The last month or so has been slow. At least as far as “work” goes - that is, official, solicited jobs that add some money to my meager bank account. And much of that has to do with my own preparation, I’m well aware. I embedded so much of my mental energy into last basketball season that I neglected, to my own detriment, to adequately prepare for the coming summer.
That said, I’m not terribly worried. In fact, this open summer is a grand opportunity.
I’m continuously honing a plan for 2010, one which includes a studio, a revamped and reenergized Organic Exposure Photo, and a more focused approach to storytelling, meaningful photography, and freelance work. So keep your dial tuned right here for updates as they happen.
As I’ve grown as a photographer, one thing I’ve come to find is that I have a hard time being satisfied with a photo unless it’s supported by concrete meaning. Really, this goes for anything I create. A photo, a song, a poem, a paragraph.. if it’s only fluff, if it’s there just for the sake of being there, I generally hate it. For this reason, I’ve grown increasingly bored by flickr-style photography. That’s not to say, know you, that I disapprove or necessarily dislike this pretty-photo-pursuit. For the record, flickr was undeniably instrumental in inspiring and crafting me as a photographer. The people, the photos, the community, it was all invaluable. (Of course, that was back in the day before Yahoo, before Getty, before video and all that community-killing BS. Ah, the good ol’ days.) Ultimately, however, I am no longer completely satisfied with a photo unless it is a tool in the pursuit of a larger goal.
Years ago, a good friend of mine, Lamar, gave me some of the best photography advice I’ve ever received. “When I am about to take a photo of something, I think to myself, ‘what do I want to say about this thing’? If I’m shooting a flower, I try to figure out what makes this flower important to me.”
More and more, I’ve tried to implement this philosophy in my own work. Now, if I’m walking with my camera through town, my goal is to minimize the frivolous photos. I try to continuously ask myself why I care about a particular shot or series. If I can’t come up with a good answer to that question, I don’t shoot. And all in all, it feels much better. The work I do produce is less clouded by superfluousness. And really, this philosophy works well in the rest of my life also. By working to eliminate the superfluous and non-essential, I create for myself an environment that is much richer, much purer, much more satisfying.
As a result, I’ve been working on a few projects that attempt to use my skills - photography and other - as tools in the pursuit of a larger goal. At this time, I’m working particularly intensely on an ever-evolving project with my good friend, Phil Bailey. This project is a part of a larger undertaking that’s been floating around my mind for a while, involving persons who I greatly admire. “Heroes” is the working title. In lieu of a verbose description of the project (as I said, it’s ever-evolving), I’ll share with you a short audio clip that will become part of the final product.
Phil is an incredibly engaging, sincere, and interesting individual. I am enamored by his stories and I cannot wait to continue to work with him on this project. The audio will be accompanied by photos, eventually. I’ve contemplated making this sort of piece a product available to customers, and in time I think that will come. In the meantime, my time involves work, saving money, enjoying the hell out of the summer, and continuing to search for meaning in all that I do. I recommend all the preceding to each of you. Enrich your life. And drink lots of coffee.
Peace.