thinking about it ever since. The question that was posed was, “If I could grant you anything you wanted for your photography what would it be? Would you want a new camera? A new lens? To travel more?” The podcaster went on to say nothing was out of the question. But, this was a three-part question. The next question was, “why did you choose that?” and the third was, “what have you done to achieve that?” I’ve thought about those three questions since I have heard this podcast and decided it was time to talk about it.

While I began writing this I was able to answer those questions. My answer to the first question is, I want more artistic motivation. I let my motivation falter in the winter of 2020. The world camera came under attack by a global virus. One that, at the time, there was no cure for, no known treatment, or vaccination. It became easy to sit inside and watch the world go by. Just like an exercise program the more you skip the workout the easier it becomes to skip. Motivation, once lost, is difficult to bring back as I am finding out. I still see fantastic scenes, subjects, and light. I still have creative ideas I want to work on. It’s just getting it flowing again. I suspect many of you have had a similar experience. I can even answer the third question today. I started writing this blog about my thoughts and ramblings. I recently started taking a camera with me wherever I go. The artistic motivation is coming back, slowly but it is getting there.

Spend some time to think of what it is that you want to further your photography. Then, answer the final two questions, why did you choose that thing and what have you done to accomplish it. Let’s further our artistic journey together!