Help me find purpose with my photography

[Norma Desmond]

<p>Insightful observations, Daniel. Very helpful, I think.</p>

<p>Depending on desire, need, and approach, photography can also be something other than a hobby, though there's nothing wrong with hobbies.</p>

<p>It can be more than a justification for spending lots of money and giving lots of attention to gear. And it can be more than something one just does for one self and still not necessarily be a business.</p>

<p>Photography can be SHARED, without money changing hands or even the kind of fame that American Idolaters want.</p>

<p><em>"The purpose of art is to raise people to a higher level of awareness than they would otherwise attain on their own."</em><br>

--Brassai</p>

<p><em>"Photography is to the layman perhaps the most enticing art. As a buff and a follower, at a respectful distance, I find myself like others, having the heart of a Stieglitz with hands that sometimes seem impeded by boxing gloves. What is exasperating is that one can feel closer to managing the skills of photography than most other arts, and yet be a long hop, skip and delusional way from it."</em> --Norman Corwin</p>

<p>In terms of purpose and motivation, what might feel mundane can sometimes work better than the seemingly significant. When I was playing music, PRACTICE could act as my ticket to inspiration. Playing scales and FEELING the release of tension in my fingers that comes with piano exercises often physically and viscerally inspired me to then make music.</p>

<p>Perhaps go out and practice some aspect of taking pictures and see if something develops (pun intended).</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p>I'm reminded that sharing can take place not only with viewers (the exhibitionism and give-away-your-photos side of the coin, which can be important) but with subjects as well, both human and non-human ones. Part of what you seem to be expressing may be a sort of distance you're feeling. Perhaps think about level of engagement, both emotional and physical, and not just with viewers or yourself. Even candid photos can bridge distances between photographer and subject, can be engaged. Often, candid is conflated with objective and, while it can be so and be effectively so, it doesn't have to be.</p>

[robert_k1]

<blockquote>

<p>Oh, by the way, my stuff can be seen here if any of you are interested: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackthehat/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackthehat/</a></p>

</blockquote>

<p>From your other site, it seems like you have been running a photographic related business.<br>

http://www.jackthehat.co.uk/</p>

<p>BTW, is the name Jamie or Jack? </p>

[alan_zinn]

<p>Jamie R. Given the breadth of the art and methods of photography it is hard to believe there isn't something there to satisfy everyone's creative inclinations. Creative hobbies are all that way and follow similar patterns of practice. You end up with heaps of stuff you've created and wonder "Is that all there is?" Just please yourself - that's it.</p>

<p>Be realistic. A desire for even modest fame and fortune doing a hobby activity is highly irrational. The notion that anyone can turn a hobby into something "productive", especially making money, is down-right silly. Making pictures to sell may be the all-time least remunerative hobby besides fly fishing. Monks with their begging bowls do better and are probably happier. (The best <em>dream </em>ambition for all three is to be a "Guide.") <br>

The, perhaps absolute, unarguable, BEST, achievement for a pass-time is found in its social dimension. Absent that most things ARE purposeless.</p>

<p>Louis M. Thanks for the AA quote. Lovely thoughts. He was known for his kindnesses. We should be frequently reminded in our youth that our kindness and generosity will be our most significant legacy. Contrast, for example, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs.</p>

[absent]

<blockquote>

<p>From your other site, it seems like you have been running a photographic related business.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The business appears to be about selling photographic equipment, not images.</p>

<p>Which leads me to the following thoughts: I looked through Jamie's gallery and saw lots of technically well executed photographs of a wide variety of subject matter. I think Jamie could probably take on most any photo assignment and come back with good results.</p>

<p>What I didn't see was a unifying theme or "look" which made these photos stand out, or would cause them to be instantly recognizable as Jamie's work. Maybe it's because the gallery wasn't organized by subject matter - but maybe that in itself says something.</p>

<p>In Jamie's first post he mentions having large amounts of gear. That, and the thoughts mentioned previously lead me to wonder if he has treated photography as a set of skills and tools to be mastered rather than a means of self-expression - a craft, rather than an art form. The advice given on his product website falls into this category too; if you want to do product photography do A, B, and C etc. </p>

<p>This is not a bad thing; in fact I suspect the majority of amateur photographers, particularly those with technical backgrounds are "craftsmen" rather than "artists". I wonder if Jamie's issue is that he has now reached a plateau. There is no more gear to buy, or at least no easily recognizable "solution" that will enable him to solve more photographic "problems". He has reached a technical level of maturity so there don't seem to be more skills to learn. There are no "achievements" left so he is ready to "graduate" - but graduate to what?</p>

<p>On leaving school most of us either enter the job market (sell our skills), become teachers (share what we've learned) or move on to another field of study (go back to school for something else). Any one of these could be a useful analogy for Jamie. Sell (or give away) his work, teach photography to someone else, or find a new hobby that challenges him again. </p>

<p>These are just some random thoughts, and of course could be way off base.<br>

</p>

[jeff_sudduth]

<blockquote>

<p>1. I only want to photograph subjects I enjoy, so no weddings or stock photography<br>

2. I am not interested in making money from my hobby<br>

3. I spend 90% of my life on a computer so any more blogging, flickring or social networking is definitely a no go area</p>

</blockquote>

<p>My advice? Thank God you live in a country and have the type of income that allows you to have an attitude like that. You need a priest or a very good counselor.</p>

<p>My God what have we become?</p>

[charleswood]

<p>Looking at your photographs, Jamie, encourages me.</p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<blockquote>

<p><br />You instead want what millions of other people on Flickr want: to be celebrated as a photographer, to know somehow that instead of being lost in the billions of other photos on the Internet, you stand out.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Be realistic. A desire for even modest fame and fortune doing a hobby activity is highly irrational.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Daniel and Alan, that's probably very true. A bit silly of me really. What worries me is that when I'm dead my work will be lost or discarded within a few years. That's partially why I am wondering why I even bother at all. There again, when I'm 6 feet under it won't be of any concern to me. But... if I knew my work was going to survive and serve some purpose it would encourage me to continue. </p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>From your other site, it seems like you have been running a photographic related business.<br /><a href="http://www.jackthehat.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.jackthehat.co.uk/</a><br>

BTW, is the name Jamie or Jack?</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Robert, my business website is doing very well here in the UK and is our family's sole source of income. That's why I don't really have any interest in making money from my personal photography. My name is Jamie BTW... Jack is just an enigma ;-)<br /><br /></p>

<blockquote>

<p>Looking at your photographs, Jamie, encourages me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>LOL, thank you Charles. That's one more fan on my very short list ;-)</p>

<p>To everyone else, even though I haven't replied to you directly, be assured that I have read every single word on this thread and I sincerely appreciate all of your responses.</p>

<p>I'm still not much nearer to finding a solution to my mental issue, if indeed there is a solution. I have a feeling that exhibiting and/or giving away prints could be at least be a step in the right direction. </p>

[robert_k1]

<blockquote>

<p>What I didn't see was a unifying theme or "look" which made these photos stand out, or would cause them to be instantly recognizable as Jamie's work.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's pretty typical of an amateur's gallery/portfolio, including mine before I started to exhibit. I used to shoot what I like without an objective, treating each shot as a standalone one.</p>

<p>Once I started showing my work, not only did I want an exhibit to be genre specific, but also with a theme or story, etc. Sometimes I had to go shoot with a purpose to fill a few gaps to round up the twenty or so prints for an exhibit. Sometimes I gave myself assignments for entirely new themes/stories with the intent to exhibit them.</p>

[robert_k1]

<blockquote>

<p>But... if I knew my work was going to survive and serve some purpose it would encourage me to continue.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>For that, how about publishing a book or two? Your legacy as a photographer would be passed on from generation to generation within your family. A book of family member portraits, or places/houses you have lived in, or cars/guitars/suits that you have owned, etc. would bring back fond memories long after you are gone.</p>

<p>I've been contemplating the same. But publishing a book of a hundred or so images turns out to be a lot more challenging for me than coming up with 20 or so prints for an exhibit. I'll get there some day, hopefully before it is too late :-)</p>

<p> </p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Part of feeling appreciated for your work is finding your own little niche and I don't just mean friends & family.<br />I had a friend who lost his job and had way too much time on his hands so his wife gave him a camera and told him to go out and take some pictures. This guy had limited photographic experience and his equipment was a modest Nikon CoolPix.<br>

<br />Yet he joyfully went out taking pictures of his neighborhood with his new camera. His wife who is an art director in NY decided one day to take his pictures and put them in a book. Do you know he sold 35,000 copies ! This guy found his own little niche. Apparently some Home Retailers in the area bought the book to give to their customers. Also ordinary people who just wanted to see their homes in a book.<br>

A long time ago I gave and old spare Minolta 700 camera to a friend of mine, because I was moving up to something better. Do you know this guy became very popular shooting pictures of couples and classmates. He use to match what the subjects were wearing perfectly to the background, which became a big hit among the young people in that area. Next thing you know, class mates and couples were calling him night and day asking him to take their picture. Of course I was a little jealous since this guy had no formal photographic experience or education.<br>

<br />You would be surprised how ordinary non-photography people will appreciate your work. I mean you are already one step ahead of most ordinary people since you have decent equipment and experience.<br>

<br />Don't expect much from posting online because you are dealing with an overwhelming amout of photos and gifted photographers. Photography Clubs can be OK, but they also can become very egotistical and competitive.<br>

<br />The bottom line is you really have to love photography and be involved in it for the sake of personal enjoyment. Sure becoming rich or famous would be an added bonus, but if that does not happen then that's OK too.</p>

[billangel]

<blockquote> Don't expect much from posting online because you are dealing with

an overwhelming amount of photos and gifted photographers. </blockquote><p>

I have a different perspective on this issue. Besides photography forums I like to post

comments and observations in science forms and also in political discussion forums. I

occasionally use my own photographs to illustrate the points that I'm attempting to

make in the discussions. Sometimes I post my photographs at these sites simply

because they are humorous.</p>

[alan_zinn]

<p>Jamie,<br>

I am a broken record RE books, but addressing your concern for passing on your work somehow without burdening your family with a ton of prints and negatives, books are the perfect solution. I've done close to twenty books now. The making of them is purposeful fun and soaks up a lot of creative energy. Check out Blurb.com. Near as I know they are the best. It is easier to do than you may think. Even a novice can look good.<br>

The traditional art venues no longer fulfill a social need. There is plenty of photo art being done but it is experienced in a great variety of ways besides hanging on walls. Art galleries have become multi-use social spaces or craft boutiques. My<em> purpose</em> in life for almost fifty years now was to make pictures and show prints. I have no expectation of doing that any more. My <em>thing</em> now is to take even more pictures and make books.</p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<blockquote>

<p>For that, how about publishing a book or two? Your legacy as a photographer would be passed on from generation to generation within your family. A book of family member portraits, or places/houses you have lived in, or cars/guitars/suits that you have owned, etc. would bring back fond memories long after you are gone.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Jamie,<br />I am a broken record RE books, but addressing your concern for passing on your work somehow without burdening your family with a ton of prints and negatives, books are the perfect solution. I've done close to twenty books now. The making of them is purposeful fun and soaks up a lot of creative energy.<br>

</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Robert and Alan,<br>

<br>

Thank you for the book suggestion. You have ignited a little fire of interest in me. It's something I have considered in the past but never followed up. You've got me thinking about doing a series of books now. All sorts of ideas have entered my head. That is at least one positive result of this lengthy thread and I sincerely thank you both. Thanks also to everyone else for your very honest and interesting contributions :-)</p>

[robert_k1]

<blockquote>

<p>You have ignited a little fire of interest in me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Exhibitions and book publishing are about showing your work. Your ignited fire of interest just means that the exhibitionist in you wants to come out, finally :-)</p>

<p>For exhibitions, you may find this article and the comments of interest:<br>

http://www.photo.net/learn/art-photo-galleries/three-tips-for-selling-showing-your-photos-in-a-gallery/</p>

<p>And this thread on book publishing:<br>

http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00ahlz</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<p><<<<em>Exhibitions and book publishing are about showing your work.</em>>>></p>

<p>Though I like the exhibitionist metaphor, let's hesitate a bit and maybe not take it TOO far, pleased as we may be with the idea.</p>

<p>Exhibitions and book publishing can also be about SHARING your work. It doesn't "just" mean anything. Better not to constrain ourselves by our creative metaphors. Consider the kind of work and presentational approaches that can lead to sharing in addition to or instead of <em>just</em> showing. </p>

[Brad_]

And photo books can also be about giving back - to the community you "take" from; in different ways, including (obviously) taking pictures.

 

I've produced a variety of books/photo journals over the years. I think they work well for some types of photography - street and street portraiture in

the case of my own work. Compared to framed or matted prints, books are able to represent a coherent body of work as a project, and are more

affordable to interested buyers.

 

Two publications that I've recently produced, and which have been the most satisfying to me, were structured to give money back to the

community that I and a photobud have spent several thousand hours shooting street candids, street portraits, and listening to peoples' stories in

the process: San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. The Tenderloin is an extremely under-served neighborhood that has a dynamic that's

impossible to express in a few words. It's a high density area that suffers from high unemployment, homelessness, violent crime, alcoholism, drug

dealing (heroin/meth/cocaine) and use, human trafficking, prostitution (teen and adult), gang activity, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, and

more. It's a place where kids end up living on the street coming from cities all over the US escaping from various forms of abuse. Once sucked in

it is difficult to to get out. Your life is usually ruined going forward.

 

The "giving back" was in the form of photojournal sales proceeds going directly to a local non-profit youth services organization that helps kids living on the street providing meals, shelter, medical, counseling, educational, and job-train services - and a safe place to hang out. Raising and donating around $4K from sales to the organization has not only satisfied some of my desire to give back, but it has also helped me find some purpose in my photography. As one of the photobooks narrative was about engaging people in the Tenderloin neighborhood, it just seemed fitting that the proceeds be given back to help youth in that neighborhood.

 

I urge all photographers to think about ways of using your photography to help give back to the communities you shoot and take from. That may also help you find some purpose along the way.

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>Just in case any of you are still reading this thread I would like to tell you all that I am now part way through producing my first book. Thank you all for the ideas and inspiration, I am definitely getting my mojo back! </p>

[steve_mareno1]

<p>Jamie, all I can say is you aren't the only one. These crisis times can, and usually do, result in changes for the better. The only suggestion I have is: sell all that gear you have (it just keeps you caught up in the wrong energy) and keep one camera and a lens or two. In my case it became two cameras and two lenses, but that's just because I wanted to have something for daily use, and another camera for portraits. At this point you're ready to make a good decision. But too much gear means too many choices, too many decisions, and on and on. I'd make it a film camera too to get away from the computer.</p>

<p>For a lot of us, the cameras become the focus. They're neat. Some of the older ones were built to a very high standard, so they're fun to shoot. The newer digitals have their own type of charm. But it inevitably distracts you from photography. We only have X amount of energy. Anything that dilutes that cannot be replaced. When I paint, I don't ever talk about it until a piece is finished, and no one is allowed to see the work until it's finished either. Any tiny distraction can send me in a direction I may not have wanted to go in. I need every bit of energy and focus for the piece. Having too much gear means too many distractions and loss of focus.</p>

<p>In a sense, it's like the Zen Buddhist truth that if you want an orderly mind you must first take everything out and carefully examine it (not all at once, unless you wish to become a politician I guess), then decide whether it goes back in or not. Same deal. You've got some house cleaning to do, THEN things will make sense.</p>