Friday, January 24, 2014

What is the end point?

If this arrived as an email I suggest viewing this post online. Click on judiclick.blogspot.com

Thanks to everyone who responded with feedback on the last post. The beige tree was unanimously the most unpopular. The other images sparked lots of interesting and thought-provoking comments... which is just what I hoped for!!  And from the technical side, I'm pretty sure the 'comments' section below each post should now work. 

What is the point of taking photos, anyway?
There is the actual pleasure of taking images (I love the click my camera makes), selecting and tweaking on the computer ... and then what? What do I do with the resulting images? Some of the more satisfying end products of my work have been...
Photo-a-day- FUN!
  • My gallery show at Vancouver's Zack Gallery which also travelled to a Toronto gallery. See images on my photo blog
  • Several books I've created. Sample books
  • Submitting (and selling) stock images for use in hotels and public spaces. I actually earned money.Yay!
  • Printing and framing images to use myself or give away. Creating canvas works. Greeting cards. 
  • The photo-a-day app on my iPhone where I was forced to be post something daily. Relentless but fun! 
  • Getting a photo printed in the Vancouver Sun a couple of weeks ago. 
Thankfully, I also know what I don't want to do. No weddings or events where people have expectations of me. That's when I'm most likely to fall over my tripod, accidentally delete the good ones, mess up the exposures or do something equally silly. 



Lessons learned 
Clearly, I like/need to share my work with other people. Creating something physical feels good (as opposed to just sharing online).  
It's particularly rewarding if someone pays me actual money for what create, but not absolutely crucial. 
It's also fun and interesting to have a project on the go, like the photo-a-day. 
Meantime, I can't resist the visual stimulation of things I see around me.  This week, for instance, I went for one walk in the fog and another in the snow (see below). And still I love urban scenes. And let's not forget about people. 

In summary then, I'm starting to realize that there is some photography that I will always do because it's there for the taking and I'm stimulated to do so. But maybe I need to find a genre or a style or a subject matter that I can develop into a meaningful project with a physical end product - like a gallery show, or a book or ????? Based on what you know of my work, do you have any suggestions or ideas for such a project?

Here are four more images. Again please pick ONE and give your reasons. I'm hoping that presenting a range of what I shoot and getting feedback will help me develop a direction so please bring it on. I'm really interested in your comments. And thanks again! 

  

1. Boundary Bay in the fog








2. Lisbon street 'Lady in Red'









3. Snow crystals - a rare and gorgeous sight











4. A whimsical take on pregnancy










1 comment:

  1. Hi Judi
    It happened with the last four as well, I know there are two which just won't get my vote (in this case the snow and the whimsy) but then it's really difficult choosing between the other two! Boundary Bay - I really like the muted colours and the feeling of the photo - the fact that there are three riders gives it warmth, with only one rider it would be much sadder.
    Lady in red, there's so much there: the colours, her red shirt, the green leaves and rest in blue and muted greys; her hat and the way she stands with her hand on her hip a few feet away from everyone else; the two men engrossed in their mobiles as well. It's whole mini story in one photo.
    Which one would I prefer on a wall at home? I think #1, it's so striking. But I really like #2 as well!!
    Hope you and Colin are well and enjoying life
    Sue xx

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