Mental machinations as viewer vs photographer

[awty]

It occurs to me that I (and possibly others) struggle with being a "hobbyist." Time that I can devote to photography gets shoehorned into my day or weekend when I can make it work. This leads to a worry that I am on a limited schedule and must make the pictures "count." Expanding upon that, sometimes I worry that I am photographing subjects that have been photographed before ad nauseum. I need to let this line of thinking die. The recent thread regarding Andre Kertesz is a fine example of one of many photographers who have made very interesting images out of very common dare I say mundane subjects. It can be done, and any time spent photographing should in theory help one's craft.

@Bill Burk That is an interesting conundrum you posted regarding your friend's sculpture. I wonder if Julius Schulman ever had to photograph a building he really didn't like? Didn't like isn't exact enough, a building he had no affinity for is more apt.

 

[Vaughn]

Well, lots of things worth doing are easy. Most things are, actually. Almost nothing anyone does is actually difficult.

Doing is usually the easy part. It is often the mental and emotional gymnastics that makes it difficult.

 

[MTGseattle]

Nice link. Thank you for that.

 

[MTGseattle]

@Don_ih

I had to pull a damaged cabinet out of someone's kitchen today and install its replacement. Nothing about this task was stretching my technical abilities, but my boss didn't warn me regarding ancillary issues (under cabinet lighting, under cabinet task strip outlets, and a complete lack of any replacement matching trim material should something go awry. I was the installer back in 2017 so that helped a bit, but the task strip outlets were a curve ball (electrician install unknown to me at the time) and I ended up effectively killing the thing.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Just go where your heart takes you, and let your technical skill learning curve follow as needed. I happen to have a woodworking and construction connection too, but it included some of the finest craftsmen and wealthiest clientele imaginable, a number of whom purchased my own prints. No, I didn't get rich at it - billionaires are the worst when it comes to haggling. The guys in the middle - architects, contractors, and craftsmen are more generous.

So don't be surprised that made my own frames out of multiple kinds of hardwood, and for sake of highly detailed big prints - yes, if the detail is actually there, ordinary viewers will walk right up to them, even with reading glasses on. A number of cabinet makers have made their own large format and even ultra-large format cameras. Not me; I bought my 8X10, but I have made a lot of other equipment and darkroom furnishings. Before retirement, I ran the largest Festool dealership in North America west of New England, so had daily access to all kinds of nice toys, as well as from other top-end manufacturers.

The point is, that there are rewards to making things with your own hands which go beyond potential monetary compensation, which is always iffy anyway when photography is in question. You gotta do it for the love of it. The fact that you still have to spend most of your time just making a living doing something else shouldn't discourage you. Just make it quality time - not the quantity of images, but the quality of how you visually interact with things. Ignore stereotypes of what photographers are supposed to do. Nor do you need to get obsessed with equipment. .. just whatever seems comfortable to you and your personal budget.

 

[MTGseattle]

Thanks Drew. Whenever I can get out and photograph, I do usually enjoy the time spent, and I'm not literally missing exposures because I'm in the woods and think there are too many tree pictures. If I see something that strikes me, I try and capture it. My mild quandary of late is letting certain exposures get missed because the camera I have with me isn't appropriate to that vision. The answer in my head is to have 3 cameras and 9 lenses everywhere I go, but that is completely unrealistic and would serve to sour the experience. Note taking and the hope to revisit scenes is where I am left, and that is ok.