Had a few questions from folks on my creativity posts and what is the ‘right way’ to do things. The questions stemmed from hearing other photographers say there is only one ‘right way’ to do something. Or I guess it was implied that if you weren’t using a specific technique then plain and simple you weren’t as good a photographer. Hmmm…so competitive! As a photo educator, I see my job as coaching and presenting new ideas and techniques, but then letting the individual figure out what works best for them. My real goal is to inspire others so they kept shooting and go on to learn much more than I could ever teach them in a workshop. Isn’t it exciting to get a great shot, one you want to print and hang on the wall. You can’t wait to go back out and shoot more the next day. Inspiration will foster continued learning.
I taught college photography classes at one point, and I will never forget one specific student. She was always late to class, didn’t do a lot of her assignments, held her camera funny and broke every rule I could think of with her technique. If I graded her on ‘doing things the right way’, she would have failed. But her images were astounding. She had incredible creativity and vision in her photography, some of the best I have ever seen in a student. So rather than give her a hard time about doing things the way I taught her, I encouraged her to continue her style and offered all the enthusiasm I could muster. I couldn’t wait to see what images she brought to class, she inspired me to try different things. She got an A in the class. Teach the student, not the subject…
Bar Harbor, Maine. fall colors.
Which reminded me of this idea: photography is a conversation, not a lecture. Sure, we all need to refine our technique to bring our vision to life. But move past that, and ask yourself why are you taking that photo? What inspires you to shoot a specific subject matter? How can I make the picture better? Seek input from your friends and other photographers, what do they like or dislike about your image? Try to move past pure technique (don’t let the technical inhibit the creative) and ask yourself deeper questions. Camera technology has leveled the playing field in many genres, so to stand out your style and vision have to come out in your work. I constantly ask questions about my own work, and seek input from others. I have lots of techniques I use, but I am always open to learning new ways of doing things. I find this helps me create more inspiring work, and see the world differently.
Bhutan.
I think a lot of this idea of ‘you must do it this way’ comes from so many people teaching workshops. I get it, everyone wants potential new workshop participants to think they know something someone else doesn’t, or have a secret location that no one knows about. I’m not concerned about all that. We regularly tell our workshop participants to try other instructors/workshops and different locations…everyone will have a different style and approach. What’s most important is you find a teacher that works best for you, be inspired, and create fantastic images.
For me there is rarely a right way of doing things, only different techniques and styles that I explore trying to find my creative voice in photography.