"Wedding photography has become more clever and creative, but it hasn’t gotten deeper. Timeless truths are hard to find in portfolios these days, but it’s really easy to find someone pushing the boundaries of composition or some other basic element of photography." - John Dolan
I read a wonderful article the other day called Rage against the Machine resonated with me (deeply) and struck a chord. Hard. Since I am new-ish to the photography industry, perhaps it's easier for me to see the patterns that I've slipped into unconsciously, if only because it's all very fresh. The other day, I went on a massive internet hunt and looked through more photos than I can count. Old masters of the decisive moment, or in Roger Scott's case, the irrevocable moment. I even went back to old flickr archives and photos and pored over the images that first drew me to photography, that first made me want to shoot. I went on a treasure hunt to find the photos that initially made me want to pick up a camera to try to figure out what I had left behind on the journey to where I am now.
And, most clarifying of all, I went back through my blog. Read old posts. Looked at old photos. Wondered and read through the lines and felt that spark of inspiration from when my goal (yes, I admit it) wasn't to get featured, or to get shoots, or to be anything more than I am. But to simply shoot. Not to shoot like this photographer or that but to shoot like me. To say something about the world I see.
In the current photography industry, photos are all beginning to look the same. (I'm speaking in generalities here) Even the most innovative or trendy photos seem to have a similar feel. But the curious thing...when you step outside the professional industry, there's a refreshing lack of sameness. Images look different. They're not all set up in the formulaic, this is how you shoot weddings / families / people, but instead, this is what life looks like right now. This is what I see. This is what I want to say about it.
It's interesting that we turn first to photography blogs, pinterest, or tumblr for inspiration, as if looking at shoots from other photographers will give us permission to shoot the "right" way, or even that we'll have a clearer idea of what our vision is as a photographer. We've set up photography industry giants and begun to hold them as the standard of what photography should be. And I am in no way saying that these photographers aren't good photographers -- far from it! why would we hold them to such high standards if they weren't? -- but that we cannot judge what a good image is based on what another photographer has shot. Yes, there are some tried and true ways to shoot things and some work and some don't, but it's only when we shrug off the wedding blogs and click exit on pinterest and stop poring over other people's work that we can begin to embrace our own. We cannot let another artist's journey be the map for our own.
I talk about getting back to the heart of it (a lot) because it's so important to me. Our problem today is not that we lack passion, but purpose. And a lack of purpose stems from an unclear vision, or rather, we've become a culture that is lacking the intentionality and heart behind what we do. We are passionate about things, yes! But why? Why do we take photos? To blog them? To show them to other people? To shoot for others? To be featured? To express ourselves? What is the core reason why we do things? As artists, we need to figure that out, we need to understand the driving force behind why we do what we do, otherwise we'll be creating for the sake of creating -- not because we have something to say. We've fallen into patterns that have been set up unconsciously as standards and what a "photographer" should do, and that's not only dangerous to our creative journey, but it's crippling for us as artists. We each have something wonderful and precious and unique to say, and if we're unsure of what it is, we are unable to bring it to the table. And we were created with a beautiful and authentic purpose and a story to tell that is completely, wholly, and uniquely our own.
I read something wonderful and eye-opening the other day -- a photographer talking about how as he was shooting more and more, he was sharing less and less, and shooting just for himself. And as a result, he started personal projects and saw growth in his photography in ways he couldn't have imagined. Or the other day, a status about how we don't need to have the pressure to share everything -- that in the beginning, people photographed for themselves. A post that I love from The Rhoads last year (no longer up) was when they were talking about how they took steps back from the internet, stopped looking at other photographers work, and simply shot -- a lot. And that's when they rediscovered their passion and vision for taking photos.
A curious note...I have never read a story of a photographer, writer, artist, blogger, or person who took a break (for a brief period of time or even longterm) from the constant hum of the internet, pressure to put everything out there, and struggle to stay on top of everything and on top in general, who regretted it. In fact, it's completely the opposite. The more people distanced themselves from the trends, followings, and constant noise, the more they found their voice, the more their work flourished, and the more they let go of things that didn't matter to chase things that do.
Like coffee dates or spending the time with your family. Going for a walk or playing a game, having lunch with a friend, reading a good book. Spending time outside, playing an instrument, going to a movie, listening to live music, writing, running in the morning, baking something tasty, and so on.. Yes. I'll sound like a broken record and repeat it over and over, but those things matter. More than I can say. They are not just items to fit into our schedule, they are what make our lives up. And not only that, those are the things that inspire our art. In the beginning, it wasn't pinterest, tumblr, wedding blogs, or the internet that inspired people...it was life. And it still should be. When we step away from what we "should be inspired by" we give ourselves permission to go back to our first loves -- the things and moments and people that inspired us before we got pulled into the constant hum of the internet. This very real life that we are living is what we should be drawing inspiration from -- not the next feature or the next post.
John Dolan (one of my favorite photographers) said, "I think the crux of the issue today is that the "Pretty" has become more valued than the "True". While each has it's place, we all know that our time is limited at a wedding and you have to use your time well." (via) Sarah Rhoads said, "To stop looking at what everyone else is doing & look deep within. From the heart is where the most beautiful work comes from. It is also where creative vision comes from. Honing that creative vision is the best thing we can do for ourselves as creative’s. It is what sets us apart from the pack." (via) AMEN.
What we've taken is an abundance of information and used knowledge of what other photographers do to make it that that's the only way to do it. For sure, there are general points of information we should know and follow and you can't sacrifice technical knowledge for vision. But when you start dictating a good shoot by poses or editing software or blog hits, then there's a serious problem. It's not about if it fits into the current trend. It's not about whether or not you used this camera or edited it with that software. It's about your heart -- your eyes -- what you as a photographer see and what you have to say about it. You've got a story thats all your own. So please (and I am speaking to myself here, I am writing this in big letters in my journal, and I am keeping this close to my heart), stop trying to tell someone else's and start living your own.
So. This is my challenge for myself and for you. Take a day off. Take two days off. Take two weeks off. Clean out your google reader. Unfollow blogs. Step away from pinterest, tumblr, facebook, the internet in general. Don't look at wedding blogs or other photographers for inspiration. Be inspired by this real and beautiful life you are living, and the wild, deep, and wonderful people you are doing life with. Stop trying to be different for the sake of being different and start being different because of what you have to say. But most importantly, start a personal project. Just for you. Take a series of photos, write a book, make an album, try cooking through a cookbook, catalogue each walk you take, whatever it may be -- except don't share it with anyone. At least, not yet. Work on your project for a month, six months, a year. Do it for yourself and later, when it's finished and when it's for you, show it to someone. But keep it to yourself and do it for you at first, not to share. Get back to the heart of creating and the why behind you do it.
Stop searching for what's trendy.
Start shooting what's true.
Much love,
Hannah
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