'Your first 10,000
photographs are your worst.' - Henri Cartier Bresson
My photographs don't always turn out the way I pictured them
in my head.
Sometimes it works out better than expected and is a lovely
surprise, but more likely than not, I pictured a much better outcome.
I have come to realize I can't make good art without making
crappy art first. I learn from my
crap. I see what colors, backgrounds and
angles work best for me, what depth of field is appropriate, how light plays a
part in the whole picture... the list is infinite. There are times I can reshoot and make it
better, other times I have to scrap the whole thing.
My mistakes help me grow, as a photographer and a person.
If everything worked out perfectly I wouldn't learn a thing. And isn't that why we are here? To learn and
do what we love. I love photography so
I am sticking with it, even if my photographs are sometimes crappy.
That was my big girl voice talking.
There are times the little girl in me wants to have a temper
tantrum because it is hard to remember there is a lesson in every mistake. Sometimes I want to scream when I keep making crappy pictures. But somewhere deep inside I have the urge to
keep moving. I think moving is the key, doing something, anything, not necessarily related to whatever I just messed up. Eventually I get a bit of inspiration to try again, or something new, and hopefully remember all the lessons I learned along the way.
Thanks so much for visiting.
Celebrate your creations today, even if they are
crappy. :)
Michelle
A very encouraging post...it's so hard to get to the point that we really understand that we learn by making mistakes. I want it perfect the first time kinda person and I can get so frustrated in the learning process. I can say you nailed perfection in this shot. Everything about it is beautiful....
ReplyDeleteAs I read this, I'm smiling about my own "crappy" photos I've made, and can so relate to "scrapping the whole shoot"...I've done that numerous times. I get this grand idea, in my head, and it simply didn't turn out, at all! That part reminds to just "be still" as we know that term...and wait for another moment, which is difficult for me sometimes...like waiting until tomorrow when the sun will shine and better light will make the picture so much nicer than today's cloudy skies. I LOVE your words, and I LOVE your photo! Thank you for sharing. This was an uplifting read for me today.
ReplyDeleteI just listened to an Elizabeth Gilbert podcast today on this very subject, how you have to go through periods of making crappy work, so when you come out of the other side, it is fabulous. Every artist goes through it. I try new things, I think, for this very reason.
ReplyDeleteYour words sure do hit home. It's funny though, last night I combed through some of my photos and found a few I loved but originally thought were crappy.
ReplyDeleteI do find that working on other types of art or craft help clear my mind for my next photography project.
Crappy is a scene I'm familiar with, especially in still life photography. Part of the problem for me is I'm the one trying to greater the scene, to find the balance. When I shoot outdoors I'm not as crappy as often because I'm never looking for the scene, I go wth no expectations, I wait for the scene to find me.
ReplyDeleteYou photo today is lively as are your words.
This is a beautiful image, Michelle, and it felt heart warming to read about your experience with learning how to accept that crappy side of photography. :) When I started my still-life photography adventure at the beginning of this year and my photos looked much worse than what I expected to get, my "mantra" became the words "moving on...". I even finished several of my posts with these words at that time. And the idea has helped me for sure, it keeps pushing me forward and inspiring me. Let's celebrate our will to grow and keep moving! :)
ReplyDeleteI toss more photos than I keep, and every photo is a lesson for "how can I do it better next time?"
ReplyDelete(I thought I added you to my list of blogs to read. Anyway, you are definitely there now.) Your images are so wonderful!!!
Take care until next time,
Kelly
Your photos are sensational, Michelle, and I admire them very much. You have a great eye. I think we all learn from our mistakes. And I think we do it across the board: in business, in relationships, in home-making, in learning how to take great photographs and a hundred thousand other things. So I salute your "big girl" attitude and will try to follow your lead. Wishing you a fabulous weekend, Bonny
ReplyDeleteOh boy do I relate to this post Michelle! I hope this is a photo you saw in your head-it's beautiful!
ReplyDeletei can so relate to this post…and often think my next blog should be titled lessons along the way…as that is everything in life!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this post Michelle.....how great is it that we have all been there/are still going there :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd yet we produce beautiful images in the end.....