Mr. Photographer, Tear Down this Wall!
Are you a landscape photographer? A wildlife photographer? A digital photographer? A fine-art photographer? A B&W photographer? An analog photographer? A macro photographer? An adventure photographer? An artist? An innovator? An original? A traditionalist?…
Why is it we always fall into the trap of confining ourselves into tidy little boxes? Is the comfort of mastering a narrow well-defined discipline so alluring that we violently distance ourselves from other creative avenues?
In my experience, most of us who found our way to nature photography (in the broadest sense of the term) did so out of a sense of discovery and adventure, because we are inspired by the unbridled freedom of the wild, the challenge of unexpected opportunities and rare encounters with primal beauty. Why, then, once we have achieved a foothold in the field, we start moving in the opposite direction: narrowing down our scope into well-defined little categories that we dare not stray from?
The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits. –Nathaniel Hawthorne
The answer is, perhaps, that this is what the art world expects of us. Artists are celebrated for having distinct and consistent styles, recognizable work, something a critic can peg into terms like “abstract” or “post-modern” or, if we’re especially lucky, invent new terms for.
But do we really create for the sake of the critics? Will you walk by a magnificent display of natural beauty and dismiss it because it is rich in vibrant color when you happen to be a “black and white photographer,” or maybe because it is a grand landscape when you happen to be a renowned “bird photographer” or “macro photographer” or “street photographer” or any other kind of photographer who, by self-imposed definition, doesn’t photograph landscapes?
It’s very easy to get locked into a mode, to preconceive expectations and to ignore opportunities once we condition our brains to seek out very specific things. And yet, by doing so, we are denying ourselves not only photo ops, but also experiences which may enrich our lives, enhance our understanding, joy, and excitement at the wonders around us.
As nature lovers is it not true that we can be as fascinated by a little insect or a dew drop as much as by a double rainbow over majestic mountain? Is it not true that we care about flowers and water and earth as much as we do about sunrises and canyons and endangered predators?
There is a danger in pegging ourselves into little boxes. By doing so we may gain in peer recognition but lose valuable insights.
If you’re a naturalist first, and a photographer second, be mindful not to let common perceptions override your own motivation. Go out there and photograph anything and everything you find interesting. After all, if you stop enjoying it, does it really matter how much praise you get?
Guy
Category: Thoughts and Musings
Every opportunity to photograph should be about discovery and is an opportunity to re-invent your own wheel. Unfortunately partially due to reasons you pointed out above, editors, “experts”, the general public, etc… expects us to define ourselves by a certain look or label. What I find funny is that a lot of photographers make a distinction between commercial work and “personal” work. it’s as if they feel a need to apologize for showing anything other than what pays their bills.
Hey Guy
Just got some time to check in on your site here. Nice post, but I think it’s not quite that simple. Artisans have for centuries worked and reworked their chosen field into what you might call ‘niches’ .. repeating their work over and over and over also specialized and ‘perfect’ it.
Cheers
Carl
1st before I forget you may want to have this new URL replace the old one on the member listing on NPN. I had to click through to redirect pages to get here. A great reminder to update my RSS reader for our blog.
2nd for someone that prefers journals your journal is looking quite nice.
3rd I would take your argument even farther… first and foremost we are not just nature photographers we are photographers. A well trained eye isn’t just locked into one genre of photography. A great photographer is able to learn techniques applied in other genres or applied in other niches and creatively apply them to their area of interest. This expanded view nurtures creativity and improved technical ability.
The following could not be more true…
“It’s very easy to get locked into a mode, to preconceive expectations and to ignore opportunities once we condition our brains to seek out very specific things. And yet, by doing so, we are denying ourselves not only photo ops, but also experiences which may enrich our lives, enhance our understanding, joy, and excitement at the wonders around us.”
… but I see an even larger space for photographers to operate and challenge their perceptions retraining their eye and mind to recognize, execute and achieve their artistic vision.
Thanks guys!
Richard, that’s a very good observation, not only about photographers but also when you think about how many other people these days feel a need to apologize for or dismiss what they do for a living as having little to do with their own goals and beliefs.
Carl, I don’t have a problem with anyone doing what they do, however narrow-scoped out of love or passion for something very specific. What I do find though is that so many nature lovers get into photography to share their joy at the natural world, only to be overtaken with the restrictions and expectations of the “art world” that they feel their work has to take on characteristics removed from the passion that fueled it in the first place.
Jim, I’ll look into updating the links. Thanks for the reminder!
Personally, I wouldn’t distinguish “artistic vision” from normal everyday vision. If we pursue what we love and find creative way to express it, we are all artists.
Guy
Hi Guy,
Great post, and something that really strikes home for me. I started out as a bird photographer. I would occasionally photograph mammals that would come by during my outings, but I never took it too seriously. Through a series of “evolutions”, I began trying new things … mammals, flower macros, insect macros, abstracts, landscapes, reptiles/amphibians. I grew up on nature – I’ve always loved every little bit of it, so it just didn’t make sense that I was only photographing birds. I eventually ended up loving to photograph everything in nature that I found when out and about, and my level of appreciation and skill at capturing a variety of subjects at this point in my life couldn’t make me happier. Of course, I’m still in the self-imposed box of the “nature photographer”, but at least I can say that it’s not because of any outside influences. I don’t think you’ll disagree with this – it’s important to photograph what you love. If I set out to expand my box and start doing portraits of babies, my heart certainly won’t be in it!
Hey Guy,
Thanks for the response – sublimely stated, as always.
Cheers
Carl
Guy: Slow Awakening is a FINE image! I love it.