| Photography Forum: Philosophy Of Photography Forum: |
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Q. Playing it Safe vs. Breaking New Ground
Asked by Jeff Greenberg
(K=25) on 1/26/1999
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Playing It Safe vs. Breaking New Ground
1. Could somebody somewhere some day need it? 2. Do I want to spend time taking it?
Asking these questions before taking each photo helped me succeed as stock photographer.
What questions/actions would help one find out if they have ability to break new ground in field of photography? (don't ask, just take it? or?)
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Alan Gibson
(K=2734) - Comment Date 1/27/1999
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When I am on new ground -- unfamiliar territory -- I might have mapped it out before, asked questions of experienced travellers, read books about it, or whatever. On the other hand, I might just wing it. Rely on my visual instinct, and technical instinct, and just go for it.
Jeff's two questions sound rather commercial for me. But then, I am not a commercial photographer. When I ask questions before shooting, they are: '1. What am I trying to say? 2. Will this picture say it?' I ask similar questions looking at the contact sheets, and in the darkroom.
Sometimes I shoot without the questions. The pictures then say something I wasn't trying to say, at least not deliberately. When people look at a bunch of my pictures, they usually pick out the ones I also think have worked. Sometimes they see things in a picture that I never saw. And sometimes they pick out the picture that I thought was the worst of the bunch, because what didn't resonate with me did for them.
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Triblett Lunger-Thurd
(K=226) - Comment Date 1/27/1999
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Alan, interesting point you brought up on "mapping", It is a routine curse for me. I find myself "mapping" whether or not i have my camera with me even when I have no intention or money to do so, I'll map photos for the future when i can afford some sheet film. I pre-map and pre-visualize with a varifocal finder and I find myself even shooting my t4 for rough prints to use as a "previsualization map" for a photograph that may need a bigger neg or for a photo i know is present if the lighting conditions were different. Its fun to "wing-it" candid style too and this is my favorite remedy for my large format equipment burdens. I don't shoot stock and some of my favorite pics could be classified as photos "no one on earth would ever need", and I was surely wasting time, money and fun shooting it. Breaking new ground? What ground? How new? Why would you want to break it? Isn't erosion enough? Is this even possible in stock photography?
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steve
(K=1127) - Comment Date 1/27/1999
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I like to furrow new ground and then manure it thoroughly. My theory is that all the good photos have already been taken. We're just repeating them in a slightly different way. Asking yourself questions won't confirm that you have the ability to "break new ground." The only thing that will confirm it is if you actually take that photograph that has never been done, invent a new genre, or travel to another planet and be the first to take pictures there. What's ground breaking for you may be yesterday's news to someone else. You will have to look at photography on a world-wide basis in order to judge whether YOU -- Mr. Photographer -- are the real deal who has come up with the unique, never before seen thingy that the world has been waiting for. Good luck!
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tom meyer
(K=2752) - Comment Date 1/27/1999
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Have all the good poems been written? All the good jokes told? All the good sights seen? All the good love gone?
If I felt that way I'd break all my cameras and join a monastery. What a bummer!
No one has made the pictures I make! No one has lived my life but me! Safe?! Safe?! Who wants safe?
Sure, make the stock shot, but what does it cost you to "get in the face" of life? half a roll of film? A 24mm lens? Mediate the risk and go for it!
And in the broader context of the artists way? Playing it safe just gets you another picture of Half Dome...yawn...and THAT picture's already been made...t
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Dan Smith
(K=1407) - Comment Date 1/28/1999
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Are you talking of the subject matter, technique or vision or what? your mention of stock photography says commercial considerations rather than art & personal growth. If you want to break new ground, try a different format or alternative technique or shooting a challenging subject that has no realistic market in the stock world as you know it. Breaking new ground in personal projects will help the creative side more than just trying a new salable subject.
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Howard Creech
(K=3161) - Comment Date 1/29/1999
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Playing it safe....ask yourself these questions...1.) do you only take photographs when you travel? 2.) Do you always shoot only Landscapes?, only portraits, only macro? 3.) Do you ALWAYS use a tripod? (do you always shoot everything handheld?) 4.) Do you always shoot in "Deadly Serious" mode? 5.) Are you anal about protecting the resale value of your equipment 6.) Do you own more photography "How to" books than books of photographic art? 7.) Have you been to more photographic workshops than anyone else you know? 8.) Do you still have all or almost all of the slides/negs you have ever shot?
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steve
(K=1127) - Comment Date 1/29/1999
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For Mr. Creech:
I have every negative and transparency I have ever shot since I was 9 years old. When asked "what kind of subjects do you photograph?" I answer, "What ever needs its picture taken." When asked, "How do you know what needs its picture taken?" I answer, "I don't until I see it." I work with black and white, color, negatives, transparencies (color and black and white), large format, medium format, small format, and panoramic cameras; landscapes, urban scapes, tractor scapes, farm scapes, city scapes, nuclear scapes, face scapes, formal portraits, informal portraits, altered photographs, hand colored photographs, natural light, artificial light, mixed light and sometimes I still do video production. I'm looking for more new ground -- any ideas?
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james mickelson
(K=7344) - Comment Date 1/30/1999
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Steve, I appreciate where you're coming from. There are more untaken pictures than taken pictures in this and other worlds. And I am trying all the time to find them. I just hope they continue to make film and equipment. I asked a question on why do people take pictures, and how and what, they see when they do. It is another way to see. Through anothers eyes is just another way to see. And I have every single piece of film I have ever shot. Well almost. I threw away this big box of plastic that was 100 negs before my sink overflowed while I was off shooting Half-dome for a large coffee table book I'm still working on. Keep shooting and enjoy it. James
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Howard Creech
(K=3161) - Comment Date 1/30/1999
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Steve, It wasn't an accusation guy, just something to think about. Like EVERYTHING said on this (or any other) forum it was a personsonal observation...an expression of my opinion....certainly valid from my viewpoint, obviously less so from yours. At any rate, if you don't feel that any of what I said is pertinent to the question asked, then you are free to ignore it (actually, you are free to ignore it whether you think it is pertinent or not) In the final analysis, I think my points are just as valid as yours (and mine at least addressed the question asked) I wish you blue skies, light breezes, and good light amigo.
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