Time changes all of us, whether we care to admit it or not, we evolve, we grow, we mature shaped by experiences that life deals for us and it’s different for each and every person. Two people’s perception of the same thing, whatever that “thing” may be, no matter how subtle that divergence is, will be different.
The time of those experiences can be both long and/or short in duration, something that happened long ago, or perhaps it was recent. It could be as simple as waking-up and not feeling great, having a mishap, or, let’s be positive – a fantastic surprise – those are better! Let’s face it, every single incident in our lives, be they good, bad or just mundane are experiences we’ve all had and there will be more. That’s life!
I don’t know about you, but through the years that I’ve carried a camera in my hand and shot for other people or just for myself I never really gave any thought to my experiences. I feel that I have far less time these days, but I also think that I spend more time thinking than I used to. Recently I have found myself asking questions of myself – perhaps searching for answers about my own photography.
For the first time in a good while I have found myself not having taken any photographs, I haven’t had any time, I don’t feel like it and I certainly don’t feel any creativity. My life has been consumed by work and although I am around photography all day long, but I’m not doing any myself – there’s a difference. I miss the creativity. Here is another aspect: I have spent more than a little time looking at the photographer I used to be, to the photographer that I am now.
Time to get down to brass tacks…this is not so much about being positive or negative in your attitude, though your attitude does have a role here and everywhere else for that matter! Rather this is more about how your photography is seen, by others and also yourself – should you stop to think about it…and I should say here, that it took me many years to really stop and think about it. Yes, there were some instances along the way too, that shaped my thinking and as a result my photography and creativity. No, neither is this post about shooting film or transparencies!!
Positive or negative, neither is better than the other, they both have their place, positive space is the main act, negative space is the supporting role – but it plays a major part and can make or break the main subject. Today, I will touch on an aspect that moves a little beyond being positive or negative – the space they occupy in photography to an area where they play within the way we approach the manner in which we create our images. Sounds a tad complicated, but it’s not. I’ll try and explain it, though others have done a great job explaining this, far better than my attempt. However, looking at my photographs, here in this post will illustrate, in images, far better than my poor attempt to put it down in writing!
Perhaps this is the right time in this post to tell you that in the past few years, and by that I do mean recently, my photography has shifted to being more negative in my approach…this is not a bad thing! Let me explain…
I’ve mentioned previously that I was (and probably still am) a bit of a naïve photographer, I didn’t know a great deal about photography, nor the world around me (I still don’t, but, I’m still learning) and to that end, I didn’t understand what I was shooting. I was just enjoying myself, remember ignorance is bliss.
The positive side of photography here is concentrating on the focal point in your image, a subject(s), more mainstream photography – your bog-standard landscape, a portrait of your neighbours dog – something obvious. Wonderfully sharp images, “correct” in every sense - the stuff that too many camera clubs gush over. I’m not saying here that these images are bad or mediocre, they could be strong, powerful photographs, wonderful images and it’s here that many of my images lay (hopefully not the mediocre ones). Probably many of us identify with this type of photography, it’s where we “live”, and this is no bad thing – not all. But there’s more.
Take a trip to the negative side…here is another world to explore and photograph, it’s an exciting place, full of creativity…and simplicity. I found it by accident.
I was here for a while before I realized I had gone over to the negative side, darting back to positive space now and then, but coming back over more and more. Here I found a new side to my photography, an alternate dimension to express myself. The rules still apply – light, composition - but they are more fluid here and yet – get it wrong – very unforgiving and remember here, simplicity rules. Another is that you start to think abstractly, declutter your images, minimalism is your ally here. Movement is another element that lives here.
In this short passage, I hope have given you something to think about…my journey started positively, like so many others. But as time has passed and life and events have unfolded, the passage through them has left an imprint on my mind, my thoughts, how I look at the world around me, how I wish to show my images. They are both positive and negative, they have changed, they are still changing.
How is your journey going? Where is it taking you?