Doing a Photo Project? Keep An Open Mind
Issue: 136 – As you get more into your project, you may think of ways to improve it.
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Photography is an art form that thrives on creativity, exploration, and adaptability. Maintaining an open mind throughout the process is crucial for photographers embarking on a project, whether a personal endeavor or a commissioned assignment. This mindset not only allows for the evolution of the project but also fosters innovation and improvement.
The Fluid Nature of Artistic Vision
Photographers often have a clear vision of what they want to achieve when they start a new project. This vision might include specific themes, compositions, locations, or styles. However, as the project progresses, reality can diverge from initial expectations. Lighting conditions might differ, subjects behave unpredictably, or the envisioned compositions might not translate well from imagination to the lens.
The latter is happening to me now. After taking around one hundred photographs for two projects that I’m working on, Roadside Memorials in America and Existing in America, it has become clear that my initial vision for both projects isn’t working. It might be more accurate to say that my initial vision, as I’m getting into the projects, isn’t as appealing to me as I thought.
It's in these moments of divergence that an open mind becomes invaluable. Photographers should embrace these unexpected changes rather than rigidly adhering to the original plan. This flexibility allows them to adapt and find new creative avenues that might be even more compelling than their initial concept. An open-minded approach transforms obstacles into opportunities, leading to a richer and more nuanced final product.
For my Roadside Memorials in America project, I envisioned the layout of the images in a book, with a description of each image on the left-hand page and the image itself on the right-hand page.
An example of a left-hand page description would be:
Incident: Murdered by husband – Ambushed and shot while sitting in her car
Person Memorialized: Keaira Bennefield
Age: 40
Date of Incident: October 5, 2022
Date of Photo: October 30, 2022
Location: Shawnee and Richlawn Avenues
City: Buffalo, New York
County: Erie
For the photo on the right-hand page:
I took broad shots of the memorial, carefully getting the entire thing in the frame. From the beginning, I noticed that often, there would be personal mementos or heartfelt messages in the memorial. I ignored those until I realized that they would add to the emotional impact of the project. I modified the project to include those.
Incident: Bicyclist hit by car (Hit and run)
Person Memorialized: Theodore Dionne
Age: 27
Date of Incident: July 9, 2022
Date of Photo: November 12, 2022
Location: Abbott Road and Kenefick Avenue
City, State: Buffalo, New York
County: Erie
The following memorial for Erin Suszynski was one of the first I took for the project. I took the wide, encompassing photo, and I did get a bit closer and shot a picture of the teddy bear, but I need to reshoot this and get even closer.
Incident: Hit by a car while crossing the street
Person Memorialized: Erin Suszynski
Age: 13
Date of Incident: June 9, 2012
Date of Photo: November 2, 2022
Location: Maple and Culpepper Roads
City, State: Amherst, New York
County: Erie
From the first few photos I took for my Existing in America project, I knew it wasn’t working.
My description for my project Existing in America:
So many people live in or near poverty or exist paycheck to paycheck, but one thing I’ve noticed, almost all of them do their best to live their best life possible.
I’ve recently begun a series, “Existing in America,” where I hope to delve into those doing their best to provide for themselves and their families.
My initial idea for the project was to shoot in a New Topographics way – that is, few or preferably no people in the frame shot on film – more specifically, I was using a 6x7 camera using Kodak Portra 400 film. Mainly, I wanted to shoot homes that were near factories or city infrastructure. I thought this would be a good New Topographics topic.
The lack of people was bothersome to me. Since the project's title was Existing in America, I concluded that the images would be stronger if people were included in the frame. Moreover, I thought the film was confining, and the project would be better realized if I shot it digitally. Of course, having people in the frame of a digital image would be straying from the New Topographics style, but I felt it would make my project better. So, I’m scrapping everything and starting over.
In my opinion, keeping an open mind is a necessity for creatives. It allows for the natural evolution of ideas, encourages experimentation, and facilitates continuous improvement. By embracing flexibility and adaptability, photographers can turn challenges into opportunities, leading to more innovative, authentic, and ultimately more successful projects. In the ever-changing landscape of photography, an open mind is the key to unlocking the full potential of any creative endeavor.
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I thing this is one of your more personal and IMO better newsletters. You are always a great teacher but this one stands out. Thanks fir sharing the sausage making!