Sunday, May 15, 2022

AYWMC: Part 4 Creativity: Lesson 3 Nothing is Original

 This post is part of a series entitled A Year With My Camera.

Lesson 4.3 in my own words

  • Unique versus original
  • The goal to take an original photograph is a stumbling block
    • Everything and every place have been photographed
    • Every technique has been tried
    • Advancements in technology are only briefly original
      • Color film
      • Digital photography
      • Drones
  • The goal should be to take unique photographs

This week's project
 
Permission to be unoriginal
  • Remember why you are different from everyone else. Write it down.
  • How would a close friend describe you in three words?
  • Think about subjects and styles you're drawn to.
    • Viewpoint - do you prefer dramatic, unusual, safe, static?
    • Composition - do you prefer neatness, order, chaos, random order, symmetry, asymmetry, full frame, or minimalist?
    • Aperture - Do you prefer shooting wide open or with front to back depth of field?
    • Lens choice - which lens do you prefer? which do you reach for first?
  • Go with what you like, and try to take photographs bringing something of yourself to each one. 
 
How am I different from everyone else? How would I describe myself? I liked the three words approach, so here's what I came up with:
  • analytical
  • contemplative
  • atypical 
Dan's three words to describe me were:
  • industrious
  • practical
  • frugal
Subjects and styles I'm drawn to:
  • I like natural subjects (as sky, plants, animals)
  • I like contrast
  • I like images that fill the frame
  • I like interesting detail
  • I like asymmetry
  • I like simple/minimalist images
  • I like close-ups with short depth of field
  • I like action shots (goats running, birds in flight, etc.)
  • I like photos that document our homestead
 
With those things in mind, here are the photographs I took for this assignment.










What I learned

Initially, this was a difficult assignment for me. I procrastinated doing it. In fact, I considered skipping it! I've always considered myself creative in the realms of crafts, needlework, knitting, weaving, and writing, but photography serves a different purpose in my life. I tend to think of it as a technical skill rather than a creative one. However, when I went out with those lists in mind plus the photography techniques I've learned in this course, I found that they gave me focus with a sense of freedom. The bottom line is photographing what I like. I realized is that there's no reason why I can't use photography record keeping in my own unique way.

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