I’ve been musing lately on experience, creativity and artwork. This relates to photography and post production, although I suppose could be applied to painting or drawing.
Back in the days before digital a friend invited me to come to a studio shoot, and bring my camera. Having only used an on-camera flash, the ability to construct a lighting set-up was a revelation. Afterwards, fired with enthusiasm, I acquired several additional small flashguns, some photocell triggers and a rather basic flash meter. For the first time I was able to control the relative strengths of my light sources in my makeshift home studio. My backdrop was a cine screen and I started taking portrait shots – of course, because these were only small portable flashes I had no way, apart from the meter, to predict how the images would turn out…and there was the seemingly interminable wait between sending off my reel of film and the prints dropping through the letter box.
I was so proud of these first results – mounting them in an album showing them to all and sundry. They were perfect – the best I’d ever achieved. Except – I happened to show them to one friend, also a keen photographer, and he’d worked taking portraits professionally. He admired them, then asked if I’d seen the distracting double shadows…and several other shortcomings. It seemed so obvious – those flaws suddenly jumped out at me each time I viewed them. I realised I had a way to go to produce better work. It taught me to be more observant and much more self-critical. That album is at the back of a drawer at home, gathering dust.
Spectrum of Artistic Endeavour
It made me realise that we are all on a spectrum of artistic endeavour – no matter how good we think our work may be, if we are honest and open to improvement, we can always discover work by others that will be significantly better than our own, yet this should not be something not to demoralise us, but to inspire us to do better. If you can call on a more accomplished photographer to critique your efforts that can make a huge difference. With so many photography and art forums online it is easier to find a constructively critical audience – develop a thick skin, ask for feedback, then weigh up the comments. Art is subjective, so you must decide valid points and those that may stem from lack of understanding of the image.
My work from a couple of years back looks relatively primitive compared to my current output, and I am hoping that if I can keep finding more accomplished photographers to inspire me, in a couple more years I will be saying the same about current work!
The key to improvement is to remember you are on that spectrum of artistic endeavour…there are always photographers producing work you can aspire to. If you cease to be open to criticism, whether self-criticism or that of peers, your work will remain at its present standard.
Ok, any photographers care to give their thoughts on here.