Even by my own lax standards......it's been too long since I last posted anything here. Having been ticked off by half of my readership (the other one hasn't even noticed I've been quiet) I've decided that I ought to let you know what I've been up to!
Around the second week of January I joined Joe Cornish, Eddie Ephraums, Phil Malpas, Clive Minnitt and Richard Childs for a week in a small cottage at Culnacraig near Achiltibuie in the northwest Highlands. I had been really looking forward to this trip as it was the first time that that select club The CUBS (Complete & Utter Bastard Society) had had an outing since four of us travelled together to Utah in 2003. However the weather seemed set against us making many images with persistent rain and – the real killer – gale force winds for almost the whole week. This meant that we were reduced to trying out our culinary skills on each other (never mind animal testing, some of the meals that I prepared should definitely be banned!) and trying to fill the endless evenings with interminable games of Scrabble accompanied by the pathetic sound of sheep bleating as they flew past the window at head height in the raging storm.
As usual when I go away after a long period without any time off I went down with a case of man flu – a very serious illness! I felt miserable not only because of my respiratory problems but also because the much hoped for opportunity to make images in the convivial company of my peers seemed to be passing me by. Everyone else seemed to be effortlessly making images but I just couldn't see anything. Joe was his usual positive self, Clive was as enthusiastic as ever, Eddie was coming back from a few hours in the rain with some truly astonishing stuff but I could see nothing. I think that a lot of the problem was the pressure that I was putting on myself to perform. Rather than communing with my surroundings, I was getting so desperate that I ended up just looking to acquire an image, any image!
I don't normally think of myself as a very competitive person but this situation was definitely bringing that trait out in me. It almost physically hurt to see them all making interesting images when I had a creative block and I found myself wanting to compete for the prize of an image. Of course this was entirely the wrong approach and for a while I just sank deeper into the mire. Perhaps I should add that there was a degree of external pressure to make an image. Phil & Clive wanted Joe and I to be their 'readers' for the 100th issue of OP and their On Location column. I certainly didn't want to be the one who let the side down by not coming up with any results.
Eventually we got a clear slot in the weather and some interesting light. Hey presto! I found an image. Perhaps I should just listen to the advice I give other people in these circumstances – just be! Sit quietly and take things in, take time to tune in to your surroundings and the image will come to you.
6 comments:
30 seconds after I set off the final running parsing in all of your posts and you go and add another one! I thought "there's no chance of him posting again in the next week" little did I know..
Sorry to hear about the weather, I can certainly empathise having not taken a picture for two weeks now (mostly fog and wind - I didn't think you could have both) . Was at Flamborough today but the sea was like a bubblebath (what is it that makes that fluffy froth?).
You and Joe as 'readers' sounds funny - you can't let the side down and take good pictures - it'll ruin the concept of the feature!
Did your philavery come in useful? (it's won me a few points)
My way of overcoming a block is financially driven...
The lab I use has a minimum order-value policy and this translates to around seven sheets of 5x4 - so that's what I set out to shoot, rain or shine, good light or not, otherwise I'll have to wait a while before I can get the images processed (or cheat by padding out the order with push/pulls and dupes ;-) ).
Even if I'm really struggling for inspiration, I still do my best to get my minimum seven images - and just occasionally I end up surprising myself as a result.
Giving yourself a target of quantity and not necessarily quality might not work for everyone but it seems to work for me....
Forgot to say that's an absolute corker of a shot, David. Certainly worth enduring the double agony of man-flu and photographer's block for...
I try not to be dissapointed if I don't see anything worth setting up for, the important thing is to be out looking.
I do find that once I've made one image though, it's a lot easier to see a second and a third. The first might not be the best but it serves to break the ice.
David,
Thanks for another interesting post. The subject of getting a creative block & not being able to 'see' anything, is one I'm very familiar with. It can be especially distressing when attending a landscape photography workshop :-)
It's a relief to know that even the experts have this problem.
Actually, I'd like to see more of your thoughts on this subject if possible. Given your liking for the psychology or 'inner game' of photography, maybe you can post some more on this subject?
I read somewhere that Minor White used to prescribe an exercise for his students, consisting of closing your eyes and 'listening' to the subject (sounds weird, but he was a respected teacher).
This is a subject for which there is _very_ little writing - the only book I've seen that covers this area is George Barr's recent book 'Take Your Photography to the Next Level'.
Anyway, I'm planning to come down to the Oxo gallery on Saturday 26th to have a chat and have a look at your prints, with some friends from my camera club. So I hope you are over your 'man flu' by then.
Kind Regards,
Alan
Hello David,
There is of course the third half of your readers, those who thought we should give you a rest. Though I have to admit, posting nothing between Christmas and Easter is stretching the point a bit...
You touched on a similar experience a while ago (27th November) but this one reminded me of a visit to Dorset with a group of L&L graduates. On a ghastly drab October morning, one of the six just sat down by the sea and watched the grey clouds roll by. Three of the group struggled to capture what little colour there was while two of us bravely went for black-and-white. I remember that “dawn” purely as the 2-3 compositions I took – in other words I don’t actually remember the sight itself. But I do have a vivid memory of Ken sitting by the water, as you say just being there and not even bothering to get his camera out of the bag. I wonder which one of us has the better memory of the *feel* of that location.
So I think you are quite right (again, dammit...) and we should not be afraid to just sit there and enjoy the experience. Although I do take simple record shots as mementos of where I have been, my attempts at *creating* images are much more considered now than a few years ago and I no longer fret if I come back from a woodland walk with only 2-3 compositions. Hmm, is this a sign of impending maturity as middle-age slowly sails on by….?
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