This is the Life!

This week's post for philosophy Wednesday comes in the aftermath of a very successful road trip vacation across Northern Ontario. As I described the trip to one of my co-workers on the eve of my departure she looked at me and said "James, you are one of the most interesting people I know." I was flattered by this comment but it wasn't until I read this excerpt from the website of world renowned photographer Chase Jarvis that I started thinking about it:

"I haven't swashbuckled with pirates, nor have I swam the English Channel. I haven't even been to Antarctica. But I have travelled to many far away places, created a lot of still and moving pictures for myself and others. And I have made it my life's goal to be as creative as possible toward everything I endeavor. Outside of my morning cereal, that is." - Chase Jarvis

As photographers what we do day in and day out may seem very routine and technical. Very regimented and prescribed. Even our most interesting days on the job can seem mundane. But we must remember that to a certain few who look at our photos, it is pure and simple magic. Some people will look at us and think that our lives must be something like Hemingway's! This is not a preconception that we should discourage, and indeed is one that we should make an effort to believe ourselves. We need to inject a little fun in our daily grind, and look at everything that we can do in our lives as a once in a lifetime miracle. When everything becomes a creative challenge to us, an outlet for the artist in us, then we will truly become the most interesting person in the room.

People will want to hear about our most recent escapade, will think that every photo is the culmination of some fresh adventure, and we can feel proud of even our most insignificant achievements. Remembering of course that sometimes a bowl of cereal is just a bowl of cereal.

On the Road...

While I've been traveling, I have been thinking a lot about the old adage "Take only pictures, Leave only footprints" and how the phenomenon of photo documenting a road trip is one of the cultural expectations. But, for a photographer, is it the photos that are the first priority, or the journey.

"Henry David Thoreau once wrote that 'a man has not seen a thing until he has felt it,' and he was said to have been scornful of those who saw nothing in nature but a picture. These are fair comments. We go to Lake Superior because we do indeed want to 'feel' the land we are photographing. Our compulsion to use cameras and to record pleasurable experiences and phenomena is secondary to the simple joy of being there." - John and Janet Foster, Adventures in Wild Canada,1984

How can we separate ourselves from our craft sufficiently that we are not "hunting" the photo, but instead just enjoy the ride and shoot the things that unfold around us? If we are indeed taking photos to remember the experience, we should make every effort to ensure that the memory we are preserving is not merely of taking a picture. Although I have come up with no hard and fast rules for accomplishing this, I have found that simply being mindful of it drives me to explore more facets of the world in front of my camera. Try to remember smells, sounds, phrases, people. Try turning your camera off for a while or even (God forbid) leaving your camera in the car. Look for stories, introduce yourself boldly to strangers and listen to them. Take the slower roads, try the local cuisine, and always, ALWAYS, bring a towel!

Philosophy Wednesdays

I'm starting a new trend on this blog: Philosophy Wednesdays. Each week I will bring you my thought on a particular aspect of photography accompanied by a quotation from a photographer that I have learned something from.

This weeks post will be on the subject of pride.

"Never be too proud to accept advice from a model" - Andrew Mills

While briefly worded, this piece of advice seeks to alleviate one of the burdens that photographers constantly suffer from: the belief that we are right. It is painfully easy to look down on "amateur" photographers, people with "inferior" cameras, and those "in our employ." The photo in this post is an example of this lesson learned. I was trying to block the words sprayed on the wall with the models body, and I mentioned it to her. I said "I'm trying to block the 'bitch' in this shot" and she replied "Ooh! Get a shot of me with it." Left in my own headspace I wouldn't have got this shot, and I would have been worse for it. Being humble enough to accept advice from anyone can take your work to a whole new level. Whether it broadens your view, or makes you realize what it is you don't want to shoot, keeping an open mind is a lesson we all must learn in such an egotistical field.

(Another first: this post was made using my new blogging app!)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy 'roid Week!

Instant analog film users rejoice! It's is unofficially Polaroid week around the world today, so dig out your SX-70s, Spectras, and 100 Series', it's time to shake it like a polaroid picture! (but not actually as shaking is extremely detrimental to the instant analog development process, and is an annoying concept that pop culture has latched on to).

In honour of "'roid week" I baought a new Polaroid camera yesterday. The Polaroid 440. Details to come after I rewire it, but also look for more shots from my Auto 210 that I'm bringing on my road trip next week!

The shot that almost killed me

I was reading EricKim's street photography blog the other day and came across this article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/18/war-photographers-special-report

It's called "The Shot that Almost Killed Me" and it is a compilation of stories from war photographers recounting their near death experiences in the field, accompanied with the photos that they risked their lives to take. It is very moving and full of inspirational words on photography, passion, and life.

In honour of this post, I dug this photo out of my archives. I was traveling in New Zealand and was told that there was a tunnel through the mountain up head. I pulled my head inside of the speeding van a split second after this shot as taken and heard thunder of wind in the open window change tone. The wall of tunnel was inches from the side of the van. I had forgotten which side of the road we were driving on in that country, and a moments delay would have cost me my life. For a long time I was too afraid to look at this photo, and it still gives me the creeps if I think about it too much. I know it's nothing as noble in sentiment as the drive to capture the emotion of war, but I understand the feelings they express when they say they were driven to capture the image, without a second thought to their safety, without putting themselves ahead of the shot.

Please read the article and think about it next time you are fed up with the petty annoyances of your job, or hampered by minor hurdles in your photography.

Polaroid Spectra

Summer of Film marches on with this weeks (late) installment courtesy of the Polaroid Spectra System camera. A hand me down from my Great Uncle, and a gift to him from a camera collector before that, this camera has got style! The above photo features my favourite and longest running model, Lucy, and is my favourite shot from the pack.

Have no fear, even though this project was finished and posted late I still started my next camera on the right day. Look forward to next week when we find out if my Olympus Trip 35 works as well as I hope.

McFarlane Imaging has a new Image!

After a long deliberation process, I have finally settled on a logo that I like for this business. It may go though a period of slight tweaking over the next few weeks, but this is basically how I envisioned it when I set out to create it. I hope it's as "i"-catching as I'd like!