single women ~ photographer's block / on seeing

Single women • click to embiggenYesterday, the subject of "photographer's block" was raised by DON. While Don did not elaborate on what he considers photographer's block to be, I assume that he meant the inability to conjure up the motivation to make pictures. That definition may also include the lack of desire to make pictures. It is also worth noting that photographer's block could be caused by issues entirely unrelated to the act of picture making - life events that have emotional, mental, or physical impact that just flat out gets in the way of making pictures.

In any event, the net result is no picture making, at worst, or aimless going-through-the-motions picture making, at best. In the case of the latter, the resultant pictures will most likely seem not to be worth the effort and time it took to make them.

I must admit that I have never suffered from photographer's block. In my commercial work, I either made pictures or I didn't eat. In my personal work, I have yet to run out of ideas and/or referents to picture. So, I'm not exactly the person to be asking for advice on this issue, but ...

Recently, as I was roaming through my picture archives (via Bridge), looking for a few specific pictures, I noticed a few pictures that I had never before thought of as "related". What I noticed most was that, IMO, they were strong attention-getting pictures and, after opening them together on my screen, they were even stronger as a group than they were individually.

Now, even though 4 pictures do not a body of work make, before I knew it - I would say less than 1/200th of a second, lots of ideas came flooding into my head about making a series of such pictures that would, in fact, constitute a body of work. Ideas and notions that began to scratch a nagging itch that had been going unattended for quite a while.

In fact, it might not be stretching the point to label that lack of attending to the itch as a form of photographer's block. The itch in question was a low-level but constant drumbeat, picture making wise, to make pictures involving people - no, make that featuring people (or, a person). However, the problem was that I simply did not know where to start.

Think about it. It doesn't get much more vague than wanting to make pictures featuring people. The possibilities are nearly endless - portraiture (formal or casual), street photography, staged tableaux, candids, women / men / children (or any combination thereof), clothed/naked, young/old, and on and on.

The possibilities seemed rather overwhelming and as a result, a sort of stasis set in and I was left hanging, seemingly waiting around for some sort of spark. As I mentioned, truly a sort of photographer's block. Although, truth be told, I was making lots and lots of other pictures (in general), many of which were/are for other ongoing bodies of work. Consequently, I wasn't in an overall picture making funk.

All of that said, here's the point - it is often stated that, to make good/great pictures, one must pursue a personal picture making passion. That is, making pictures of something one is passionate / cares about. Whatever that is, stick with it and picture it to death. From that commitment there is a good chance that a good/great body of work will emerge. And, IMO, there is nothing more satisfying, picture making wise, than creating a body of work.

But, what if you just can't muster up the energy to get out and make pictures? Even though I had a somewhat passionate desire to make pictures featuring people, I just couldn't seem to get it in gear. I was rather clueless until the recent run in with some of my past picture making endeavors.

However, what really interests me is the fact that the answer was there along, and I do mean all along. In fact, decades long ...

In addition to the fact that I am a natural born looker (of anything and everything), I am also a male of the species which is to say (amongst many other male traits and characteristics) that I like to look at women. I believe that that looking was what led/helped me to become, in my commercial picture making world, a much sought after picture maker, fashion and beauty wise.

However, even with that experience, it never really occurred to me to just do what comes naturally - look at women and, DUH, make pictures of what I am looking at. DUH!!!

Fortunately for me, I have done just that on a few occasions - as witnessed by the above pictures. And again, fortunately for me, I "discovered" these pictures which have provided the impetus for me to break through my "block".

In any event, if you can't work up the enthusiasm to get out and make pictures in an effort to find a passion and break through your own photographer's block, maybe a look back at pictures you've already made - pictures you made because, hopefully, something interested you - and identify a referent that would hold your interest long enough to create a body of work. Or, at the very least, fan your picture making fires enough to get you out making pictures again.

Now all I have to do is convince the wife that hanging out looking for "single" women - a woman by herself, not an unmarried woman - really is a picture making endeavor.

Comments

[Don]

Thank you Mark you hit it.

[Sven W]

Good points and nicely written.

I certainly have my "pet" subjects but I don't think in terms of a "body of work" ... is that what distinguishes an artist from a hobbyist, perhaps?