As the year winds down here, I've been thinking about where I've been and where I'm going photographically speaking. I'll probably be writing about this a few more times this week, but for now, here's a little on inspiration.2007 saw a lot of things for me photographically, I went from a D70s and one kit lens, to a D200 and all 2.8 "pro" glass, I shot my first wedding, and bought my domain name. I started shooting stock for The Photoshelter Collection, taught myself Lightroom, read dozens of new books (the best of which were "Welcome to Oz, A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography" by Vincent Versace and, "Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies" by Lee Varis). I shot more than 20,000 digital exposures, traveled to (at least) 20 states and 3 new countries and yet somehow, I still feel like my work is missing something. The problem, in part, is that I can't put my finger on it, so I'm not sure how to address it.
Now, admittedly, this "problem" is something that spans my life, so this may be a part of my personality as much as anything else. For those of you who don't know this, my "real" job is as a professional (AA) umpire, and I've never walked off the field feeling satisfied. I've felt like I did a good, professional job before, but never as though I couldn't do better. It's almost as though my grasp always exceeds my reach, and yet I can't define what that grasp is.
That brings me to my question, what inspires you? Mostly for me, it's visual things, but sometimes it extends beyond that. Here's a short list of the things I find inspiring on a regular basis, pretty much in order:
-My Flickr favorites
-Chase Jarvis
-Moose Peterson
-Joe McNally
-Jimmy Yoo
-Matt Adcock
These are pretty much my go to sources of inspiration (especially the top two, Chase's video's are something I could watch (and have) for hours), but I'm always looking for more - maybe that's me showing my age too - I want more, more, more (did that sound like a Billy Idol song? That was not the intention....)
What inspires you?
2 comments:
Doug... Your blog really home for me. I have been suffering from a creative drought. As a result, I've been spending some serious one-on-one time viewing/reading sources from whom I've found great inspiration.
I've gone back and re-watched most all of my Ed Pierce videos. If you're not familiar - Ed has a yearly subscription of bi-monthly DVDs where he interviews various portrait/wedding photographers, and accompanies them to shoots, reviews software/gear, and also has a "DIY" segment from time to time. The ninety nine bucks I send Ed every year is one of my wisest, most inspirational purchases. You can find the info here:
http://www.photovisionvideo.com/
I've always struggled with presenting landscapes as I see them. People, action - I'm ok. Landscapes - it's been a struggle to convey what my brain and eye see, to the printed page. This is an area of my photography I still do not readily share, as it is very personal and not what I feel is ready for presenting.
I often go to http://www.fredmiranda.com
Beauty abounds here.
I will say that this website has also been my number one source for equipment reviews when making decisions for my Canon L grade lenses. (There's plenty for you NIKON lovers too! :O)
In addition to Versace, I also spend copious amounts of time viewing the work of Greg Gorman, and Joe Buissink.
Gorman's work truly inspires one to chase light.
http://www.gormanphotography.com
Joe Buissink will bring tears to your eyes, and warmth to your heart. His images transcend time.
http://www.joebuissink.com
I hope sharing my inspirational sources will help someone trying to break through that creative road block.
you told me once that your idea of success was something that can never be attained--and that that attitude kept you inspired to always grow, learn more, and do more. it sounds to me like the idea of never being satisfied is your personality. the bad news is, that's very frustrating, and you may find your head bruised, from where you are continually beating it against a brick wall. the good news is that you will never, truly, be finished...and there's no better way to stay young than that...in life as well as in art.
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