When I first started photographing nature, I was in complete awe of the shots I would see in magazines. Even before I got serious about photography, I still enjoyed these pictures as a ‘casual observer’, but they were foreign to me in their creation. Somehow what was once very mysterious became almost magical to me once I picked up a camera. The photographers were wielding some secret powers not worthy of mere mortals. It was pretty easy to stick many of the famous photographers on pedestals. I would constantly compare to images I made myself recognizing how far off I was to replicating what I saw. As I learned more and grew with my own images – some of the mystery started to disappear and I became less interested in the mechanics of how someone made a certain image. It wasn’t that I already knew how either, the process or the tools just became less interesting and some of the pedestals noticeably lower.
But what I did discover is that just because the mystery and ‘magic’ had dissipated some for me, it began turning more into a deeper appreciation of the vision and artistry behind the images I liked. I became less enthused about images I was impressed by (and in awe of) in the past. I no longer say ‘wow’ to many shots that I once did (even including some of my own). I can appreciate it is a good shot – but what it takes to really move me has changed greatly. I think as artists learn and grow more with their art, their tastes and opinion changes on the works of others, and the work of our own past. We redefine the mysterious and magical. When the magic of yesterday has faded, I look for the magic of tomorrow to create more inspiration. This is a big part of why I find it so hard to judge someone else’s work at times – everyone is at different places on their own timelines, perhaps even on different paths. Who am I to cause a detour or place a stop sign in their journey?
As I have written about before, I draw parallels between my photographic experience and my feeble attempts at learning to play the guitar. I am still very much a beginner. I still have a lot of those notions of magic, mystery, and pedestals when it comes to guitar playing. But when I draw parallels between my guitar playing with some of my experience as a photographer, I can’t help but notice many similarities in how I feel towards learning, the frustrations, and feelings of inadequacy. I don’t have much vision of where I am headed – only that I just want to play better.
Having recently seen Rocco Deluca at a small venue in Detroit reinforced the feelings of awe and ‘magic’ even further. The guy is damn good for those of you who are not familiar with him. I really can’t imagine myself ever playing like that but in my dreams. Rocco and many other gifted musicians still hold that somewhat untouchable status to me. Learning the mechanics of what they do is hard enough, but the artistry and emotion behind their work is an entirely different aspect to grasp. If it is anything like photography, I expect it isn’t something that can be taught, but is simply acquired as you continue to learn, grow and have those defineable ‘Ah-Ha!’ moments.
I expect that if my perseverance holds up with learning guitar, I will end up going through some changes in how I feel about music as well. I am already trying to draw upon my path in photography, which still has so many unknown roads to explore. And even though some of the mystery may dissipate, I hope I will continue to have those ‘AH HA!” moments of revelation in both pursuits. A little bit of magic to reach for couldn’t hurt either.
One of the things I am often conflicted about is when I read or hear about “the way to shoot” a particular subject. For example, for shorebirds, the way that is often proclaimed as the best way to shoot them is on your belly, as low as you can possibly go. This creates the nice blurred surroundings and really makes the bird pop in the frame. It is the way I shot this Least Sandpiper – flat on my belly in the sand. I don’t disagree that it creates a very appealing portrait. It is much more intimate than one from a standing position.
Wanna trade links? 
. The one aspect of this drive that appealed to me in particular was that it was Firewire 800 compatible and that I had some extra space inside my computer to add a Firewire 800 card.
