|
Are
you a keen photographer who, despite your best efforts, has trouble
making time for your photography? I hear this a lot at camera clubs and
amongst my photographically inclined friends.
In
the hustle and bustle of everyday life it's easy for hobbies to become
sidelined: you've got errands to run, children to feed, a big project
at work that needs your attention. You may plan a shooting trip for
Sunday, or perhaps intend to sit down and really sort through your
photograph collection, but something else comes up and before long your
camera is gathering dust. You may be in danger of becoming an
'occasional photographer'.
The occasional photographer
The
occasional photographer spends a day here and there, maybe once a
month, maybe less, to attend a camera club outing or go shooting
themselves. They may even find the time to go through the hundreds of
images they take on that one day, and process a few favourites. Then
the camera is packed away for another month or longer.
Dangers of the occasional photographer
You
may be happy as an occasional photographer, but in my experience the
occasional photographer feels frustrated they are not developing their
technical and artistic skills, and equally frustrated they are unable
to find the quality time they think they need to devote to the craft.
The danger is that the the greater the time between photographs, the
harder it becomes to take up the camera again.
You lose the habit of seeing and taking photographs
The
ability to create art, like a muscle, is developed through exercise. If
a writer does not write for a long time, or a painter does not paint,
then when they face the blank page again they discover their minds are
equally blank. Just so with the photographer who has forgotten to see
the details in the scene, notice how the light falls, or consider a
different perspective.
The first few shots will be stiff and difficult, and this may dissuade
some from even trying. But after a few hours the creative eye is warmed
up, and the photographer relaxes and becomes immersed in capturing
their unique view of the world with their film or sensor. The more
frequently creative muscle is exercised, the more quickly the
photographer can move through this uncomfortable warming up stage until
they begin to see photographic opportunities all around them, all the
time, whether they have their camera or not.
Anticipation builds artistic expectation
There
is an added danger when your hobby is a creative pursuit: unrealistic
expectations. You see examples of great photography at the camera club,
on the web, at your local gallery, and you are disappointed when your
own efforts do not compare well. (Of course, we often judge our own
creative efforts much more harshly than others.)
This problem is exacerbated when you are an occasional photographer. As
the weeks between outings lengthen your expectations build as you
imagine the types of images you would like to take, the way you will
capture the light and shadow, the balance of colours. Of course on the
day, with your stiff creative muscles, you are unlikely to reach the
dizzying heights of artistic accomplishment you imagined. Again this is
common across the creative arts, and undoes many an aspiring artist who
forgets that practice is as necessary as inspiration.
Don't be afraid to be mediocre
...I do not at all
despise mediocre in its simple sense. And one certainly
does not rise above the mark by despising what is mediocre. In
my opinion one must at least begin by having some respect for
the mediocre, and know that it already means something, and is
only reached with great difficulty.
Vincent van Gogh
So now what?
We've
talked about the dangers of occasional photography so by now you are
probably wondering if I have an solution to the problem?
I do. Become a daily photographer.
I can already hear you saying, 'I don't have the time to take photographs everyday,' and 'What will I take photographs of?'.
We'll cover all this and more in the next issue of Impact, so watch out
for the next installment: The joys of the daily photographer.
Author: Rebecca is editor of BCG Impact, an aspiring daily photographer, and a writer for hire specialising in business websites.
|
