In the past I wrote three entries: Make Photographs That Matter … To You; Don’t Push It; and Do It Because You Need To, Not Because You Think You Must. These entries were all about making the types of pictures that are truly meaningful to you, not pushing yourself when the feeling is not right and photographing because you feel the need rather than guilt.
I woke up a couple of days ago still thinking about these themes, but in a different sort of way. I thought about everything I do in photography, in other words … the entire photographic process. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I have not focused on an important and critical element … doing what you like, when you like to do it. For the sake of this discussion I am not thinking about some of the mechanical steps in photography I don’t enjoy, like developing film. They are essential and I can’t get around doing them, so I buck up and deal with it. NOTE: If you must, because it’s such a complete turnoff, you can get someone to develop your film, but I think it’s a mistake.
Look, all the other things about photography really don’t matter if you don’t like making photographs and I think printing them. Right? But believe or not, I think there are some people that make photographs and may even print a few who don’t really enjoy much or any of it. Maybe they enjoy the gear. Think Leica, Hasselblad and Linhof aficionados and fondlers that love the mechanical exquisiteness of these gems more than they enjoy making art with them. Or those that do all the work to outfit a state of the art darkroom, admire their achievement, but never make use of it.
So the real question becomes do you really like photography? Do you like making photographs and printing them? And finally, do you do something of consequence – anything – with the prints you make, other than sticking them in an old photographic paper box, never to be seen again and forgotten? I believe we all need to think about this to some degree; it really may come down to doing what you like, when you like to do it. Otherwise you may spend a lot of money with little tangible results, and go through a lot of mental gyrations when precious thought could have been better spent. If you actually do something the results will be disappointing, you won’t enjoy yourself and your desire to do more will sink lower.
What to do then? Most of us have some idle time on our hands these days, but the vaccines are ramping up. Things might get busy again during the next several months, so now is the time to think about this existential photographic issue now! Why not start by considering the subject matter you really would like to photograph. If you can’t think of anything perhaps it’s best to stop here and call it a day.
Once you have determined what you really want to photograph, then take a look at the gear you own and make sure it works best for the subject matter that you really want to make pictures of. One thing to be careful about is not to get caught up in a romantic whim. It can lead to huge expenses and lots of incredible equipment that ends up gathering dust!
For architecture, a view cameras with movements is best. For landscapes where great detail and tonality is essential, then cameras that produce large negatives matter. Look, there are some people that do street photography with view cameras, but for the vast majority of folks we’re talking about 35mm. In this case, don’t become immobilized over the issue of rangefinders vs. single lens reflex cameras. If you do, you won’t ever make a picture! Actually, this problem can exist with most formats, e.g., rangefinder vs. SLR (even in medium format), center tilt vs. bottom tilt, and camera size vs. weight. I could go on. In the case of street work I can honestly tell you I have used both rangefinders and SLRs and it hasn’t made a bit of difference in how I worked or in the results I got!
Great, now you have figured out what subjects you like and the best camera to maximize the results. What about the lenses? Think about how you see things. Start out with a “normal” lens and take it from there until you determine you really need more than that one lens to accomplish what you like. With 35mm we are talking about a 50mm lens. For 6×6, a 80mm, for 6×7 a 90mm (Note these are approximations; Pentax make a 105 and a 90mm). For 4×5 a 150mm and 8×10 a 300mm. Keep it simple. The overwhelming majority of photographs I have made have been with a 50mm lens or near equivalent with other formats.
Nailing down all these time-consuming gear issues will clear your head and free you from self inflicted paralysis. In short, it will make you happy and allow you to make the photographs you like!
We’re on a roll! You know what you like to photograph and what you need to effectively do it. One other thing here … don’t forget about a tripod if you need one to make the best possible pictures you can of the subject matter you like! Now, and this is really important – you have to come to grips with the fact that you don’t need to travel far or to exotic locations in order to make the kind of photographs you like. If like landscapes I suppose you could get hung up on the need to visit the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, etc. to get what you want, but I think that would be a big mistake. I know that wherever you live there are beautiful landscapes nearby. Some can be very intimate. Just observe! Don’t look for excuses! I have instituted a two-hour travel rule for myself and I am quite happy with my output!
You have now made great progress. The final requirement to making photographs you like is to make them at times you like to photograph. Think about that. Why go out when there isn’t a lot of time to enjoy yourself, or on a day when you have other pressing or stressful things to accomplish. Schedule a time that will only be devoted to photography, without mental or other distractions. Don’t push it. Put it on your calendar, then go out and have fun!
I am quite convinced that if you do these things you will then be so excited about the potential of the final product that you will want to get into your darkroom and create the wonderful images that fulfill your vision. Just like making photographs in the field, schedule a time that will only be devoted to the darkroom, without mental or other distractions. Again, don’t push it. Put it on your calendar, then have fun! You know I am getting so excited I want to develop some film, even though I’m caught up!
Stay safe,
Michael