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Waiting for the Light: How to Stay Motivated in Photography--Seven New Year's Resolutions
By Craig Varjabedian | Jan 1, 2008
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Comanche Tipis below Rock Face, near Abiquiu, New Mexico 2006 © Craig Varjabedian. All Rights Reserved. |
“I will seek elegance rather than luxury, refinement rather than fashion. I will seek to be worthy more than respectable, wealthy and not rich. I will study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly. I will listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with an open heart. I will bear all things cheerfully, do all things bravely, await occasions and hurry never. In a word I will let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common."
—The author’s New Year’s resolutions for 2008
with appreciation to William Ellery Channing, who wrote them.
Making pictures during the summer is a wonderful experience. You're wandering around in a tee shirt while the sun illuminates your intended subject. The warm weather draws other similar-minded folks and this camaraderie motivates and inspires you. In the fall, the changing colors and crispness of the autumn air are heady—you can't wait to get outside again with a camera. Your weekends are spent framing subjects, exploring color, and developing pictures. Now this is lovin' photography! And then the winter hits. The holidays take up your time and energy. The weather may turn cold, muggy and dim. Getting up for a sunrise is a challenge when compared to staying in your warm bed. Standing outside shivering is no fun, and it's hard to press the shutter release while wearing mittens. You're overwhelmed by too much work, too little exercise, and too little inspiration. Your enthusiasm for making photographs doesn't have to depend on the season. But many folks do hit a lull at the beginning of the year. So much is happening that seems to tire you out, or there may be little to inspire you photographically. So how do you rekindle that "lovin' feeling” you might ask? Here are some New Year's Resolutions to consider:
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| © Harold Lee Jones |
One of the things I require of all my apprentice/assistants while they are working for me, is to work on a photographic project for themselves. These photographs on the right were made by my assistant, Harold Lee Jones. Harold was drawn to an area just south of Santa Fe known as Tent Rocks and photographed intensely there for almost a year (when I could give him some time off). He later published a selection of the photographs in a limited-run booklet at mypublisher.com and plans on exhibiting them soon.
1. CREATE YOUR OWN PHOTO PROJECT
Look over your past work. Are you currently working on a theme that you'd like to develop, or is there a theme on which you've been tempted to focus? Have you always wanted to create images of churches? Red cars or black dogs? Trees, flowers, your children or grandchildren? Start out by defining what you want to present to the world (or to your immediate family and friends). Write it down and stick it on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror. The idea doesn’t have to begin with something akin to climbing Mt. Everest but you have to define your objective so you can be clear about it: Why am I going out with my camera early Saturday morning instead of sleeping in? Let other people know what subject matter you're looking for. Do you miss the camaraderie that summertime offered? Then ask the neighborhood or your office-mates to keep an eye out for potential subjects and possibly join you on your quest. Make sure you know what local weekend events are happening where you might have the opportunity to make a good photograph. Don't get distracted. Of course, you should photograph the spaceship that lands in your neighbor's yard too, but your mission is to make those pictures of red cars, black dogs or evergreen trees. You'll be surprised after just a few weeks how many great images of your chosen subject you'll create. The outcome of this project means you'll have practice photographing and editing your work (soon you'll be able to pick out the photographs you want to keep and discard those that didn't work the way you had hoped). And you'll be well on your way to building a portfolio of your images.
2. BUY AN INEXPENSIVE CAMERA
You may be out and about on the weekend with your prized camera. But what about the rest of the time, the work day or chore time? You may not take your good camera to work or the grocery store. But what if you had a simple camera, inexpensive enough that you can slip it in a bag or purse? Then you're ready for anything. You can make pictures during those brief moments when you're early for a meeting, when you have 15 minutes to kill before the next event, or when you just have some free time and see something worth photographing. Carrying around a simpler camera takes the pressure off you if you're afraid of losing or damaging that prized Canon or Nikon camera. The pressure is off technically too. This “knock-about” camera will allow you to hone your compositional skills without being encumbered with a lot of technical issues. I like to use the least expensive 35mm or digital camera I can get for this purpose. I noticed while I was out shopping for gifts for my eleven year old daughter during the holidays, a very simple digital camera can be had for less than $100.
3. JOIN A CAMERA CLUB
Maybe you never joined a camera club because you felt intimidated that everyone else knew more than you. Perhaps you thought you'd have to spend all your time explaining technique to other people who had just gotten started. Consider this: Photographers of all skill levels can enhance a group, ranging from a novice to the published pro. What's most important is the camaraderie and energy of other like-minded individuals. Don't look for levels of expertise. Instead, look for shared interests and experiences. Don't stick with your own age group – the best clubs have a wonderful mix of young and
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Jones Soda invites photo submissions for consideration on their soda bottle labels |
mature individuals. Visit the various clubs, inquire where you take your film to be developed, and if necessary, start your own club with people you've met while you were out shooting on the weekends, or taking a ten-minute break between errands to grab a quick photograph.
4. ENTER PHOTO CONTESTS
If you've been developing a series of photographs along a particular theme, you should have enough of a portfolio by now to consider what you think your best photographs are. Even if you've just shot your first roll during a summer workshop and are pleased with some of the results, consider entering an image or two into a photo contest. Imagine how exciting it would be if you, a novice, won a prize. Think of how affirming it would be if your body of work was recognized and appreciated by your peers. Plan on entering regional and national photo contests. Find out when the deadlines are and plan your photographic efforts around these opportunities. How to find a contest? Simple – most local newspapers or regional journals offer a yearly contest. For example, here in Santa Fe, New Mexico Magazine offers an annual photo contest. Go to the Web and search either in your region or your area of interest (photographs of flowers, animals, children, etc.) for other contests. The Texas Photographic Society publishes a current list of contests in their Contact Sheet Newsletter that you can receive for the price of membership. Check out Jones Soda on the web to learn how to submit photos for use on their soda bottle labels. (This is kinda cool!) Photoworkshop.com has a monthly photo contest to which you can submit your work. If you're selected as one of the winners, it's a terrific way to see your image on the big screen. And if you haven’t already, join Photoworkshop.com for a whole host of benefits which include creating a web site of your photographs. (How cool is that!?)
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A recent exhibition of Craig Varjabedian's photographs at the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe |
5. PRESENT YOUR WORK TO THE PUBLIC
If you've been taking pictures with a theme or happen to take some remarkable images, don't keep them to yourself (or only your family). Assemble a presentation of your work to exhibit. You'll get practice putting together sequences of photographs, matting and framing, and hanging. You'll also have a new way to see your images in a large venue, not just spread out on the dining room table or displayed in your own private hall. There are many potential venues to show your work. Inquire at the local library, hospital or city hall. Go to places where you already have a relationship: your doctor, dentist, favorite restaurant or bank. I've been surprised at how many businesses are looking for art to exhibit on their walls, and furthermore, places that want to acknowledge their commitment to art and to the community. And if you belong to a camera club, this is a good time to do a group show, and to allow a local organization to display the talents of the community. During my first year of college, I had an exhibition at the corner laundromat. With the permission of the owner, I wrapped thirty of my photographs in clear acetate to protect them from getting wet and put them behind the washing machines for patrons to look at while they did their laundry. I spent the day at the laundromat (anonymously) with a notebook noting the comments I heard. I have to say this was one of the most rewarding exhibitions of my work that I have ever had.
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Taking a workshop helps you learn skills in the field to enable you to solve real photographic problems © Craig Varjabedian. All Rights Reserved. |
6. TAKE A PHOTO COURSE OR WORKSHOP
This is a good opportunity to continue to enrich your photographic life and to support your local community college. Many community colleges offer terrific photography classes. The teachers are often professional photographers who like to keep their hand in this discipline, and have a teaching career even while they are busy making photographs themselves. Check out both credit and non-credit courses. You can take classes as diverse as wet darkroom processing to learning Adobe Photoshop. And if you can't commit to a class that meets for several months, then consider signing up for a photography workshop that may last a long weekend or five days. You'll experience adventure, new friends, techniques and ideas. You can hone in on a couple of new things to learn—lenses or filters, portraiture or landscapes—enough to be inspired but not overwhelmed.
7. IMPORTANT! COMMIT YOURSELF TO BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER
Make an appointment with yourself to take pictures at least once a week. Don't put it off, don't wait for a holiday or good weather, don't wait until the in-laws leave (take them with you and have them hold your tripod). Learning to make photographs is much like learning to play a musical instrument. You have to practice often to get good at it. And if you slack off for too long, you'll be surprised how long it takes to get back in the swing of things. Stay motivated—make your first New Year's resolution to keep photography alive and an important part of your life.
Fine-art photographer Craig Varjabedian is widely acclaimed for his images that embrace the people and places of the American West. He received his MFA from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1989. While Varjabedian's photographic career has spanned over 35 years and encompasses a deep grasp of the technical aspects of the photographic process, his gift is his intuitive ability to make authentic and compelling photographs full of not only light, but life. An author and photographer of six books, Craig is also the director of the prestigious New Mexico Photography Field School in Santa Fe. His award-winning book, Four & Twenty Photographs: Stories from Behind the Lens, is a collection of his best-known photographs and the stories behind them.
See Craig’s photographs at www.craigvarjabedian.com
Explore exceptional workshops at www.photofieldschool.com
View selections from his new book at www.fourandtwentybook.com
Let us know if you found this article useful, and tell us what kinds of articles you'd like to see in upcoming issues. Send your comments and ideas to Lynne Eodice.
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© Copyright 2008 by PHOTOWORKSHOP.COM
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Last Updated: Jul 1st, 2008 - 15:48:44
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Waiting for the Light: Additional Articles
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