Seems like the more I listen, the more I hear people talking about the gear, the business of photography, the widgets. Let us not forget the simple love of photography.
I understand why there’s so much rhetoric in our industry about the business of photography and the gear and the gadgets. There is the common stereotype that most creative people aren’t good business people. There is fear. Gear is easier to talk about than vision. Exposures are exact, the camera dials have numbers. There is a ‘right’ answer to many of these questions.
But where is your love of pictures? Where are your actions that back this up?
Can you pick up a book of photographs and get lost in it?
Can you walk around with your iPhone or Android or your point and shoot or whatever and take 100 pictures knowing that they’ll never be for a client or a portfolio?
Do you love hunting for pictures?
Will you stay up late or get up early for pictures?
Do you sometimes ‘see’ life as a photograph?
It’s different for all of us, but when you can take a break from all the chatter, remind yourself–as often as you can–why you love photography.
Thanks for posting this! To be a true photographer you need to love photography and have a passion for images. Here is a wonderful quote from T. Alan Armstrong, “If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.”
Amen to that Chase!
Creativity, vision, and collaboration are the very things that need to be discussed MORE!
I would certainly argue that the ‘feel’ of photography is often the thing that most people searching for answers about technique really need to attend to.
Yep…no dials or settings there, but it’s an intangible that can be developed by asking different questions and
shooting…shooting…shooting.
Thanks for the post! It’s an important thing to point out.
Cheers,
Peter (biffspandex) Finnie
Chase, it seems this topic must be in the air lately. I just wrote about this from my latest late night, no prep, shoot. I had all the gear that I needed, tried everything, but my vision was not being realized with all the fancy strobes and pocketwizards so, during the shoot, I ditched all the lights and went low tech.
Soo many people spend their time talking about learning their gear and what to use it for, but the “what to use it for” part seems to be missing. I hate to say it, but most of the photographers I know come from the tech industry and think all the new gear they can buy with the big incomes will make them photographers, but they end up just putting models in boring places with no creative thought. Gear doesn’t make you an artist and you can’t buy your way into being one.
I spend late nights in new areas testing ideas, but realize I can’t make whats in my head work for a new fun spot I found so I go away. I constantly think and daydream about things I want to do or see a new location that has potential and figure out how to use it…often times not being able to. Just because something looks interesting, doesn’t always mean its a great photo.90% of my time is spent crafting the vision, the rest is just technical.
With all that said, to get to that 10% technical ratio, I spend many days, nights, weekends, invented time, etc. learning my gear so that I don’t have to think about it, but still you can’t just buy all this great stuff to make “perfect” exposures and expect the rest to fall into place.
Ok I’ve rambled enough. Great post, Chase.
Amen to that. I am obsessed with photography and not afraid to say so. and I have reverted back to film because it feels more low tech to me-manual focus and manual everything…..