Photography is not a Gift (featuring Breaking a Slump)
Photography is not a gift.
Well, that’s not entirely true. It is a gift in the sense that anyone who happens to stumble across it as a pastime, hobby or dare I say even obsession, is lucky to have done so. The benefits of taking pictures, of seeing the world in a different way, of stopping moments in time – it’s an ability that few generations in history have had access to – and I consider we’re fortunate to be able to be part of that.
So what I mean when I say that photography is not a gift, is that it’s not something we should take for granted. Now, anyone who takes photography seriously probably feels that way already (and at this point may wonder what I’m talking about). After all, we all know the mastering this art takes study, patience and application.
However, sometimes photography is not something that can be forced. Instead, taking great pictures is something that occasionally needs to be nurtured. Almost every serious photographer I know has at some point or another in the past three years fallen into a mental slump of sorts, where they have wondered why they take pictures, whether it’s worth all the effort and what to do next – or in short “where do I go from here”. Despite having so many things to do in the next few months, over the past few weeks I found myself in a similar place mentally – caught in a strange place somewhere between thinking I’ve been either a) taking things too seriously, or b) not taking them seriously enough.
The problem with periods like this is that it’s easy to lose perspective – questioning the very core of why you do something. You can go from one week thinking that photography is something that is “part” of you, to not feeling like picking up a camera at all.
Now, I’m never one to remain in moods like this for long and I tend to find a quick way out (an “allergy to depression”, lets call it).
In reflecting, I realized that part of my problem has been that as I’ve gotten better and more serious at photography, I’m actually photographing less and less. Because I don’t like to keep taking the same kinds of subjects (even if I’m good at them) and also realising that the my best photos are taken with great care, thought and preplanning, I’m naturally limited to the amount of great pictures I’m going to take in any one year. And as I get better with pictures, my standards of what I consider to be “acceptable” increases too – thus naturally filtering out many shots or even stopping me from picking up a camera in the first place. Becoming disenchanted with photo sharing sites only further compounds this (although that particular item is a topic all by itself).
OK so does any of this sound like anything you’ve been through so far? I’m betting that if at some point in the past couple of years you’ve gotten to a level you consider to be intermediate or advanced, this is going to be strangely familiar.
Actually – taking this a step further even, I’ve recently heard people moving towards the direction of taking so few photos that they may even only shoot once or twice per year. The photos produced are great, there’s no question about that – I guess it’s a similar approach to great athletes / sportsmen who only compete in the top events to focus all their energies and efforts. I think some of it is linked to standards too – develop a reputation of taking great pictures and soon enough, you end up protecting that reputation by refusing to take / post / share snapshots or anything that does not meet perfection.
And therein lies the problem. You see – this approach may work well for multi million dollar sports stars – the problem is that it doesn’t make life very fun for us.
As I said, photography needs to be nurtured.
So armed with this new information – I’m now out of that slump. Like many complex problems, the solution was surprisingly simple in the end. The answer to this problem was to simply stop caring and start photographing. I’ve started shooting things I wouldn’t normally shoot. Things I haven’t shot for ages. I’ll go out with a camera and start taking pictures of subjects that enamored me only when I first started photography. I’m even dividing my kit up – serious DSLR / primes for “intentional” photography lets call and a cheaper DSLR / compact for “fun” photography (again for lack of a better word). I may have no intention of using or sharing these fun images – in this mood I’m taking pictures just to remind myself that it’s something I love to do. It’s that part that’s so easy to forget when you hit a certain level I think – that such enjoyment can be had from simply walking around with a camera, discovering a new area, meeting new people or seeing things in a new way. This you can’t completely get from books, from learning, from discussing or sharing – it only comes from shooting. And funnily enough, it often comes from shooting total rubbish.
And who knows, you might even end up with an occasional picture you do actually like.
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Excellent essay and one I can really relate to. I've definitely noticed with myself – as a general trend – that I shoot less and less. This is because after shooting thousands of photos you 1) are more able to "predict" what the outcome of an image is going to be, thus are pre-editing in your mind and 2) realize that you've shot a particular image "x" amount of times already. That said … images can be unpredictable. Most are predictable, but a certain percentage are not. Some images are planned ahead of time and seen by the mind before shooting and others are discovered during editing. I have to say that I've "created" countless images after-the-fact during the editing phase. I may have taken the photo with one intention and then discovered a completely different "embedded" image.
I'm glad to hear that you have divided your camera arsenal into the "serious" set up and the compact "go everywhere" kit. That is exactly what I do. My compact Canon is always in my pocket for that unexpected moment or situation that catches my eye. Many of my favorite photos have occured during these unexpected momements/enounters. Still … I do find myself taking fewer and fewer photos as a result – I think – of mental pre-shoot editing based on experience. Nothing wrong with that as long as you leave the door open to inspiration and spur of the moment snapping that can still result in creative and unique work.
Good commentary here Lawrence. I'm still not out of the phase completely where I am just shooting for the heck of it. I have dramatically trimmed down the number of shots I'm taking. Part of this is just becuase I'm tired of the work it takes to look at, copy, and backup a bunch of photos.
I must admit that I like Craig's idea of hauling around a little compact camera. I should look into that.
So back to you…I am interested in how you move on from here. My instinct is that you definitely will continue to shoot fewer photos, at least up until a point where you become wildly inspired by a new idea. Seeing your images created before and up-to the "slump" makes it clear to me why it happened. You were covering well worn ground with predictably good results. But "predictable" isn't inspiring. So once you find that next idea that inspires you, you will be off. It could very well be the new project you have just started.
I speak from experience here as the 2nd phase of my own project has been a bit too predictable so far. I feel as though the images I'm making at the moment are really just a warm-up for the real thing. Sort of like my own spring-training (if you'll permit a baseball analogy).
In the end, what I'm trying to say is, the most enuring way out of a slump is latching onto an idea that gets you excited and thinking in new ways. If this isn't present, the slump has a danger of creeping back. I'm teetering on the edge of this right now. Good luck.
Bingo! This definitely describes my experience. I take fewer and fewer photos. There are several reasons for this a) my standards about what is 'worthwhile' have become more stringent (the 'ratcheting' up of standards – you can't go back down) b) because I'm wary of parodying myself with repetitive material, even if it's good c) my disenchantment with photo sharing sites and d) because, after taking scores of thousands of photos, my experience can instantly tell me whether a scene is likely to render a good photo or not. Often people will me say 'look, why don't you take a photo of that, it's a lovely day!" to which I mutter; "horrible light" or some such conversation-stopper. This is not a good place to be, really and I need to rediscover the fun in photography. Actually, what gives me hope most is that even in these times of slump or truculent inactivity ("this scene is not worthy of me photographing it! etc. lol) I will from time to time take a photo in the most unpromising of circumstances, in a moment of boredom or caprice that will turn out to be brilliant, one of my best, and better than I got while visiting some visually stunning place that ought to be like shooting fish in a barrel. Of course, there are still two pre-conditions a photographer must meet as a minimum to get such shots in the everyday: have a camera with you, and try it, go for it!
Okay, I decided I just had to blog about this topic of creative slumps. Here are my thoughts:
http://idealfstop.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/04/slump_therapy.html
Lawrence..I love reading everything you write about. Have you consider writing a book.
I would definetly buy it.
I agree with Niall's statement … especially the unpredictability of a good/brilliant shot. On one hand it gets easier to predict the outcome of shot, but on the other hand you can still be surprised by the outcome of images you didn't think were going to work. "Keep on Shootin'" I think is the key slogan.
A superb article and sums up everything I've been feeling. I wouldn't even qualify myself as intermediate, but I like taking pictures and I've hit the point of questioning why I'm bothering!!!
Thanks for the 'chin up'.
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