civilized ku # 895 ~ you put your whole self in, you put your whole self out, and you shake it all about ...
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 04:05PM 
A sign of things to come • click to embiggenI've been intending to make this entry since Monday. One picture thing or another intervened and next thing I know, it's Thursday. In any event, this entry was meant to be my "cleansing potion" entry, that is to say, my get-back-on-track response to the how-to entry from last Friday. While I'm pleased that a number of you were delighted with the how-to stuff, my intent is to get back to the why of picture making.
That said, I really don't know the why of most of this blog's audience. That is, why do you make pictures? My assumption, at least for those who stay around the place for any length of time, is that most are trying / wanting to make pictures which are more than cliche ridden pretty pictures and more than mere entertainment (for yourself as well as your audience). Maybe I'm wrong (feel free to correct me), but I think many of you want to get beyond the surface of things and discover a thing or two about yourself and the world around you.
That said, amongst my many picture making motivations / objectives / and intents, one thing that ranks at or very near the bottom of the totem pole is that of trying impress or please other picture makers. That is not to say that I don't appreciate appreciative comments / reactions from that group. Peer recognition is a good thing but I do not consider other picture makers to be the best source of feedback about pictures.
The reason for that is simple - too many picture makers are concerned about picture making rather than pictures. They have a tendency to see technique and technical qualities to be found in pictures before they see anything else and that tendency often gets in the way of really seeing what a picture has yo say. That tendency is very much like how thinking about technique and things technical while making a picture gets in the way of really seeing what in front of them.
All of that said, my son, The Cinemascapist sent me a link to a recent review of his work. While reading it, it struck me that it might be very helpful to some of you to read it.
The review was published in an online magazine which is not a photo site. The magazine, Yatzer, is self-described as "a totally captivating global online destination for those who are passionate about design in all its forms, together with those searching for inspiration and unique coverage of modern design and trends ... presently reaching on average more than 350,000 unique visitors and 1,000,000 Pageviews monthly and globally."
In reading the review, it is worth noting that, as is typical of most art reviews by non-picture makers, there is nary a word about technique or things technical. The reason for that is quite simple - most non-picture makers simply do not give a crap about the how. They only thing they care about is the picture(s) and what it might have to say.
IMO, that's what it's all about*. All the rest is just a carnival sideshow.
Read the review HERE.
*what if the Hokey-Pokey really is what it's all about?
Reader Comments (2)
Well, I for one have been following your blog for approximately 3 years and because of it I've found lots of inspiration in your images. The points you raise in this post have been at the surface of my own recent thoughts too. Sometime ago, I made a conscious decision to forget about how popular or not my own blog might be; I wanted to follow my own path as and how it pleased me, and my blog shows the milestones along the way. Photography, through the use of projects, engross my mind, distract me and offer a means of expression and escapism. It's given me an excuse and reason to explore my environments and local history, both things that I don't want to take for granted and pass by without any understanding. And so I enrich my life as well as getting fresh air and exercise too. It's making me develop my vision, style, skills and is intrinsically satisfying and motivating. Now that camera equipment is so good (and plenty good enough for me), I'm liberated from endless purchases and can (and do)spend my time thinking about planning my next photography outing, and there's so much to do and so many places to go! I'm at a time of my life when I've fulfilled all of my competitive ambitions, have the trophies to show for it, so photography can be something that rolls along in a sea of personal development and as long as I can see progress I am content.
Yes, part of my motivation for photographing is "to get beyond the surface of things and discover a thing or two about yourself and the world around you".
Further,I think it helps me to stay "in the moment", or to "smell the roses", or to focus on "the Now". As opposed to reliving the past or ponder the future [any more than is necessary].
In regards to skills + technique, I've read a few times (perhaps on this blog as well) that it is better to have a vision for your work and find the S + T to meet your expectations, rather than learn a whole bunch of T + S in the vain hope of inventing a style.
I also followed the link to Aaron's images. He strikes me as -- perhaps -- a frustrated actor ... but he certainly fits the description of an "artist who uses photography" rather than a "photographer who is an artist".