Category Archives: Creativity

Creativity

Being a better photographer gets harder the better you get

Lately I have been frustrating myself with my work and it’s made me think about how I have grown in skill and my creative path forward. Sitting down and thinking about why my work wasn’t meeting my expectations was an interesting exercise.

The question to myself was, why am I not having the same enjoyment when I photograph as I used too? It seemed that often, I would go out to make some photographs and come back more frustrated than refreshed. Up until recently I would take my camera for a shoot, planned or impromptu, and would come back excited, refreshed and clear minded. This wasn’t happening lately.

under a bridge on ramp
On Ramp. Pentax ME Super, 28mm f11, 125th sec. Ilford HP5+, Rodinal 1:50

At first I thought it was my tools. Did I need a new lens to get the mojo back? What is wrong with my film process, do I need to change to a different film or developer? Maybe a new camera will help…

These are the obvious things many photographers look at to improve their work. In my opinion it’s a fools errand. When I thought about it more I realized all of my best work was made with the exact same cameras, lenses and process that I still use today. The tools haven’t just fallen apart, it was how I was using them. More importantly how I was seeing.

The biggest realization I have had after digging deep on why I was feeling frustrated about my work was that, as I have improved with my photography my expectations for results has increased. When I first started to take photography seriously as a form of expression I would get a photograph I was happy with one out of maybe fifty exposures. Looking back at them today the keepers are not up to my standards now. So I didn’t have much consistency when I began.

Holes in the Water. Pentax ME super, 50mm f8, 500th sec. Kodak TriX400, Rodinal 1:50

Now that my consistency has improved and I can make photographs that I see in my head before pushing the shutter, my expectations for results are much higher. I found myself taking less photographs because the scene before me wasn’t perfect. I would make excuses for the bad light or cluttered scene etc. I lost my spontaneity when looking at the world around me. I unintentionally put myself in a creative box.

What I have learned after spending some time thinking, looking back and examining how I work today is that I need to :

  • Have no expectations, stop swinging for the fence every time
  • Embrace creative failure, it leads to success in the long run
  • Shoot more, put in the reps to keep my creative eye in shape
  • Stay open to photographs I wasn’t looking for, take the shot just in case it works
  • Boring today doesn’t mean boring tomorrow
  • Really good photographs take a lot of time and energy, it’s not easy and never will be
Short Hose. Pentax ME super, 50mm f8, 500th sec. Kodak TriX400, Rodinal 1:50

After realizing that I need to change my approach and the way I see I needed to start putting it into practice. Over the last few weeks I have carved out some regular time to just go out and shoot. Good light, bad light no matter the situation, no excuses.

Since I have changed my mindset and approach I can say that I have been having a lot more fun and getting photographs I am pretty happy with. Some may not amount to much but some I am really pleased with. The thing is, it is leading me in new directions and focuses on what I want to create in the coming weeks and months. I am back on track, today anyway.

Bottoms Up. Pentax ME super, 50mm f8, 500th sec. Kodak TriX400, Rodinal 1:50

If you are a photographer or creative that is facing a stalemate in your creative practice I would recommend taking some time to re evaluate, meditate or take a close look at your motives, past work, goals etc. It’s easy for someone to tell you to be more spontaneous but it really sinks in when you come to that realization yourself through the work of self reflection.

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Creativity

Wilderness at your front door

Like most people I have a day job. Photography is my passion and I am lucky enough to be able to make the kind of photographs I want to make on my terms. However, the day job does sometimes cut into my available time to shoot as often as I would like. So I have to be creative with my time.

Recently I relocated from Montana to Minnesota. Some of you may be saying “What?…” I know. Minnesota is not known for it’s grand vistas, towering mountains and crazy cool wildlife. But it isn’t that bad actually. I haven’t been able to explore much yet, due to Covid-19, starting a new job and renovating a really old house.

I wasn’t going to give up though. I work from home, like a lot of folks nowadays, and my new home office is in the basement. It has a garden level view window right in front of my desk. Little did I realize what a perfect wildlife blind this window would be!

A cardinal couple stops by my window often looking for food.

Many times I have early phone/zoom meetings with my colleagues in Asia so I am often at my desk before the sun rises. My home is in a heavily wooded area right next to a huge lake (duh, Minnesota) and I started noticing that many mornings when I was on the phone all sorts of animals were roaming around my garden. They had no idea I was sitting there watching them!

I thought to myself, “here is my opportunity to photograph some wildlife!” I started having a camera with me on my desk every morning when I started work. While I am on calls, muted of course, I can shoot away at all the critters that come by my window. It’s really fun and a challenge.

One of the visiting foxes that stop by my window on their hunting rounds in the morning.

I have the usual squirrels and chipmunks that come by. They have even started to look into the window at me like I am some sort of zoo exhibit for them! Then there are the herds of deer and beautiful birds that stop by. The highlight of my “working” wildlife blind has been the red foxes. They have been really fun to photograph.

Now many of these are not going to be national geographic images. Most are snapshots at best. But I have had a few keepers that I enjoy and have added to my collections. The point is I had to find a way to keep my creativity and my eye exercised to keep making photographs.

Creativity

The Camera Doesn’t Make The Photographer

Many times I get a comment from someone who sees my photographs like, “Wow, that’s a beautiful picture. You must have a really good camera”. It is common for people, who don’t understand what goes into creating a photograph, to think all a photographer does is frame, focus and push a button.

Also, I get many friends asking me what is the best camera they should buy. This is what leads me to the topic of this post. The camera doesn’t make the photograph. The photographer makes the photograph and the tool is a camera.

It is interesting to me when people think the camera made the photograph. No one asks the chef at a restaurant what type of oven they use, or tell a textile artist they must have an amazing loom.

Rainy day on the streets of downtown Denver. Canon sure shot point and shoot with Kodak black and white film.

Here’s the thing… it doesn’t matter what type of camera is used to make a great photograph. What DOES matter is knowing what kind of photograph I want to make. What is the creative vision? That’s where a photographer starts. I ask myself these questions before I make some photographs.

  • What is my end goal for distributing the images?
    • Big prints
    • Family scrap book
    • Social media
    • Magazine
  • What am I trying to say with my photographs?
    • Tell a visual story
    • Create emotion with the photographs
    • Capture memories
  • What am I photographing?
    • Landscapes
    • Sports
    • Travel
    • Portraits
    • Street

Thinking through some of these questions helps me figure out what the best tool (camera) is to achieve my creative vision for the photograph. For example, if I plan on shooting grand landscapes my needs are very different than when I am shooting candid street photographs. For the landscapes a high quality lens, large sensor/film system could be important. (Unless the goal is to shoot soft ethereal, interpretative landscape photographs. Then a Holga camera may be perfect.) In the case of a street photograph a simple fully automatic point and shoot camera may be perfect for the quick indiscrete capture.

Long exposure of Boulder falls taken with an antique Kodak folding 620 camera

Today’s cameras are awesome feats of technology. So many features that can meet almost any need. Almost. The only things a photographer needs in a camera is the ability to control ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus. That’s really it. But all cameras have their strengths and weaknesses and knowing what those help me know what camera to use to make a photograph that I am after.

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