A few weeks ago, I came across a fascinating article by Don Craig, a photographer and friend from Victoria, British Columbia, titled “Articulate.” Although most of the piece deals with the medium format GFX, Don raised an issue I found most interesting. The leading thought was “striving to be fluent, effective, persuasive, lucid and expressive.”
When reading Don’s piece, I remembered our discussion about photography, which centred around the question “What are we looking for in photography?” At one point Don said, “I would like to have something to say” (I hope I remember the exact quote – Don please correct me if I am wrong). He certainty hit the right note, as a similar thought has been hovering in my head for months.
When working with students and discussing their imagery, one of the questions I sometimes ask them is: “Why did you take this photo?” Quite often I hear “I don’t know.” This is a big problem with photography, including my own! It is so easy to take photos that we stop thinking why we are doing it. It becomes a habit, an addiction of a sort. I know I am going against the common wisdom of “take as many images as you can to get better” but I strongly believe that shooting just for the sake of it can actually hurt you as a photographer.
I refer to the pressure from social media to deliver a constant flow of imagery to be consumed, viewed, liked, shared and commented. One problem with this mentality is that all parties involved are so occupied with the next image to share that they find the long-term photographic, content-rich photographic projects too slow, time consuming and boring. After all, if done right, such projects require a huge time commitment, research, dedication and resources. The worst part is they don’t provide instant gratification. Results are only visible after years of researching, planning and shooting. It is much easier to take a photo of something on the street, run it through a filter or a pre-set and get a daily dose of nice comments from people you know.
There is no question that long-term, documentary-style projects are out of fashion. But there is more. Such in-depth work would make a photographer less visible and less marketable for a while (when working on a project). I always wonder if Robert Frank and his mega project “The Americans” would find traction in today’s world of photography. I’m not sure.
Many of us working photographers face the pressure of providing for our families, making sure we are out there. We all try to market something, whether it is a book, workshop or other product (some people pretend it is all about sharing but they are ultimately trying to sell you something). This is part of life and there is nothing wrong with it. Having said that, it is important to dedicate some of our resources and zest to long-term projects. This is where we can articulate something with our photography and make an impact. For my part I have certainly not been doing enough and I know I have to change things (the big one is coming)!
I urge you to shout less with your photography but articulate more. After all, your photo, even if it is a masterpiece, will eventually fall from the fast-paced social media conveyer into the box of “forgotten” along with all the others. Instead, find a subject, theme, people or stories close to your heart and work on photography that lasts. Take your time. Make a book, write a story. No, it won’t provide you with your daily adrenaline from likes and shares but it will make your photography articulate and lasting.
Let’s stop shouting with our photography – it’s becoming so noisy that we can’t hear a thing. Instead, let’s try to say something with our photography or as Don said, “articulate.”
If you are working on a long-term, photography-related project, let me know. I will be happy to link to your best work on this blog.
In the meantime, we recently visited two fishing communities, the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay and the Quileute Tribe in La Push. Fascinating people and places! Imagery taken with the Fujifilm GFX50S, GF 120mm F2 and GF 32-64mm F4.
Neah Bay
La Push
2017 © Olafphoto. All rights reserved.
Completely agree! I’ve recently made a book that I’m very proud of, and feel that not enough people will ever look at it. But it is still a great memory to have.
I’ve been playing a lot with the Fujifilm printer, printing my favorite shots of the week is great, and I can slowly put together the ones that go together.
Another piece I’m trying to work on is writing stories to go with the photos. I find this difficult.
Thank you for articulating those thoughts together! It will give me more to think about with my photos.
Regards.
Luri,
It is so great to hear that you are printing your imagery. There is something so special about holding a book or a print in your hands.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Olaf
Olaf, first of all, the new blog design is clean and just perfect!
“After all, your photo, even if it is a masterpiece, will eventually fall from the fast-paced social media conveyer into the box of “forgotten” along with all the others” This is so damn good! You nailed it, the ultimate symptom of our digital world.
This lets me think. Thank you for your inspiration in writing and art.
BR,
Kevin
Kevin,
Appreciate your feedback on the new blog design. Your comment about my latest post made my day!
Looking forward to your future feedback.
All the best,
Olaf
Let’s stop shouting with our photography – it’s becoming so noisy that we can’t hear a thing. Instead, let’s try to say something with our photography or as Don said, “articulate.”
SPOT ON! – Such a great piece! Thank you for this!
Thank you Jonas. Love your family imagery! I have to admit I miss the time when my son was growing up and we had so much fun together. Now, he is 17 – not that willing to hang out with his parents any more 🙂
Great commentary, Olaf. I agree completely. For the last few years I have stopped even trying to make any sort of social media impression and have been trying to tell a story and/or provoke an emotional reaction to my images. I’m currently working on a photo book about Nostalgia using mostly photos that have been manipulated in the digital darkroom. You can see some of them here – https://doug-matthews.pixels.com/collections/vintage
Doug,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and imagery. Please keep us about your project.
Cheers,
Olaf
Olaf, I can’t remember what I said exactly either, but you have the essence of it here. As pleasurable as it is to take photos, I do hope to make more than an image. To communicate more and more effectively. And, I find that I am treating photo sharing a bit more like public speaking. I am trying to think before I post. To think what it is the image saying. Sometimes, we post just because it is a cool looking image or the light was fantastic. That makes sense, as photography is a visual and creative endeavour. However, my long-term goal is to produce fewer images that say more.
Cheers, Don
Don,
Thank you so much for inspiring this post and the discussion. You are right on with your thoughts. Somehow our conversations have always led me to new, fascinating places. Looking forward to our future debates and discussions.
All the best,
Olaf
Sure thing. Next time, let’s meet further afield! Europe perhaps…
Keep up the interesting writing and photos.
Don
Europe!!! the same place, the same time… 🙂
did you take the hike to Cape Flattery?
Charles,
Yes, we did. What a view! However, we arrived quite late and missed the best light. A few weeks ago I shared one image from the place. Funny thing, it was the third time I tried to capture Cape Flattery and I failed. Well, maybe next time…
All the best,
Olaf