Picture Story: Reading Reflections #1

Tao of Photography by Gross and Shapiro
One of the main points of this reading was letting go of preconceived notions and just letting the photos happen. I know when I am going into a situation, I always end up previsualizing the kind of shots I want to take. The idea of losing yourself behind the camera seems to be contrary to what we were discussing in class the other day about making a picture story. If you just take all of the shots you feel like taking, you're going to end up with a parking lot of photos and no story. On the other hand, if shoot according to a strict formula, your pictures aren't going to have any emotion or feeling to them! It's a tough balance.

Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott
I really enjoy the candid way LaMott addresses her readers because it makes me feel like I am conversing with an old friend of mine. Although the subject matter is about writing, I can see how the word "photographer" can easily replace the word "writer". One of the sections of the reading that stood out the most to me was LaMott's descriptions of the writing classes she teaches. Of those students in those classes, so many just want to be published and have no concern for the actual craft of writing. Those people will not succeed, just like the people that shoot for the sake of winning contests will not succeed. Maybe they'll make money, but I don't see any real fulfillment in that. Whether you use words or pictures, what matters is that you told the true story of something that matters to you. And it doesn't have to be perfect! Writers make "shitty rough drafts" and photographers make some terrible test frames. It's not the end of the world if you don't get it right the first time (because let's face it, you seldom will).

Lenswork: 10,000 Hours
How much time do I spend on my photography? It's nowhere near 10,000 hours, and I could stand to gain a few more. I spend a lot of time on my own images, but I need to spend more on others. I love times like CPOY or POYi when I can completely immerse myself in images, but it has a strange effect on me. I am inspired and discouraged all at the same time. Perhaps what I need to do is spend less time looking at images and more time making images.