Taking passion and combining it with purpose gives you a direction in your work. This episode talks about taking the list of 20 things that are important and using that passion to build a mission for your photography.
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I think you are on the right track with the concept of passion and mission, but I think that gets lost a bit in too much process and procedure. My experience is that it needs to be a bit loser and more flowing. When I try to break everything down like this the passion seems to slip through the cracks ( http://gordonmcgregor.blogspot.com/2009/04/cut-off-ear.html )
On the other hand, my experiences with students over the years have suggested that this sort of “forced march” method works well, especially if the person isn’t accustomed to thinking in terms of series, sequence or project.
The dilemma that a lot of photographers (especially new photographers) have is that they find it tough to separate “good pictures” from “good pictures of good ideas.” They can have lots and lots of the former, but getting even a few of the latter seems to them to be beyond their grasp. I think a lot of people need to find the difference between what they actually find interesting and what they think others will find interesting. I think when they go with what they are most interested in, they will start to realize that it’s *that* passion that ultimately makes for interesting photographs.
Where we’ll go with this list making and quantifying is to eventually push it into a more intuitive realm. But for many people, starting out with the intuitive requires a leap of faith that they aren’t yet prepared to take.
I don’t think your approach (cut off an ear) is all that far off from mine.
Thanks…
-Jeff
Hello Jeff-
I’ve been downloading and listening to the backlog of CP over the past 2-3 months, and have finally started listening to the newer episodes and hit this Project Planning Roadmap series.
Your “forced march” as you call it, is exactly what I needed to do to set myself up for success in having more than just well-composed pictures of boring or lackluster ideas, and actually come away with some collection of value. I’ve been shooting since high school (now 24yrs old) and have really accelerated in number of frames taken, number of frames thoughtfully taken, and number of keepers in the past 6 months. I try to learn something or think some concept through almost every day, and I’ve been doing both an iPhone photo-of-the-day (great for forgetting about the tools and just composing on something interesting), and a shot of the week (great for forcing myself to continually shoot and think about shooting and SEE!).
I’m just about over the phase of shooting where I want to shoot everything and anything, and have been looking for ways to narrow my focus (no more landscapes, no more flower macros, etc) and watch myself develop into X+Y or Z-genre photographer.
I must say, your podcast has been a great inspiration and thought provoking tool for me to keep coming back to. If I ever have a bad day of shooting or don’t come home with much, I listen to an episode or two and I’m back on my feet and looking forward, usually with a good idea or two on what I could have done to help myself that day.
Thank you for the work you have put into this podcast and for putting it out there for the public to benefit from. It is a very timeless resource and I appreciate every episode I’ve had the pleasure to hear.
Anthony….
Thanks so much for your comments!
Yep… sometimes that “forced march” is what we need to get us moving.
I know I do, anyway…
Thanks for listening!
-Jeff