Crisis!

[nnenov]

I should say that as many others on this site, I too enjoy your work and most of the time I applause it sincerely.

 

What I would suggest is to think of a photographic project that would mean something to you and go about it with the same passion and aesthetic vision, which you show in your single images.

 

Cheers,

Nikolay

[WJT]

At the end, didn't Hemmingway suffer from the same problem?

[marina-cano]

First at all, I must say that you makes me feel better.

I know that this is not a new question or a new problem. Many of us, felt the same from time to time. But what's the difference between an style and repeat the same? This is what I feel now. I'm not creating anything new since long ago. That's why I appreciate very much your advice. There are many interesting things to do. I think I need travel and take a look outside from my little land. As Peter Daalder says, I need a change of scenary. Tasmania could be perfect, the antipodes for my country. Thanks for giving me your help.

 

Yes, Exactly Bill Clark says: passion for life and desire to beautifully express what's in my heart with my camera. I'm Musician too, and I know that music is a fantastic way of comunication, but it's the camera the perfect instrument to express for me.

Todd you says something important: I expect more from myself today, I add that I'm not improving. This is one key for me.

 

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine, and one of the best photographers in photonet, had a heart attack. I was at the hospital thinking that he could die. Now he is ok. I feel happy for him, but I'm just a little scared and sad... Maybe I'm in crisis beyond photography.

 

 

It's difficult for me to translate this:

Me siento incapaz de traducir con el sentido que quiero dar, este parrafo.

En otro orden de cosas, creo que a veces se sobrevalora, se enaltece demasiado algunas fotografias o fotografos y viceversa. Necesitamos encontrar el justo valor de nuestro trabajo. Y si no, ser capaces de ser criticos con nosostros mismos.

 

Es muy gratificante dejarse mecer por el dulce vaiven de los halagos, pero de vez en cuando hay que poner los pies en la tierra. Yo lo hago ahora y es cuando me siento mareada y aturdida, con dificultades para encontrar un Norte. Creo que en ocasiones la autocomplaciencia alimentada con alabanzas y excesivas admiraciones nos puede hacer acomodarnos en lo que creemos es un fantastico trono y en realidad es una silla como la de los demas.

 

Thank you very much for your encouragement words.

[d_f11]

Read "The Artist Way" by Julie Cameron. Also take note of the recomended reading in the back. It will connect with you and this "period" you're going through. This dry spell you're having may actually be incubating something fantastic....

[subbarayan_prasanna]

Marina, You were mentioning "style" a few times. You also implied that it was something that could pose limits and be constricting your freedom. Yes, very much so,...it happens. Style is a part of a culture. And many people tend to look at culture as a framework within which they should operate. Much of our educational systems are tuned that way. But there is another view of culture that looks at it as an outcome of rationale` and choices people make through behavior. Suggest you may want to read Herbert Read, "To hell with Culture", Schoken Books, New York, NY 1970. All the best!

[marina-cano]

I would like to be able to read two books in English!

Thank you D F and Subbarayan for such good wishes for me, and for your advice. All the best for you.

[chapigg1]

Hi Marina: I'm sure that it's not serious. Maybe a little holidays without camera are the solution for what is only saturation.

 

No nos conocemos personalmente, aunque espero hacerlo cuando me firmes el libro, ja, ja.... Esta foto es para desearte pronta recuperación, (porque ahora que no nos oyen, yo tambien estoy cansado de animales) y quiero volver a ver paisajes tuyos.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?topic_id=1481&msg_id=00Pges&photo_id=7354035&photo_sel_index=0

[joe_jackson4]

Marina, photography can be fun, but it's far too limited a medium for the expressive, creative mind. Try your hand at painting, or poetry.

[sallymack]

"Marina, photography can be fun, but it's far too limited a medium for the

expressive, creative mind. Try your hand at painting, or poetry."

 

Thanks for the chuckle, Paul.

[joe_jackson4]

I am, of course, referring to the usual "point a camera at something and take a picture of it" style of photography. Like yours, Sally. And mine.

 

If you want to "paint with light", buy a sheet of photographic film and a few different torches - "flashlights", to the US folk - and actually paint with light. Otherwise, accept your rather trivial role as a camera operator, and treat your photographs as the unimaginative documents they are.

[marina-cano]

Thanks so much for your advice. Jana, Marc, Paul, Sally, Chapi...

 

I'm looking forward to improving. Thanks!

[finimage]

Marina, I'm shocked! For me Aaron sums it up. I've not been serious about my photography for a long time, and it shows...but I'm trying to take time when I can to hunt out locations or opportunities where I might get one may be two half decent shots.

 

But back to the ﾑCrisisﾒ. Yeah I agree with a lot of the other contributors. We all in many ways find ourselves having doubts about many things from time to time, the important thing is not to give up. Marina you are a naturally gifted photographer your Portfolio was one of the ones that spoke to me and made me think ﾑyes, there is still something to strive forﾒ. There are many subjects I like to photograph but Natural History is the one I find the most rewarding as it really demands patience and a great deal of luck and good timing. I take a lot of pleasure in Architectural images and would love to do more Portraiture, sadly most the people I know are terminally camera shy so practice is an issue.

 

All I can do is beg you to find a subject that gives you a fresh avenue within Photography, I long to see more of your work.

 

(The English is good, way better than my Spanish!)

[andoni]

�Recuerdas cuando en OD mostraste desencanto por la calidad de algunas de las fotos? �Sientes lo mismo ahora con

las tuyas? Creo que estas crisis pueden ser m�un aumento en la exigencia que una falta de ideas. No te

conformas, y eso es bueno... Te queda poco para dar otro salto adelante.

 

Un abrazo.

 

Andoni

[stevecarlson]

Marina, You are at a level that I can only hope to be at. But if I may, when was the last time you have just walked out your back door and just looked at the simple things, just forgot the things you know and looked at the thing you may not have seen in a wile, Looking at you photos have giving me alot of things to see it the pro world, Please dont get me wrong, I love your photos, they tell a story of a world I can not see on my own. But what about your world? Can we see that? All the best Steven

[heath k hoffman]

<i><b>Beauty And The Beast</b><br>

How one photographer captures the magic and majesty of wildlife.

<br>

By Peter Kolonia ﾷ Photos by Marina Cano

March 2008

<br>

Love your subject

<br>

Cano attributes her success to the fun she has photographing wildlife. Fascinated by animals, she uses the camera

not so much to make beautiful pictures but as a means of holding onto magical moments she's witnessed.

<br>

"If you're motivated by this kind of passion, you aren't weakened or put off by adversities. The failures don't

matter to you and you never get bored," she says. "Photographers usually say that they 'capture' images, but for

me the opposite is true -- my 'models' have captured me!"</I>

<br>

<br>

Take heart to words you have spoken before and if you feel that you're in a rut repeating a similar style of

photography, although, to be truthful your subject matter is rather diverse. And, I really don't see any theme

in your portfolio that would suggest otherwise other than your name below the photograph. Like others have said,

find inspiration in new locations and subject matter (e.g. Wildebeests, cheetahs & Impalas). You could spend the

rest of your life photography wildlife and you'll never photograph all the different species and if wait for the

moments like you have for your models to capture you; you'll never even come close to photographing all of them.

However, you'll have some astonishingly beautiful image to admire and to share with the world. There are many

places for inspiration; even so, I thought you would like to see this photographer's take on wildlife and

landscape photography and how they intermingle.

http://www.nickbrandt.com/popup.html

[marina-cano]

Finlay, thanks for your kind words. I would like to improve in wildlife photography, creating something new for me, by travelling to new places where I have never been. Maybe I would love to do more portraiture.

 

Jon, creo que es imprescindible cuestionarse el propio trabajo de vez en cuando. Distanciarse y tratar de encontrar el valor justo de lo que hacemos, para intentar mejorar, para poder dar ese salto adelante. Gracias por recordarme y escribirme. Un abrazo.

 

Steven, What about my world? My world is what you see. Sometimes in crisis, sometimes ok. My world is photography, my landscapes, my beasts, all what I feel are in my pictures. All the best to you.

 

Heath, I could spend the rest of my life photographing wildlife, I still love it. But, you are right, I need to travel. All my nature photography have been taken in Cantabria, Spain. I need go out and so I could improve a great deal. Nick Brandt is a fantastic photographer, I love his unique wildlife pictures.

Thanks for your words.

[gungajim]

Hmmm, I hear Namibia calling you and maybe Botswana too. During the 1990's I made several trips to Africa but hadn't yet had the benefit of observing your work and the work of other top notch PN nature photographers. I now marvel at just how bad my film photography was in the 90's. I haven't been back to Africa since the mid 90's but have had opportunities to shoot wildlife in other locales both in controlled and natural environments. I've concluded that shooting in non-native preserves is simply not as emotionally stimulating as photographing wildlife in their native environment. Unfortunately, Africa isn't cheap but with your talent there must be a way make a trip pay for itself. Here is a the site of a woman who has figured out a way to do just that. http://www.infocustravel.com/ Keep the faith. GJ

[camilo.margeli]

Buenas Marina,

Como por casualidad he encontrado tu reflexion, que personalmente he hecho. Como comentas creo es normal que, de

vez en cuando se produzca este agotamiento. Para los que hacemos paisajes, es quizas mas facil, ya que la

repetición es algo intimamente ligado a capacidad de movimiento y los lugares atractivos y cercanos son los que

primero agotamos. Ademas dependemos de que despues de haber madrugado, hacer el viajecito, las condiciones

metereologicas nos respondan. ¿Además, como puedes ir una sola vez a un lugar? <br>

Yo tengo dos preguntas para ti:<br>

¿Disfrutas de los momentos? ¿Admiras el trabajo de otros y querrías poder hacer fotos como las suyas?

En mi caso ambas preguntas me llevan a seguir fotografiando. Los halagos y las sobrevaloraciones nos ayudan en

ocasiones pero también son nuestros enemigos ya que nos impiden mejorar. Hay tanto que aprender, tanto para

experimentar, tantos errores que corregir... <br>

Si algun dia quieres probar con un escenario de la costa brava, nadar en un campo de amapolas, ya sabes..<br><br>

 

I'm sorry for the English readers, but I think my skills in this language avoid me to express the same ideas than

in Spanish. I need to apologize myself for it.

[marina-cano]

GungaJim Africa is waiting for me... I hope so. Thanks for your kind words.

 

Camilo gracias por encontrar esta reflexion. Respondo tus preguntas, disfruto de cada segundo haciendo fotos. Es

una pasion arrolladora. Hay muchos fotografos que me parecen increibles y de quienes admiro profundamente su

trabajo. Sobre la critica o autocritica... cada vez me parece mas dificil encontrar la justa medida. Gracias por la

costa brava y tus magicos campos de amapolas. Quiza algun dia.

[jack_e]

Marina~May I ask where you take your pictures? I think that I read that you only photograph in Spain. Does that mean your wildlife photos are from animals in a zoo? It looks like you are photographing animals from all over the world. I have enjoyed seeing your work for several years now and can usually spot it with out seeing the name.

 

If you do mostly shoot in zoos I would definitely suggest a change of scenery (like many others already have). It sounds to me like you may need something that challenges you. I noticed you have no mountain or northern wildlife. Pursuing this type of wildlife can often be challenging both physically and from the standpoint of the challenge of getting close enough to photograph, and therefore very rewarding. It also often has the added benefit of having great backgrounds. Just the journey and effort of getting to the animals can take you through some of the most breathtaking landscape God has made IMO. This of course gives you opportunities to shoot landscape along the way. I know that it can be difficult in most of Europe. It has been my experience that there just isn't the concentration or variety of animals in the mountains (spectacular landscapes though). You may try someplace like Alaska or the Rockies in the northern US and Canada. I think that most of my best stuff has come from these areas, maybe I will get around to posting some of it here one of these days :).

 

Good luck. I do enjoy your work.

Jack<div></div>

[dellaciana]

" Marina "

by Rocco Granata (1959)

 

Mi sono innamorato di Marina

una ragazza mora ma carina

ma lei non vuol saperne del mio amore

cosa faro' per conquistarle il cuor.

 

Un giorno l'ho incontrata sola sola,

il cuore mi batteva mille all'ora.

Quando le dissi che la volevo amare

mi diede un bacio e l'amor sboccio'...

 

Marina, Marina, Marina

Ti voglio al piu' presto sposar

Marina, Marina, Marina

Ti voglio al piu' presto sposar

 

O mia bella mora

no non mi lasciare

non mi devi rovinare

oh, no, no, no, no, no

 

 

In French by Dalida at:

 

http://www.imeem.com/remokh/music/nSIzoIHU/dalida_marina/

[fotoslim]

Hola Marina, como te encuentras... tan solo comentarte que tu problema es mas común de lo que parece. Todos nos ponemos el listón cada vez más y más alto sin tener en cuenta en que mas ya no podemos saltar, cada uno tenemos nuestras propias limitaciones no solo las creativas, hay factores externos tales como el trabajo, el entorno familiar, lugar de residencia, etc., marcan notablemente tu estado anímico y este el resultado de nuestro trabajo. Tu trabajo a mi opinión roza la perfección Marina, todos parece que tengamos que estar atados a un estilo... a una calidad en nuestro trabajo... con que parámetros calcularíamos la calidad de unos fotógrafos en fotografiar una habitación totalmente vacía sin ningún elemento. Quizás sea el momento de abrir las ventanas, respirar profundamente y renovar ideas... date un descanso y se paciente, todo llegara...

Un saludo

[daniel_cano_ott]

Hi Marina,

 

I have to say that after watching your gallery it was me who feelt small... There is nothing wrong with it. The application of Pareto's Law to photography could state that it takes 80% of the time to learn the remaining 20%, while one needed only 20% to reach to the 80% of knowledge. Personally, I think that some of your photos are comparable to some of the best animal shots I have seen so far. I have travelled quite a lot and do love watching great photos made by the masters. Your's are there and indeed, it was a professional photographer who pointed me to your gallery. I do understand your crisis because professionaly, I feel the same sometimes. But fortunately I am still in the first 80% of knowledge that requires the 20% of time when talking a photography...

[antoniodiaz1]

Al leer tus palabras he recordado un poema que no hace mucho leí. Te lo copio:

 

NO HAY ITACA

 

No hay Ítaca, noble viajero, que sacie tu sed de tierra

ni patria que colme el deseo del regreso.

¿Hijos? ¿Padre o madre? ¿Una bandera

en la que no crees?

Pobre Ulises.

En Ítaca nadie te recuerda. Ninguna Penélope espera.

Es bueno tener siempre los ojos en el camino

sin mirar atrás, sin volver la vista a izquierda o derecha.

Los amigos se van quedando, uno a uno, en el olvido.

Todos traicionamos y mentimos, noble Ulises.

Todos acaban por marcharse o abandonarnos,

como tú, como todos.

Solo tu perro, el viejo y fiel Argos

te esperó, para morir a tus pies.

Pero tú, pobre Ulises, no volverás a Ítaca.

En Ítaca nadie te recuerda. Ninguna Penélope espera.

El mejor viaje es el viaje del alma

miles de voces por escuchar, miles de almas por conocer.

Quien se conoce a sí mismo conoce su destino.

Pero tú, pobre Ulises, náufrago del pesar,

tú eres Nadie,

sombra de hombre que rechazó ser dios y animal,

a ti, ¿ quién te ha de esperar?

No lo olvides, Ulises.

En Ítaca nadie te recuerda. Ninguna Penélope espera.

Si quieres, puedes perderte en los brazos de Calipso

y rumiar tu soledad en playas de fina arena,

lejos de los tuyos, de tu hacienda y de ti mismo.

¿A las sirenas prestarás oídos? Ve, pues, en su busca.

Sirenas no te han de faltar, noble Ulises.

Solo la patria, la tierra y el mar

nunca verás

porque la verdadera Ítaca está lejos, muy lejos,

como tu sed de eternidad.

No lo olvides, Ulises.

En Ítaca nadie te recuerda. Ninguna Penélope espera.

[jill_bingham]

I know that I am late to this thread.

----But I must say that change is amazing!

Your photography is the most amazing I have EVER Seen! Life is tough. I honestly believe that you MUST take a risk and if you are feeling this way still, then you really do need a change in your life! No matter what it is you do; you will never loose your eye, your instinct for feel , your compassion, and love of life ! Go ahead and grab IT. What Only you know is IT. You have to know you can always come back. Be Happy , Take the chance Do what you feel. Trust yourself! Go out on a limb.

I have taken the step . Many times . scary... It is always the rite step for it Leeds to much much more. Maybe not what you thought you wanted but what your life really needed to be right! I know that I do not know you, but I wish you every best thought! Be Happy You are the only one who can make it So!

 

Jill