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pachyderm
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| Many photographers express surprise when learning that even the masters experienced periods of disappointment and frustration with their work. Those of us, who don't consider ourselves masters probably go through these periods even more frequently. I guess it is hard to keep your spirits up, without a way to show you work and without the uplift that encouraging feedback provides. Without the uplift, I think we find that creativity slips away. Just today, on another forum I occasionally participate in, TrekEarth, a fellow photographer came on and basically blasted almost all of the work that I had posted there. I'm not bothered by what he said as much as I am bothered by the attitude that seems to be to tear others down, rather than try to build others up. I've had the philosophy since I started this forum to do the best to help my fellow photographers. That is the reason I've spent so much time and energy on this site, and the reason, I've never highlighted my own work. I've given a lot of thought these past few weeks on how I can think more creatively in my photography. I've come to the conclusion that all true creativity begins at some deep tranquil center deep inside our beings. My question, is what do you do, to try to keep the creative juices flowing in your own photography.
Robert M. Teague---------------------------------------------
Website: www.visionlandscapes.com
Blog: visionlandscapes.spaces.live.com
"Fujifilm remains true to its heritage and to the acknowledged superior image quality delivered by professional photographic film products." -- Fuji Press Release An old Hasidic story says we should wear a coat with two pockets in order to receive God's message. In one pocket, the message is: "You are nothing but one of billions of grains of sand in the universe." In the other, the message is: "I made the universe just for you."
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lion
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Last Login: 6/7/2008 2:49:31 PM
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I have thought about this often as well. What I concluded was that sometimes you are in the zone, sometimes nothing goes right. When I took the Peñita pictures, it went smooth and got all I wanted. This past Firday I went to photograph another place about 2 hours from my home town, took the wrong road, the two hours turned into 5 hours, got to the place, getting ready to set the 12x20 it slipped and I broke the GG. WHile I was driving to get there, beautiful blue skies with thunderclouds, got there, all gray with no defined clouds. I took some shots, but even before I develop them I know there is nothing worth while in the negatives.
What is one to do? What I do in situations like this is to take it phylosophically and instead of getting dissapointed I try new things, maybe I learn something.
On the subject of comments about your work, you gotta take it from whom it comes from, any person who has participated in photography forums for a while and has not learned this, is in for a world of hurt. As you well know I have a fan club at the LF forum, one of these guys made the comment that he did not know why my photography was any good when all I did was take snapshots and try to make them good by printing them in pt/pd.
I thought "fair enough" lets see his work.... and of course, he has no web site and no way for anyone to see his work. There are a lot of these guys out there who spend more time in forums than taking pictures. It happens in any forum, and it will happen in this one as it grows.
What to do to keep the creative juices flowing? Go out there and take photographs! I think there is this misconception that the great masters and people who are admired posses this god given talent and inspiration. To this I say BS! These guys take 1 million pictures and only have 100 that are except¡onal. Some photographers have the talent to consistently make good photographs, but I think that few if any of us will ever the get our "moonrise" or "pepper".
One of the dumbest statements I have read in forums is "I only photograph for myself, I don't need to please anyone but me". BS, no work of art is complete without a viewer. Nevertheless, you should trust your work and in the be content with the fact that you can go out there and at least gratify your desire to create. This is all that matters.
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pachyderm
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 1:26:31 PM
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| The question then would be "How do we remain in the groove?" Do we just take pictures, or are there other ways to stay in that groove. I was listening to a podcast yesterday, where Brooks talks about he wanted to do art, then watched the news, and lost all interest. That got me to thinking that perhaps our lifestyles do affect how photographically we think. To what extent I'm not sure. For example, I gave up TV years ago (I don't own one), but I still suffer periods where I want to go out and photograph, and other times where I don't. I know that working on the computer tends to take away my desire, but that is something I'll need to work around.
Robert M. Teague---------------------------------------------
Website: www.visionlandscapes.com
Blog: visionlandscapes.spaces.live.com
"Fujifilm remains true to its heritage and to the acknowledged superior image quality delivered by professional photographic film products." -- Fuji Press Release An old Hasidic story says we should wear a coat with two pockets in order to receive God's message. In one pocket, the message is: "You are nothing but one of billions of grains of sand in the universe." In the other, the message is: "I made the universe just for you."
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lion
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/7/2008 2:49:31 PM
Posts: 135,
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Well, I see these threads fairly often in forums like the LF, APUG, etc. And it seems to me that people want to be given a magic bullet or a special technique that allows them to get motivated and get off their ***. There is no such thing.
This is going to sound stupid until you think about it, but there is no success without failure. If there was a special technique to "stay in the groove" there would be no loosers and only winners, we would all come back home with prize winning shot every time we went out. The chances of anyone stirring their creative juices are greater if they are out there doing than if we are talking about it.
I don't know if this has happened to you, but it has happened to me. I force myself to go out, even thought I jus don't want to, and then once I am out there I find that not only am I enjoying myself, but that I am taking photographs that I think will be good. Of course, there has been times that I think "well crap, I should have stayed home"...but these are far less frequent than those where forcing myself have proven to be productive.
Let me put it this way, a painter paints, a sculptor sculpts, a photographer....gets on the photography forum and talks about making photographs....LOL
We are all different, but for me, I have found out there is not secret handshake that will allow me to be successful every time I go out, all I can do is go out and do it, the more I do it, the more I "stay in the groove" as it were.
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pachyderm
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 1:26:31 PM
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You have great insight Jorge. Insight that is greatly appreciated.
Robert M. Teague---------------------------------------------
Website: www.visionlandscapes.com
Blog: visionlandscapes.spaces.live.com
"Fujifilm remains true to its heritage and to the acknowledged superior image quality delivered by professional photographic film products." -- Fuji Press Release An old Hasidic story says we should wear a coat with two pockets in order to receive God's message. In one pocket, the message is: "You are nothing but one of billions of grains of sand in the universe." In the other, the message is: "I made the universe just for you."
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