During a recent photogravure workshop, I was standing around waiting for a plate to finish and I started to again think about why we photograph. What is is about photography that compels us to make images? I think for a lot of artists, regardless of their discipline, share some common threads. I believe that an artist is not unique because of some divine intervention but rather a willingness to put in the time. It reminded me of an article by Brooks Jensen from an old Lenswork magazine where he talks about why we make art. In this week’s podcast, we return to that article expanding on some of Brook’s ideas and put a little of my own spin on his foundation.
As I got to thinking about my own experiences, I realized that my photography comes down to a few buckets. There are things that I want to try and communicate. I also want to try and understand the world and photography give me a way to study the world differently than I would without the camera. I like the challenges that are faced when trying to work on a camera and communicate both big and small ideas. Finally, there is a limitation on our existence and a desire to live past our time through our art.
No matter what the reason you might have for creating your art, spending some time to sort out what motivates and drives you to create your work in the future might give you some insights into why you are working today.
Gear used in podcast
All three Rode components as kit
Adobe Audition (part of create cloud subscription)