Some of us can be blissfully lost in this web and even strike gold. For others it is a cul-de-sac for the soul.
So, do you notice anything about this situation? On their own, these options are alluring, absorbing and can be satisfying to an extent. It is easy to get caught up in buying a book, going to a workshop or even acquiring more camera gear. They are useful but they are not enough. Their satisfactions are temporary and external. I believe the real secret of photography lies in each of us, you and me. It is internal.
Let’s consider the act of “seeing” in our everyday photography. It requires the opposite of our fractal lives, speeding by and sadly splintered somewhere between politics, climate change, relationships and social media. “Seeing” suggests that we should slow down, turn inward and focus our minds on grasping the artistic bigger picture. We can talk about adopting an attitude of mindfulness or meditation but even these helpful hints are so easy to say and so hard to do. Given that images of most places on the planet are already available on the internet, one workaround is to ask a simple question, ‘How can I make this image mine?’ Yes, this spot may have been visited and photographed a thousand times before but not at this time of day, with these weather conditions and this particular arrangement of people, buildings, animals etc., – and certainly not by me, blessed as we all are with our unique ways of seeing.
Everything from lens choice, framing, composition to our use of symbolism or metaphor and our aims to use imagery to document or advocate – all sum up to our highly individual worldview. To this mix, add our post processing options and it is clear that there is an infinity of ways to make our images our own.