In the 1990s, I was shooting commercially, first as a freelancer, and eventually working for an ad agency. A photographer’s “skill” in that context is the ability to produce what the client wants. It requires an understanding and mastery of the equipment, the ability to decipher the art director’s twaddle and scribbles, and the willingness to exhaust one’s talent to please somebody else.
I lost sight of what got me into photography at the beginning. Play became work, and it became increasingly difficult to return to calling it play again. My creative juices had been bottled and set on a dusty shelf. My passion for image-making had been cremated and the ashes scattered along the highway. The digital revolution had begun, and my cameras went into exile. I had burned out. I left city life behind and moved to the country.
This blog started as a “pandemic project”, and became a new passion. I picked up the camera again, with a different purpose, and on my own terms. I have had so much fun trying out different cameras, lenses, accessories and techniques. This project prompted a rekindling of old flames and an introduction to new ones.
Within a year of starting this project, I started getting emails from people who had stumbled across my ramblings. Connecting with people all over the world has brought a high level of satisfaction. Some offer simple gestures of gratitude and support. Others have questions. All have been sincere and honest, even when offering a degree of criticism.
In a world so dramatically divided by political, linguistic, cultural and philosophical differences, art in all its forms can been a unifying force. I am deeply grateful for that. It’s hard to hate the person standing next to you if you’re both staring in awe at a magnificent painting, sculpture or photograph.
After a bit of introspection, I’ve tried to objectively come up with a list of things I have learned as a result of doing this for five years. In no particular order, I offer up some of those:
- Skills are perishable. Practice.
- Returning to the same places to photograph, I often find new subjects. Sometimes it’s the result of having a different camera, lens, or film stock. Other times it is due to changes in the direction or quality of light and shadow. Your ability to see will evolve. Don’t be afraid to go back.
- Failure is always an option. If you are shooting for fun, jump in with both feet and embrace it. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Failure is part of the learning curve, and is ultimately productive.
- Allow for some time to pass between shooting an image and the culling/editing process. I have found that once the initial emotional connection to the time, place, or circumstances has faded a bit, I can be more objective in evaluating an image.
- Storage is cheap. Binders for negatives, hard drives for scans and digital images. I have had a lot of regrets from deleting and discarding images that I did not fully appreciate at the time.
- I have seen many “One camera, one lens, one year” exercises, and there is certainly nothing wrong with mastering a single piece of gear. Perhaps an equally valid, although different approach, is to try everything you can. Wide angle. Telephoto. Macro. Pinhole. Panorama. Square. Medium format. Large format. After sampling the buffet of available options, come back to, and master the disciplines that bring you the most joy.
- If you want to emulate the masters, study the masters. If you want to become a master, study what the masters studied. (In no way am I suggesting I am a master of anything; I am still very much a student.)
- This brings me to what is known as “Dynamic Symmetry”. There are absolutely geometric design and composition principles that affect the way art resonates with a person’s mind and soul. I’m not going to call them rules. They are more akin to “brain hacks” that trigger an innate recognition of spacial relationships that govern the natural world. The ancient Greeks understood them. The ancient Romans understood them. The Renaissance masters understood them. The study of dynamic symmetry was largely stamped out by the Modernist movement but has begun a resurgence. Learn the principles of dynamic symmetry as applied to fine art. You will find that the “rules” that get repeated so often (thirds, odds, triangles, spirals, etc.) are just over-simplifications of this set of principles. I believe that learning and understanding dynamic symmetry will improve one’s art faster, and to a greater degree, than much of the modern internet advice currently circulating.
In conclusion, I offer an observation, coupled with a plea.
The Observation:
The photographic community is often a kind, accepting, and generous one. Some of my most rewarding connections have been made through photography. Mentors have taught and given so much, for which I am forever grateful. Photographers I assisted early on were eager to pass on their knowledge and experience.
Of course, on the other end of the bell curve we have the irascible curmudgeons that balance the equation. I never had time for them, but they served a purpose nonetheless. They simply taught me how not to be.
The Plea:
Be the kind of person that will long be remembered with a smile and rush of gratitude. Generosity, kindness and empathy are qualities that rarely blow back on those who offer them. Even when they do, you have the satisfaction of knowing you are on the high road. Let us all leave this world a little better than how we found it.
