Unlike the last readings we had to do, the first chapter in Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird “School Lunches” that we read for this week didn’t feel as if it had that much advice that could relate to photography as it did to writing. The main idea that I could get from it, however, was that sometimes you just have to do something instead of just thinking about it. As she pointed out, sometimes when her students don’t know what to write about she tells them to think back to their school lunches and describe what they can remember. Though this material most likely will never be used, sometimes all you need to do to get ideas and motivation flowing is to start from somewhere. The way I took this to relate to photography is that sometimes we are overwhelmed by what is happening in front of us that we don’t even know where to focus our attention. I used to have this issue when I did an internship a few summers ago at a small community newspaper where I would go to these community events and try to document the people and events to make them personal. Sometimes, however, there were just too many events unfolding at once that I didn’t know where to start. So instead, I would just start taking pictures of everything and then go back and see what was the most interesting. Although it may have wasted some of my time and most of the images wouldn’t be used, it helped me get an idea of where to start focusing my attention, which I think is the main point Lamott wants to make. Sometimes we need to just do and not think in order to get started.
The statement I liked best in the second chapter that we read from Lamott, “Polaroids,” was “You can’t- and, in fact, you’re not supposed to- know exactly what the picture is going to look like until it has finished developing.” Sometimes my biggest issue with developing story ideas is that I begin to imagine what the picture will look like before I even fully know the situation. Then when I actually start shooting the assignment, I miss other moments because I’m constantly waiting for the one that I already had in my mind. While brainstorming the situation before you head into an assignment is not always a bad thing to do, it does limit your perception and what you really should be observing. I did this a lot last semester when I was working on my Boone Life column, and finally after a few trips to shoot I realized that I shouldn’t be so preoccupied with what could be and instead should be focused on the events as they unfold in front of me.
The second part I liked about this chapter is how she described how her perception of the Special Olympics changed while she was watching it. She may have gone into the event with the mentality that it was going to be as everyone portrays it year after year, but she discovered a new angle by looking at it differently. Sometimes photographers may go into a situation where they think it will just be the standard shoot, and then end up leaving with something totally unexpected. This just all depends on if we let our previous mentality affect the work we produce, or if we allow the events to develop our story ideas. In many ways it is just a matter of being compelled by your surroundings because you know that there may be a new way to look at something. Today gave a perfect example of this: when Lindsay was brainstorming ideas for the police dance, she was given a whole new angle when the suggestion of finding a female cop was offered. Sometimes stepping away from a project for a bit or some outside perspective works the best in creating stories, which is why preconceived notions are not always the best for developing a picture story.
I feel that the reading on “Selecting a Subject” by Bill Jay and David Hurn, however, was the most interesting section that we read for this assignment. The main point that I will take away from this reading is that you have to have a passion or interest in what you are photographing in order to make it an interesting picture for others to see. As a photojournalism student, I find it hard sometimes to come up with interesting story ideas because things that I have an interest in are not that visual, or are just too broad. I remember in fundamentals, as well, when we did the classmate assignment and the person who was supposed to find an interesting aspect of my life to document had a very hard time. I don’t have that many interests, and the ones I do mostly just focus around infants or the elderly. I like the idea of showing the process of creating a new life and developing that life, but also showing the journey of life that the elderly experienced. This is why during staff, and when I did my internship as well, some days I just found it very hard to go do my job. If I am not interested in the subject matter, I have a hard time caring about the pictures I create. I’m sure this is the case with a lot of other photographers, and I would be interested in learning how others overcome it. On the other hand, however, having a greater interest in something that you are documenting is extremely useful because you understand better, and are therefore able to share this understanding with the viewers.
I thought Jay and Hurn made an interesting point about how emotion can play into the images that photographers create as well. While it is not always a bad thing, emotion can make the photographer skew the view of something because it is something they love, but can’t bear to show in bad light. Though it is better if we have an interest in the subject matter of a photo story, sometimes being too invested can hurt being objective, and perhaps the overall project. This is exactly why while on staff they didn’t want us to go out on an assignment that we had any sort of affiliation with, or use contacts that were friends or family members. That is also why I think the best way to create a photo story or essay is to pick a topic of interest, and one that you may be a little attached to, but not be so involved that you know you won’t be able to document it fairly.
The statement I liked best in the second chapter that we read from Lamott, “Polaroids,” was “You can’t- and, in fact, you’re not supposed to- know exactly what the picture is going to look like until it has finished developing.” Sometimes my biggest issue with developing story ideas is that I begin to imagine what the picture will look like before I even fully know the situation. Then when I actually start shooting the assignment, I miss other moments because I’m constantly waiting for the one that I already had in my mind. While brainstorming the situation before you head into an assignment is not always a bad thing to do, it does limit your perception and what you really should be observing. I did this a lot last semester when I was working on my Boone Life column, and finally after a few trips to shoot I realized that I shouldn’t be so preoccupied with what could be and instead should be focused on the events as they unfold in front of me.
The second part I liked about this chapter is how she described how her perception of the Special Olympics changed while she was watching it. She may have gone into the event with the mentality that it was going to be as everyone portrays it year after year, but she discovered a new angle by looking at it differently. Sometimes photographers may go into a situation where they think it will just be the standard shoot, and then end up leaving with something totally unexpected. This just all depends on if we let our previous mentality affect the work we produce, or if we allow the events to develop our story ideas. In many ways it is just a matter of being compelled by your surroundings because you know that there may be a new way to look at something. Today gave a perfect example of this: when Lindsay was brainstorming ideas for the police dance, she was given a whole new angle when the suggestion of finding a female cop was offered. Sometimes stepping away from a project for a bit or some outside perspective works the best in creating stories, which is why preconceived notions are not always the best for developing a picture story.
I feel that the reading on “Selecting a Subject” by Bill Jay and David Hurn, however, was the most interesting section that we read for this assignment. The main point that I will take away from this reading is that you have to have a passion or interest in what you are photographing in order to make it an interesting picture for others to see. As a photojournalism student, I find it hard sometimes to come up with interesting story ideas because things that I have an interest in are not that visual, or are just too broad. I remember in fundamentals, as well, when we did the classmate assignment and the person who was supposed to find an interesting aspect of my life to document had a very hard time. I don’t have that many interests, and the ones I do mostly just focus around infants or the elderly. I like the idea of showing the process of creating a new life and developing that life, but also showing the journey of life that the elderly experienced. This is why during staff, and when I did my internship as well, some days I just found it very hard to go do my job. If I am not interested in the subject matter, I have a hard time caring about the pictures I create. I’m sure this is the case with a lot of other photographers, and I would be interested in learning how others overcome it. On the other hand, however, having a greater interest in something that you are documenting is extremely useful because you understand better, and are therefore able to share this understanding with the viewers.
I thought Jay and Hurn made an interesting point about how emotion can play into the images that photographers create as well. While it is not always a bad thing, emotion can make the photographer skew the view of something because it is something they love, but can’t bear to show in bad light. Though it is better if we have an interest in the subject matter of a photo story, sometimes being too invested can hurt being objective, and perhaps the overall project. This is exactly why while on staff they didn’t want us to go out on an assignment that we had any sort of affiliation with, or use contacts that were friends or family members. That is also why I think the best way to create a photo story or essay is to pick a topic of interest, and one that you may be a little attached to, but not be so involved that you know you won’t be able to document it fairly.
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