Taking a picture, part two: the subject
Thanks for your interest in my “Taking a Picture” series. Just as a note, I have continued improving my digital workflow and some of these notes are now out-of-date. Feel free to drop a line in the comments or contact me directly if you would like more information on my photographic workflow.
I think I probably got these posts out of order, but I guess it’s better to ease into it by writing about equipment first. The question of subject is arguably the most difficult one that any serious photographer has to confront. I think we all have a natural affinity for certain subjects, but the challenge is turning that affinity into something more than a series of snapshots. It’s something I have struggled with for a long time, sometimes to the point where I have to take a break from photography altogether. After all, what’s the point of a photograph without intent, without some sense of purpose?
That question is not necessarily rhetorical. I know that many very good photographers have challenged the notion that a photograph, or any work of art for that matter, has to mean something. I’m just talking about my own experience, feel free to chime in with yours.
For the first year or two that I was learning to take pictures, I carried my camera with me everywhere I went and would shoot absolutely anything I could find. This led to some not altogether bad pictures, and was certainly a good learning experience. For the most part, however, I was flailing, and it eventually became repetitive and unsatisfying.
Sometime last year, I began to think about a project; forcing myself to commit to returning to the same theme over and over again until a pattern emerged, and producing a coherent body of work from it. By last fall, I found myself returning to certain areas again and again, and things began to coalesce, both aesthetically and conceptually.
I love the landscape of the shore; both the overwhelming natural features of the area as well as the weird artifacts that people leave behind when they don’t think anyone is looking. I’ve been exploring areas like Broad Channel and Marine Park, and things got even more interesting in Coney Island Creek and Sheepshead Bay. Jamaica Bay is calling out to me. I’d like to rent a boat this summer and explore all of the little islands that I can’t get to by train. Nate just ventured out to Dead Horse Bay, which is another area I’ve been planning to visit.
So now I’ve got a theme. Now I just have to go out and explore the hell out of it.
This series of blog posts follow a single image from it’s very conception all the way through to the final print. When I’m done, I’m going to give the print to someone who has commented on one of the posts along the way.
Click here to read other posts in this series.
March 11, 2008