A few thoughts on projects...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 11:55AM 
click to see larger I’ve only recently made the switch to digital photography (March) but since then I’ve acquired quite an archive. It’s such a big difference from film; it’s all right there at the click of a mouse, rather than shuffling through piles of negatives, contact sheets, and prints. (I’m not trying to start a film vs. digital argument; all formats are great, depending on the objective one may be better than the other, but whatever format one chooses to use, as long as it effectively accomplishes what its supposed to---that’s awesome). And for someone with absolutely no organizational skills whatsoever, being able to click and drag images into neat little folders is perfect.
Having all of my images right here on the screen for easy viewing has helped my progress as a photographer too. I can easily identify trends and tendencies…things that have always been there, I suspect, but only now have I been able to see it so easily in such a pronounced manner. For example, I’m strongly attracted to the color green. In many of my own favorite pictures, green is the dominant factor. Also, scenes that evoke distance, passage, or even alienation are also commonly found in my archive: long corridors, long empty roads, large empty spaces. I never noticed this before until I was putting together a portfolio sample to send to a potential client. I then looked through some of my old film negatives and noticed this trend goes back to when I was high school.
Other subject matter I love: environmental decay (litter, vandalism, destruction), my children (that goes without saying, they are easy, ready and willing subjects), living spaces. All of these things singularly or combined could make for good projects. Noticing visual tendencies helps me to identify which projects would be best for me, which ones I’d actually stick with. 
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I love to work on personal projects. They can be deeply and personally fulfilling. Exploring a subject matter can be very revealing and lead to so much discovery (self, and otherwise). And sometimes they can just be fun. Shooting with purpose is a very rewarding experience for me.
One thing that began to catch my eye a while back was (as cliché as it may seem) shopping carts. They’re everywhere, scattered across parking lots, gathered at bus stops, stranded along the street. Sometimes they’re so far of from their origin I can’t help but wonder how they got to where they were. Once I noticed one or two in odd places, I began to see them everywhere. So immediately I though: “what a fun/interesting project”.
click to see larger Then I discovered the work of Julian Montague, and his project The Stray Shopping Cart. Now Julian took it to a whole new level, by cataloguing the types of strays, damaged or not damaged, how they are used, etc. Visit the website, it’s quite interesting. He has shown his shopping cart project in galleries and even has a book! I thought “great, someone else had my idea, and made a career out of it!” I was off to look for a different project.
But the lone shopping carts of Columbus , Ohio continued to catch my eye. They call to me and gather for me to shoot them, as if they are posing. So why should I let the fact that someone else photographs shopping carts stop me from doing it?
The truth is, almost everything at this point has been photographed: flowers, mountains, the homeless, cityscapes, abandoned buildings.
What makes each picture unique though is how we photograph. Each photographer brings to the subject his/her own experience, making it new each time. My thought is, as long as I am honest and sincere in my approach, no matter what I shoot, it will have my own signature, therefore making it unique.
~Chantal
Reader Comments (3)
Hi! Chantal! Love the story on the shopping carts. I once had to leave a full one in am emergency. I felt bad I never returned or even stopped to tell someone. Now I don't feel so bad.:)
agreed.....it's our personal touch that makes a difference ...
I don't think "cliche" images should be excluded from one's efforts at all. Perhaps the word "cliche" should be excluded from our vocabulary. Every photographer brings something new to an image including their own unique perspective so go ahead a shoot away.
The word cliche itself has become cliche when dripping from the mouths of photography "experts" when describing what should be photographed and what shouldn't. Everything in the world has been photographed before, so does that mean we should just pack up our bags and put our camera's away?
Nice post.
The harmonius nature of the Tao was in full force today what with both you and Paul Lester discussing projects.