Another Year, Another Opportunity for Creative Growth
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Yep, the end of another year, and one that I found a bit disappointing photographically. Allow me to explain.
In the different forums, message boards and communities that I support, I found that there was less attention being paid to the photographic creative process, or the video creative process and more time being spent worrying about non-existent gear and a demand to increase volume of lookalike work to get more likes. As an artist, I find this trend both sad and offensive. Let’s start 2020 with some alternative thoughts
New gear will not improve your work. The image or video is made behind the camera. The camera is simply a recorder. Technology has not moved much at all in the last five years when it comes to storing better quality images. More resolution, and 6K video do not make for better content. Consider spending your creative funds on workshops where you actually learn something new, or traveling to some place to get shots that you otherwise would not get.
Anti-social media is the great limiter. If you spend your time concerned about how many people follow you on social media or how many likes you get, you have missed the point of being an artist in the first place. Great art pleases the artist first. Everything else is secondary. To this point, if you judge your work based on the commentary of others, you have already lost.
Creativity is an internal thing. Certainly it is good to look for inspiration from other artists and their work. When that inspiration becomes the desire to copy their style, you have failed. Many Instagrammers who have developed a “look” use that as a tool to sell a preset kit that duplicates the look for those without the discipline to create their own look. Being a copy machine is not artistic. Spend less time on presets, LUTs, style packs and the rest of that nonsense and more time learning to articulate your own vision.
We are all storytellers. Every image or video must tell a story to be successful. This success is what you accept in your own mind, not the opinions of others, but it must be honest. If you look at your work and find it wanting, it is. Step back and find the story and change the work to tell the story more effectively. No story, no art. It’s that simple.
Snapshots are important, but they are not art. Creatives should be taking snapshots all the time, for memory, for inspiration, for ideas. Just don’t get caught up in the delusion that a snapshot is created art. Also consider not spending a lot of time editing a snapshot. Snapshots should be shared as you wish, because they are not art, but are often memories that your friends and family may appreciate. Don’t worry about whether you get likes or comments, that’s not really the point is it?
Challenge yourself to a photo essay, a video/slideshow or a photo book. This is admittedly hard work because it requires continuity of story.
Feel free to offer positive comments to work that you like, but try to avoid liking out of perceived politeness. It is not polite to say something is great if you do not actually think that it is. That’s called lying, and lying is impolite. Better to say nothing.
Do not critique work unless invited to do so and remember that to be a useful critique it must be a bi-directional conversation. Otherwise is just troll-like criticism and benefits no one.
Light is your paint. Work harder in light that is more difficult to manage or develop the skills to manage your own light. The great painters did this all the time. The light that is there, is merely a starting point.
If you really want to develop as an image developer, learn the techniques involved in working in Zones, and to get started, learn about Exposing to the Right. Underexposing worked for film but does not work for digital unless your intent is to make a dark image that you will not increase exposure for.
Lastly, this is supposed to be fun. If you are not having fun, you’re doing it wrong, or doing the wrong thing.
