Dear Doctor..."My friend has a problem. He seems only to be able to make crap photos at the moment even though he is a good photographer. Does this happen to you ever? I do hope that you can help him!" A reader (name & address withheld)
This is a common problem amongst men and women of a certain age and I certainly do have periods when I don't take any good images. Such dry periods may last for a few days or even weeks. The image at left was made last summer after a week or so of not being able to see a single decent composition. But, quite suddenly, when I had almost given up hope of seeing anything worth photographing I saw this composition. I was walking along a beach without my camera and had to rush back to the vehicle to get my gear (N.B. no rocks were moved during the making of this image!)
More often than not this lack of vision is just a result of not being in the right frame of mind. I find that I need to empty my mind of other distractions – like how I can possibly afford to pay the gas bill or which colour shirt goes best with my eyes (puce) – before I can hope to see anything. I know that for many of us finding the time to make images is hard enough, never mind finding the time to get in the right frame of mind but this step is crucial if we want to make original photographs and not just revisit old ground. It's better to take one's time rather than rush and peak too soon (another common male problem...)
I used to feel very frustrated when I couldn't see, blaming myself for a lack of ability or insight, but I've since realised that I usually just need to clear my mind and relax into picture making. Getting frustrated just makes it worse! OK, I'm not perfect and I do still get frustrated sometimes.
Sometimes this dry period indicates a forthcoming change in my photography. I think that what's happening is a shift in my perception, a reassessment of my work that has gone before or, most excitingly, it might signal my turning onto a completely different artistic heading.
So, I've now begun to see this lack of image making as a positive thing. I know it can be frustrating and depressing but I can assure you that your "friend" hasn't lost the ability to make images. You are probably – sorry I mean he is probably beginning to see things differently and this will eventually work its way through to making new and exciting images.
19 comments:
Another great image!
I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about productivity although in my case the "dry periods" last months (or even years)!
I find that it's really difficult to get into the right "receptive" state of mind for good image making quickly - you really need a few days to relax into it before you start to see properly.
Mike Johnston once made the point that just as Athletes (not that I'm comparing the usual impression of a photographer to an athlete by the way!) need to warm up before competing, photographers need to as well. I find that wandering around with dare I say it, a digicam, often helps me to wind down (or is it up?) to a level where I can start to see properly. I don't expect to make pictures (though sometimes...) from it but it helps tremendously to warm up my creative 'muscles.' The Linhof Mutiviewfinder for 5x4 also helps in this regard as well. I'm also a firm believer in actually taking the camera out of the cupboard in between the infrequent excursions of us amateurs (sic.) Practice in the saftey of ones own garden can help massively when under pressure in the field. Writers may encounter writers block but that does not mean that the stop using pen and paper (or the PC.) The same goes for photographers - enjoy the fallow periods by going and doing something else - sorting through those slides, getting inspiration from books, visit an art gallery or just going for a walk along the beach... without a camera and enjoy the freedom it gives. We don't always HAVE to make images, mind you its one hell of an addiction to feed
I agree wholeheartedly with Guy's comments above. I was out and about at the weekend and found that just going mad with a digicam can really help. Often, I'll be reviewing the 'snaps' whilst I'm on location and see something that makes me consider breaking out the 'big guns'.
It's not so much overcoming any kind of 'creative block', more like freeing oneself from the imperative to make worthwhile images - which is often the cause of doubt or insecurity when one is using any kind of 'serious' camera.
Creativity is about play, after all, isn't it?
For me creativity is definitely about play, despite what you might have deduced from the "serious" nature of my ramblings!
It's interesting that you and Guy have mentioned the idea of using a DSLR to free yourselves before making an image with the LF camera as I'm about to be the proud owner of a Canon 5D – thought it was about time I dipped my toe in the digital pond...
Careful, David. Don't let the Dark Side take hold! Resist temptation!!
Seriously, there is something about the sheer hair-shirt perversity of wanting to use LF these days that makes any picture taken this way into more of a statement - quite aside from what the image itself is saying, don't you feel?
And, yes, dark thoughts of getting a 5D have begun to take root in my conciousness too...
I don't think there's really any chance of me abandoning my hair shirt, I mean my Linhof Technikardan, and going over to the Dark Side (interesting parallels to Medieval religion...)
Actually LF doesn't feel at all perverse to me because it was commonplace when I began my photography and because I find it the most satisfying way to make photographs because of the control that it gives me.
I do agree that in the digital age a certain mystique now surrounds the use of LF and especially when used with film(I'll ignore digi-backs for now as they're either too expensive for the majority of us or too inconvenient in the field) This mystique does seem to add a special credibility to images made on view cameras. Of course the (old) technology isn't really the point, it's the content of the image that really matters!
Well done Mr Ward! Tools are just that...tools. In your line of work being able to have a proper working knowledge of a DSLR through ownership is I think a real boon. I have used a DSLR for a number of years (since the venerable Canon D60...) and they are fantastic for events, weddings, travel and familly outings. However for me using DSLR for Landscapes became a lesson in frustration. Yes the image quality of 5D is superb (up to 16x20 or so,) yes there is a certain improvement in speed on set-up. But looking at a landscape through the viewfinder as opposed to the ground glass just doesn't do it justice. It lacks the association, zen like trance and intimateness (!) of being under the dark cloth. Whilst I like the analogy of the hair shirt, I would say the DSLR is one for Landscapes. I jumped straight into photography with the D60, leaped to Large Format photography and then interestingly started having real "fun" with a holga. Couple of comments - buy THE best lens for the Canon (prime or L) - full frame shows up any failures in a lens. When out in the field I use a small Casio to play with and also to provide a record (it has a built in microphone which is great) and not a DSLR - lugging a LF pack is enough without adding anything else. Mind you I was always staggered to see Richard Childs carry around an Ebony and a Pentax 67...now that is a hairy shirt!
Whilst we are talking about "too expensive" I'm still recovering from taking my son to a certain "Introduction to large format photography" talk at Focus earlier this year ;-) I don't suppose there's too many teenagers with their own view camera, and our fridge is filling up with green boxes...
You mention heading in a different artistic direction - one thought that has has been crossing my mind recently is the idea of "breaking the rules". Its nice to sometimes (often?) break the standard composition rules, but what I can't get my head around is why some pictures that break the rules work, and some don't. Is there a further hidden set of implied rules that aren't in fact breakable? A bit like the basic laws of Physics? I know it comes down to personal choice, but it intrigues me why some images have that certain appeal to lots of people.
Jonathan, over on NaturePhotographers.net, Guy Tal has an interesting article covering much the same ground. If you're intrested, the URL is: http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0507/gt0507-1.html
And this one is also interesting...
http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0507/cd0507-1.html
David, can you stop writing your 'journal' and get the washing in please? Jx
Interesting thought that there might be indivisible basic building blocks of composition. Not sure that I agree... The "rules" as we know them are mostly formalised interpretations of the way the human mind perceives the world; diagonal lines, for instance, lead us into the frame because we interpret them as a sign of an object's scale diminishing with distance (perspective).
The rules cannot then be the basic building blocks of composition. Human perception must be the basis of composition. And I suspect that this varies greatly from individual to individual (whilst staying within some unspecified range).
To me the basis of good composition is balance. If when I look on the ground glass screen nothing jars, nothing feels too obtrusive at the expense of other parts of the image then I feel that it is successful whether or not it conforms to any "rules". I've mused on this in an earlier post this month...
LOL @ Jenny
Poor David.... ;-)
My shirt's not as hairy any more. I ditched the Pentax to make space for a couple more lenses and a digital compact.
I wonder if the amount of effort spent in making an image makes it more of a mirror and less of a window. I don't mean does the image have a mechanical rather than natural feel but that in working harder at making an image the photographer has given more of themself to the final product. Looking at an average postcard I can't help but visualise a photographer in a hurry whereas an image by someone like Paul Wakefield gives the impression of an intense personality behind the camera.
apologies, my above comment is more relevant to the blog below 'Egoist or Egotist' except for the shirt!
p.s Who is this mystery photographer anyway?!
You know who you are! ;-)
Thanks once again for your honesty in this journal! Dealing with photography frustration on a regular basis myself, it is a huge relief to find that it's a normal part of being a photographer. The advice to see the dry periods as a positive thing is fantastic, as it helps you to move on and get into the right frame of mind. It also encourages me to save the film for when it's going to really count!
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