Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink
There are lots of “subjects” and “ideas” around us, but which ones do we choose? Sometimes, we don’t really have a choice. If we’re on assignment and an editor tells you to cover an event you don’t care for, you still have to come back with something. Other times, we get to choose. Sometimes it’s overwhelming. There are many possible ideas to start with. It can be like a multiple choice test when you don’t know the answer and the process of elimination just isn’t working. Jay and Hurn are right to suggest starting with a list. I foresee doing this for project seminar. I want to choose a subject that I will enjoy working on for 14 weeks. From that list, you start cutting it down, selecting the subjects that are most realistic and still enjoyable. I liked that Hurn reminded me, “photography is only a tool, a vehicle, for expressing or transmitting a passion for something else. It is not the end result.” Sometimes I feel that in the jschool, we’re expected to take on serious topics. The show choir project isn’t serious, but it’s fun and I enjoy it. I think that comes through in the photos. As I’ve gotten to know the kids, I find myself (quietly) cheering them on. Objective? No. Real? Yes.
I feel that last semester was the first time I really heard people advise me to pick projects I was interested in, if not passionate about. The first year was very much about the basics, which makes sense. I guess they figure that we are not yet sure what we are passionate about, though it would’ve been nice to begin hearing that advice then. Anyways, I agree with Hurn that “a unique style… is the by-product of visual exploration, not its goal.” I’m finding that I do my best work when I’m inside and moving around. It’s hard to explain, but I feel I get a better representation of the event or people when I’m free to move amongst them. This opportunity doesn’t seem to present itself often in sports, so I feel I don’t have many, if any, intimate photos from sports. I actually haven’t shot many sports since coming to Mizzou, while it was the main thing I shot my last two years at W&M. I guess I just like that intimate style, and seek out situations that lend themselves to it.
For me, the main gist of Lamott’s reading is that we should never delete photos. Even though a photo might seem pointless or simply bad, it might be useful down the road. It might help provide the missing piece in a current project or provide inspiration for the next one. Lamott’s writing about the school lunches was like Jay and Hurn’s list. You have to start somewhere. Then as you continue searching and editing, the ideas come. Then you need to see them to fruition.
You are another person than the one I remember from prior years. Good for you. You are showing what is needed to be successful, passion.