by Carol
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| Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, TX |
Fall is slowly moving into winter and I'm doing more photography reading than I've done for a while. An article in Lenswork, written by Guy Tal recently caught my attention. The article is about capturing timeless moments with photography. But , if I am understanding him correctly, his point is that in order to capture timeless moments - you need time. He likens his love affair with the process to an actual love affair. One that begins with "mindless lust," - snapping everything you see - that evolves into a "deeper and more nuanced familiarity and mutual respect." Your appreciation of subject increases with an "on-going care and attention."
Think of the Ansel Adams quote (my teacher's favorite) that "chance favors the prepared mind." It's why photographic series can be so much more involving than one great shot. While our goal is always for an image to tell a story, a series of images tells a larger portion of the story. I couldn't stop thinking about Kim and her caterpillars, Terri and her desert flowers, as well as Leigh with her horticultural background. Or look at Alexandra de Steiguer's intimate portraits of the Isles of Shoals compared to the images of we who visit for a week in the summer. The more intimately you understand your subject, the better you can portray it.
Although I have my favorite subjects for sure, I feel like I am stuck at the stage of trying to perfect a particular photo - I hit a roadblock when I try to create a series. I attend monthly photography meetings where people present what they are currently working on. The meetings are instructional, and inspirational. Since beginning to attend these meetings, I have looked at my photographs differently. I certainly see sets of images which could make series. Being more strict with myself about culling, key wording and making collections in Lightroom has made them easier to see. I've learned that after choosing your series images, its best to treat them the same way in terms of processing, giving them a common tonality, and the same presentation as far as sizing, printing and framing. It's helpful to conceive of an artist's statement - even if you never use it, just to help you define for yourself the story you are telling. For some reason, that is encouraging and intimidating at the same time. I need a Nike ad here to kick me in the pants. I think I just need to jump in and give it a try.
I welcome any suggestions on these images. Have any of you worked in series format? Do you have any advice?
