For the last few weeks I have been playing around with splashes and liquids, trying to produce as much as I can in camera. I was just messing around the other night, working though some ideas and produced this image. It is not perfect by any means, but I enjoyed the process of capturing this shot. I’ve found that most photographers put a lot of weight into producing perfect images every time they shoot. When you’re working on a project for a client that has specific needs or vision that’s totally fine. Yet, I think the pressure to produce perfect images, even when you’re just working through ideas or developing a new lighting set up, it is counter productive. I’ve been making a point to “sketch” in camera. I try to exist in the moment while I’m working through ideas, not putting too much pressure on myself to create exactly what I’m envisioning but to let go a little bit. Have some photonic fun. Every shot isn’t going to be absolutely amazing. Photography is a craft, and like all other crafts it takes a lot of failure and perseverance to get to where you want to be. It’s always great to have goals for your work, clients you want to work for, markets you want to work in. It isn’t beneficial by any means to become so wrapped up in that mindset that your goals stand in the way of your progress as a photographer or an artist in general. We were all brought into photography and visual media by passion and a need to create. Sometimes it’s a great exercise to keep that in mind, to take it full circle to the beginning.
