For my Photographer friends
You know who you are.
Here's a book you may or may not have looked at.
I haven't perused the entire text, but there are some wonderful photographs in here, and the opening excerpt is compelling.
"To me, "What are you trying to say with this photograph?" is the most fundamental of all questions regarding creative photography.
Nature and outdoor photographers want to share the beauty of a landscape, the drama of light, and the action of wildlife. Travel photographers want to share the faces of a culture, a slice of daily life, and a sense of place. Photojournalists want to share the moment or emotional situation before them. We're really all after the same thing: to create images that express what we see, feel, and experience in the world around us. Whether we are aiming for artistic interpretation or realism, the common goal is to make our photographs as creative and expressive as possible.
Why do so many images fail to convey what the photographer really saw or experienced? They are side-of-the-road or edge-of-the-crowd snapshots, static records of what was seen. Those photographs don't move us--they don't invite us in to explore the visual scene or to experience the moment. Usually, the photographer approached the scene as a removed observer. No matter what you are photogrpahing, if you are not feeling connected with what you are seeing, viewers won't connect with the final picture. When you aren't clear about what you want to say with the photograph, the resulting visual message may say nothing. At best, it may only communicate the facts in a less-than-exciting way."
Does any of the above sound familiar? Have you spent a lot of money on wonderful equipment, learned a great deal of technique (we never stop learning that), and still find yourself producing photos possibly worthy of postcards, but rarely more and often less? Are you wondering what it will take to achieve that National Geographic or Newsweek photo quality that you dream of? What is it that is lacking from your photos? Could it be that what is lacking is you? Not physically, but emotionally, visionally? Like every artist, to be your best you have to find a way to put yourself into your work, your photos. With luck, that will come naturally. It's what you're doing to block yourself that isn't natural. The shy awkwardness of being unwilling to crawl on the ground or place yourself inside the crowd rather than on the edges, and so many other little pitfalls that you place in your own way.
I know it describes me. And I know some of my very best photos have developed when I just forgot about the other people around me and let myself get muddy or flow into the scene I was photographing.
Like I said, I haven't read this book. The excerpt, though, on Amazon.com is well worth a short inspirational read, if you just need a tiny boost.
Here's a book you may or may not have looked at.
I haven't perused the entire text, but there are some wonderful photographs in here, and the opening excerpt is compelling.
"To me, "What are you trying to say with this photograph?" is the most fundamental of all questions regarding creative photography.
Nature and outdoor photographers want to share the beauty of a landscape, the drama of light, and the action of wildlife. Travel photographers want to share the faces of a culture, a slice of daily life, and a sense of place. Photojournalists want to share the moment or emotional situation before them. We're really all after the same thing: to create images that express what we see, feel, and experience in the world around us. Whether we are aiming for artistic interpretation or realism, the common goal is to make our photographs as creative and expressive as possible.
Why do so many images fail to convey what the photographer really saw or experienced? They are side-of-the-road or edge-of-the-crowd snapshots, static records of what was seen. Those photographs don't move us--they don't invite us in to explore the visual scene or to experience the moment. Usually, the photographer approached the scene as a removed observer. No matter what you are photogrpahing, if you are not feeling connected with what you are seeing, viewers won't connect with the final picture. When you aren't clear about what you want to say with the photograph, the resulting visual message may say nothing. At best, it may only communicate the facts in a less-than-exciting way."
Does any of the above sound familiar? Have you spent a lot of money on wonderful equipment, learned a great deal of technique (we never stop learning that), and still find yourself producing photos possibly worthy of postcards, but rarely more and often less? Are you wondering what it will take to achieve that National Geographic or Newsweek photo quality that you dream of? What is it that is lacking from your photos? Could it be that what is lacking is you? Not physically, but emotionally, visionally? Like every artist, to be your best you have to find a way to put yourself into your work, your photos. With luck, that will come naturally. It's what you're doing to block yourself that isn't natural. The shy awkwardness of being unwilling to crawl on the ground or place yourself inside the crowd rather than on the edges, and so many other little pitfalls that you place in your own way.
I know it describes me. And I know some of my very best photos have developed when I just forgot about the other people around me and let myself get muddy or flow into the scene I was photographing.
Like I said, I haven't read this book. The excerpt, though, on Amazon.com is well worth a short inspirational read, if you just need a tiny boost.
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