So before we start…
Get a pen and paper…
And write down everything you find interesting!
Why?… I’ll me tell you why I do
It started for me with a tweet basically asking for some project idea’s… I was going through a phase of no inspiration at all. I was shooting my family, but that after 3 months of lockdown was getting too much.
I had a message from another photographer who shared the idea and concept of writing down a list. This list can be comprised of anything you shoot, find interesting and drawn to.
What they shared blew my mind really…. And to be honest couldn’t understand why I hadn’t done something like it before. I’ve written down hypothetical project idea’s before, but they were written down before I had ever shot anything like it before…. A few of them never started and after reading what was shared I realized why… No interest in that particular subject, only the belief it might be what others would like to see…
I sat down for 10 minutes with pen meeting paper, and I had my list… Its allowed me to go out anytime, shoot what ever I want and in a roundabout way, build multiple bodies of work.
Already, going through my work since then… I am already seeing a pattern & narrative in my work.
What I didn’t do consciously when writing my list is how connected they all are… If I just keep shooting how I do, I will have a pretty good body of work.
Its also helped me learn more about myself… Maybe it will for you too.
If you have read this far, then good for you… This isn’t the most interesting blog post, but I felt it to be important because ultimately, what are you trying to achieve with your photography?
Are you in it for the likes and 50k followers? Are you in it as a way to make money?…
I started photography because I thought my old mans new canon 7D was cool… Since then I’ve shot everything… Models, landscapes, wildlife etc to where I am now, and finally happy with it.
In that time I have come to see that my work is me… Its everything about me… I shoot to document my time on our planet, where I live, what I love and how I see the world before me…
I see things differently than you… and you see things differently to me.
The fame and fortune, likes and followers don’t mean anything… I’d still shoot without social media. My work is personal to me and I hope yours is too
I think I have ranted on long enough now… But I encourage you to write down your list… then get out and just shoot… You may be surprised by what you can achieve… And I really hope you might see yourself in the work.
Where’s my list you ask? For my eyes only… I don’t want to make you think my idea’s are what anyone should shoot.
Out!