Comments on: So what is this landscape photography thing anyway?

By: meg

meg — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:11:24 +0000

Ian what?

You don’t have to stand on top of a hill at 0630 hours in -2 degrees celcius?

Bugger. I totally misinterpreted that part of the wedderburn course then…

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:32:06 +0000

Tony, that’s why you’re such an inspiration and source of frustration too… how come you can get it all together in so many ways?! which puts me right back to the start of this thread!!!

By: mj

mj — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:59:16 +0000

Jenny, Interested that you’ve done more work that you’re excited about during this discourse. I crave synergy with like-minded people — and it always results in surprises for me. I like to think that there is a geometric increase in ‘whatever you call that thing that makes things blossom’ when I associate with good people.

By: Tony Bridge

Tony Bridge — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:27:57 +0000

Jenny:
I am not the least offended by your comments> Yes I do landscape, but if you have been dipping into the featured image section, my latest and ….., you can see i do other things….

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:35:53 +0000

mj, despite the lack of expresso what you say makes perfect sense – thank you Over the time of this discussion I’ve ended up making more work that I’m excited about than ever before… and none of it landscape… hehe(sorry Tony).

By: mj

mj — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:21:48 +0000

“Swimming upstream” — I need to clarify, and it won’t be easy. I ran out of espresso today and had to suffer instant coffee. Only half of my synapses are firing.

Great challenge brings great reward. But there are bjillions of battles to be won on the photographic field. It only makes sense to when choosing a ‘battle’(genre, technnique, subject) to take advantage of the extra oomph provided by a deep feeling and excitement about that particular ‘battle’.

The skills developed while photographing spiders will later enhance our effort to make pictures of landscapes. But, the spider pictures may always shine above the landscapes if they were born of a true love of spiders.

Challenge is good.

Challenge in tandem with great passion is magnificent.

Why swim upstream when you could fly in ecstacy?

Jenny, you said “I’d hate to miss the opportunity to try because someone says I’m better at soemthing else.”

Forget what THEY say and search for whatever tickles your heart. No one can define that for you and it will be the best driver and teacher you will ever find.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:41:28 +0000

Thanks everyone for the insightful comments, it’s been great to see the different perspectives and to watch the discussion developing. I have come back several times, digested, then come to some conclusions although not relating directly to the post, but more to these comments.

Part of me relates to garry’s first comment, but then how limiting is that??? Luckily I find ian’s, and more particularly, anon’s last comment, which is a little more to my way of thinking.

Someone, having labelled themselves “portrait photographer”, wants to make a landscape, others look at the results and feel that he should have stuck to portraiture. Does that mean he is moved any less by the landscape than a “landscaper”? Or is it partly the fact that while he has made 10,000 or more portrait images and understands now how best to capture his responses to any person, this is only his 10th or 100th attempt at the landscape. Don’t we all continue to learn (from the world) and refine our craft with every image that we make, and make hundreds and thousands before we start to feel that we are beginning to get a handle on this particular genre?

I would like to keep myself open to what is trying to be said to me, and learn to interpret it even if that means making some bad attempts for a while until I begin to understand. I’m sure swimming upstream gets easier as you get fitter from the attempt?? Sure makes the blood flow!

We all have something in us that makes our communication more effective in one style than another – maybe moving into uncharted territory just gives us the freedom to interpret that in “our” way once we understand. I’d hate to miss the opportunity to try because someone says I’m better at soemthing else.

By: anon

anon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:18:00 +0000

mj, I could not agree more, it’s only the inner strength we have (ourselves) in this world, the rest is not ours. As for going against upstream, I would do it for the hell of it. Life is in madness, existence in floating down. I thank you for the inspirational comments and Tony for pasting them on his blog.

By: mj

mj — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:21:14 +0000

anon –
I meant to say thanks in that last post..

By: mj

mj — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:19:30 +0000

Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there. — Marcus Aurelius …

There is no point in swimming upstream.

If you’re interested in spiders then make pictures of spiders. At some point you may learn all the lessons that you need to learn from spiders. Then another subject will become your vehicle for learning and exploring.

If you’re finding one subject or style difficult it could be that you don’t have deep enough interest in it to drive you to conquer it. And, I think that’s OK.