I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I love photography, but it may come as a surprise that I don’t enjoy posting it – posting images seems like labor, but capturing and editing feels like creativity. Maybe it’s the planning, organization, and interfaces; maybe it’s the time, formatting, or potential distractions; or maybe its the fact that I’d simply rather be doing something else … like taking more photos.
But over the twenty plus years of enjoying photography, photography from an artistic standpoint has become so much more interesting. Over the past five years, I have searched for new inspiration with my photography, but when I searched online, most of what I found in photography blogs, YouTube, and even many photographers is chatter about gear, technology, and software. While each of those can help with creating a better image, none of that will make you a better photographer.
As I talk with other artists and photographers, I find myself drawn to conversations about creativity and inspiration. These are not easy topics for my analytical brain to grasp; I struggle with answering the question “why do you like that photo?” and I tend to review the image from a technical level.
But I’m working on developing that skill, exercising that muscle, learning that vocabulary.
For 15 years, photographic success for me was posting an image each day on my website – an image that I like and wanted to share. But for me that’s no longer photographic success. I want to share my artistic journey; not merely my photos, but why and how I capture those images, and what I’ve learned along the way.
Here’s to a new season.