Product Rather Than Perfection

Time passes, and you don’t manage to do all the things you wanted to do. You don’t shoot photos as much as you thought you would. I can buy gear - I can’t buy time. Less and less I feel like a photographer, even amateur, or hobbyist. But I still get a shot here and there, sometimes far in-between. Not the best, not what I wanted, but I managed to hold the camera, turn it on, walk, and shoot something - anything. That’s enough, for the moment. I rummage through old photos in my archives on the pc. I look at all the trash I thought was good and realize that it’s just part of the process, the journey, the evolution.

You age, and so does the way you see the world, and now your photos are different. You care less about the wrong things and more about the right thing. More substance, less hype. Who cares who notices - this is not for everyone, maybe not even anyone, but me. How selfish, but this is practice. Learning continues. Validation is less necessary. I know what I have to do to push forward.

I’ve always loved Gordon Parks’ work: social impact, love, identity, history. This is perhaps the epitome of what good photography can do. It’s not just a record, or a beautiful shot (which are both valuable in their own right), but more. I need feeling, story, truth, perspective, emotion. Perhaps, that’s too much.

Rambling on, get out and shoot. Life moves on. Have fun with photography - enjoy the process and the results. Do it with love and intention. What do you want to show the world? What do you believe needs to be your record? This is fun, but it can be important. What makes a good photo? Let’s find out!

Took this a few years back and there’s so much I enjoy about this photo. There’s a sense of history - and results. The statue holds a cutlass and the child holds a bubble toy. The statue screams with determination and resistance, the child smiles and is relaxed. She may not know the meaning of the statue behind her, and perhaps she doesn’t need to. This is simply history written in stone, and the results it has yielded. Certainly, not perfect, but better, and with a long journey ahead. The struggle continues.