A nightbound train passing by the St. Johns Bridge

I am going to risk putting myself out on a limb here (oh god, not even beyond the first sentence without a pun, bodes ill this does), but I want to discuss a bit about what makes photography…worthwhile, at least on a personal level.  It is often a bit awkward for me to tackle such subjects in a forum such as Flickr, much easier to discuss things like this in a more personal nature, I often worry that tone or intent will be misconstrued.  A small worry, but a bit of one nonetheless.  Mainly because I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all.  I don’t, in case you wondered.  And as I often say, I don’t even necessarily believe much of what I write to be true.  I am perfectly capable of being wrong as well.  But it is not really the being wrong or right, for which I write, it is the attempt to make myself more aware of how I think and act in regards to photography that is a valuable exercise in and of itself.  Hence these “essays”.

But moving on now.  I get a fair number of e-mails, of which I try to answer most every one.  My photography does a fair amount of inspiring ( a good thing, which always flatters me) but it also does a fair amount of impressing ( less of a good thing).  I get a lot of e-mails asking for advice, which I happily give even if I never really feel like I know exactly what to say.  Seems like such a simple question, but each time I wonder if I managed to say just the right thing to fan the flame of their creative spark, or if I missed the target altogether.

Anyway, I was laying on the couch the other evening, trying to drift off and take a nap and my brain had other ideas, some of them good enough that I decided to get up and make a post of them regarding the value we assign our photography, because this is an important concept when it comes to becoming a better photographer, in my opinion.

First off: Your photography is not limited by your camera, nor your lens.  It is not limited by shutter speeds, aperture, film, focus, flash, white balance, color, black and white, grain, noise, etc.  It is not limited by your budget nor your education.  It is not, and I repeat, not, limited by light.  It is certainly not limited by where you live or where you go.  Your photography is limited simply and quite importantly, only by your own imagination and vision.  All those factors I mentioned (and more) can certainly affect your photography, but ultimately you make of it what you will.  Photography begins and ends with the photographer, the best light in the world, or most advanced metering system will not change that.

Second:  Getting published is great.  So is selling photographs.  Making explorer can be flattering.  So is getting hundreds of comments and favorites.  Being profiled with a book or on TV is impressive.  A long resume of accomplishments always looks nice.  So does a polished portfolio of stunning images that draws oohs and aahs.  But when it comes down to it, all this stuff is icing on the cake.  Sweet but not too fulfilling.  Whether you are just starting out in photography or not, but particularly if you are, don’t approach it thinking one or more of things these have to be accomplished before you become a worthwhile photographer.  As I said above, all your photography begins and ends with you, not with Popular Photography Magazine or MOMA or contest prizes or Explorer hits.

Your photography will never be more valuable than the value you place in it that split second before

you hit the shutter button.

What matters most happens before the picture is even taken, not after.  The worth of your photography is in what gets you up at 4 am in the morning to brave freezing conditions in hopes of a sunrise.  It is what makes you follow your children around all day long patiently snapping frame after frame.  It is what causes you to drive for miles, or walk them, in search of that moment, be it in the middle of a sprawling urban landscape or a natural one.  It is significantly in what keeps you picking up that camera as the fractions of seconds become days, the days months, the months pool into years, and beyond.  It is in this desire to see, to experience, to feel, to celebrate, to remember, to be a part of, to be amazed or amused, that you will find what makes your photography worthwhile.  Everything that comes after the snap of the shutter is merely added drama, and it is never as important as you think it is.

If you can take this to heart, and mind, to shoot more freely from so many of these false limitations that we impose on ourselves way too often, the most common of which is to model your photography off of other people’s expectations of it.  Then you will also discover that the most important thing is to pursue your photography in a way that is your own.  Make your photography yours, it will show.

And I will be honest, regardless of how lucid I described what I am hoping I described, or how easy I made it sound, the process is neither to go through, at least for me it wasn’t.  It does not happen overnight.  Sometimes the proverbial lightbulb will switch on, but count yourself lucky if you experience this.  I think most people reach that point by stumbling through murky gray areas feeling out their own creative nature.  And this is something important to remember too.  All those really good photographers you look up to and wish to emulate?  They were all awkward novices at one point too.  Stumbling along lost at times themselves.  If a photographer tries to tell you otherwise, he is either full of himself (or herself) or has an awful memory.  Really, one of the most important traits to adopt in your photography is not actually creativity, but dedication.  You know, long term patience.  Passion helps too.  Passion is fuel for dedication.

Hmm, this is about the part where I finally decided to get up and start typing, so this is kind of the end of this train of thought (sorry another bad pun to close this out).  I do hope some of this helps.  I sometimes think photography is all about vision, but not always in terms of how well we see what is in front of us, quite often it involves how we see ourselves too.  We each come with all the truly essential tools we need to be good photographers, but make no mistake, we can still do quite a bit to sabotage our own abilities if we aren’t aware of the subversive ways in which we do it.

In terms of this photo, I took this one night a month or so ago out shooting the St. Johns Bridge with Aaron.  In fact you can see his shot taken right beside me . I figured the bridge would make a good subject to accompany what I wanted (to try) to say today.

Thanks again for reading along this far.