Changing Expectations

I have recently noticed that every time I go out with my camera I am taking far less photographs than I used to. I may take a number of images of the same subject matter, or composition, but overall my trend is to create fewer images, with the subconscious objective of aiming for a smaller number of satisfying photographs rather than volume.

Probably like most photographers, particularly in the digital age, I started by coming back from every photoshoot with tens, if not hundreds, of images. With the benefit of hindsight I probably gave far less thought to what I was photographing than I do today, and was simply consumed in a process to take a photograph of just about anything that I thought ‘looked nice’. On reflection I was simply capturing representative images rather than using my creativity and imagination to generate something that tells my story or illustrates my feelings towards a subject. The output was occasionally a pleasing scene, but more often than not a below average photograph that was ultimately bound for the digital archive never to be seen again.

So what does this all mean? What has changed for me? Why am I taking far less photographs than I used to? When I asked myself these questions it initially stimulated a concern that I had lost my creativity, or even that I had never possessed sufficient creativity in the first place to produce work of a standard that satisfied me, never mind anyone else. The photographer’s arch enemy, imposter syndrome, reared it’s head and my confidence levels were temporarily challenged. However, when I stopped to really think about it and emptied my mind of emotion and negative reaction, I rationalised my thoughts and realised that it is simply the case that my expectations have changed. I no longer want to just capture images of nice locations, I want to be more selective and create work that represents my thoughts and feelings about nature, a specific location, or a specific subject. I want to take unique images of subjects that speak to me, that hold my interest, and which evoke an emotional reaction in me. I want each photograph to be capable of stimulating a memory, my memory of how I felt when I took the photograph and therefore why I took that photograph.

Looking forward I believe my photography will be even more personally rewarding, not necessarily in the quality of my work, although I hope that is the case, but certainly in the pure enjoyment gained from the process of slowing down, being more thoughtful and considerate in my choice of subject, and by taking photographs that illustrate my emotional connection with those subjects.