Drive

Recently, I was editing some photos I had taken in London. When I finished, I noticed that they did not look as “standard” as some older shots I had edited. Which is another way of saying, "boring". So, I revisited some of those shots I had taken in San Jacinto. I revised the editing, and found my eye had changed. I had picked up some new techniques along the way, for sure. That may have been the catalyst for the development of how I see the image. If I were being fanciful, I’d assume that it would have been the other way around, but it wasn’t. I definitely had picked up something along the way, and it wasn’t self-induced; no more than learning is self-induced, anyway.

What had happened was an evolution of perspective based on experience. It was not primarily my experience, but what I learned from looking at the work of others. It is certainly this way with painting and drawing. Why not with photography? All require the development of “the eye”. This is a way of seeing, kind of filtered through what we know is possible, and what we know how to do. Once we learn how to make something look a certain way, we can make it so. Until then, we shoot in the dark, and try to glean from others what we can.

In any case, producing and experiences are the only way to manifest better work. I seek new experiences often. I also try like hell to produce more work. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I end up with a nice image. Until I drive forward, incisive images are few and far between.