Inspiration - twice a year

[Bill_1856]

I expect that in our formative years most of us have had some specific inspiration to whet our interest in photography.
For some of the lucky ones it may be a group trip to some museum or gallery to see a magnificant display of prints by Adams or Karsh. In my case it was probably the really BAD examples featured in the pages of Popular (or Modern) Photography, or even worse, U.S. Camera. Perhaps, as a budding teen-aged scientist I was actually more intrigued by the process than by the final product.
Eventually, I have traveled over much of the Western World, and enjoyed shows, both public and private, of many great photographs, and even managed to amass a nice personal collection of images (famous and otherwise). But while these may give great pleasure, they are not truly inspirational to get out and make some photographs for myself.
What really IS inspirational to me is watching the twice-a-year Sweeps Week local PBS screening of Ken Burns' "The Civil War!" Such magnificant images!
Man -- hour after hour of images which are not pretty pictures, but as a collection really mean something to the records of our civilization. It makes me want to grab a Speed Graphic or a Leica and go out there and do something truly worthwhile (photographically speaking).
A ridiculous thought, of course, (considering my age and infirmity), but it sure is nice to have this magnificant inspiration to automatically get my photography juices flowing, like a young Timothy O'Sullivan or William Henry Jackson.
I can still dream.

[ASRafferty]

What really IS inspirational to me is watching the twice-a-year Sweeps Week local PBS screening of Ken Burns' "The Civil War!"

Time with Ken Burns was one of Ted's perennial Projects to Get Around To -- he lives here, maybe 20 miles (tops) north of where the FFW gang wandered around in Southern NH/VT. Considering that only a fraction of the material Burns has seen gets into his films, Ted always thought that if we could get him to bring along nothing more than the sweepings from his cutting room floor and the experiences he's had handling all of the photographs he's researched, it would have been an amazing seminar.

[Richard M. Coda]

I have been doing a series on "Inspirations" on my blog. Some are quite obvious, others a little less so. Anyway, it's a good exercise and it makes you think about why you make certain images.

Inspirations (http://rcodaphotography.blogspot.com/search/label/Inspirations)

[chris_4622]

Bill,

What got me interested in photography was a coffee table my grandma had with pictures (under glass) of her family, some I know and many I don't. I have that table now and the images I make that mean the most to me are ones that impart the historical / documentary feel I got from looking at the photos in that table.

I've made my share of barn photos. In most cases they have already been torn down to make way for an industrial park, subdivision etc. I doubt my photos will amount to much historically speaking, what with so many people out there snapping away, the shear numbers work against that happening, but it is what satisfies me.

chris

[David Karp]

My Dad has always been an avid photographer, so perhaps my initial inspiration was just to do something like him, or perhaps with him. Quickly though, I came to really enjoy photography and working in the darkroom.

Early on, I loved sports photography. I would take photos of high school football games. Since I ran track, I would drag the FTb with me (I still have it and sometimes use it by the way), and make photos between and after I was done running my events.

Later, AA's series inspired me by showing me that there were other things to photograph besides sports and family events. For some reason, it never occurred to me to photograph the landscape, or architecture, or anything for art purposes. That opened up whole new worlds for me, and ultimately led me to my LF camera(s) and the things I am doing now.

I don't care if they are important. I just like photographing whatever it is I want to photograph.

[Bruce Barlow]

My son, Evan, just made an incredibly beautiful film about our little town of Swanzey, NH (pop 7,300). He blew 1,000 people out the back of the auditorium when we screened it May 30. We've sold almost that many DVDs to benefit the town.

His advisor for the project (a high school requirement) was Erik Ewers, Ken Burns's Emmy-award winning editor and sound editor. Erik asked Evan to come work in the Burns shop as an intern in August, befoire Evan goes off to film school.

When Evan visited Florentine Films the other day, Erik took him into a crowded conference room where a bunch of people were eating a working lunch. They cheered Evan for his film, and went around the table introducing themselves. The last guy at the head of the table said "Hi, I'm Ken," and then chomped his sandwich. It gets no better for an 18-year-old budding filmmaker.

[Brian Ellis]

I have been doing a series on "Inspirations" on my blog. Some are quite obvious, others a little less so. Anyway, it's a good exercise and it makes you think about why you make certain images.

Inspirations (http://rcodaphotography.blogspot.com/search/label/Inspirations)

I read your "Inspirations" series and it inspired me to go through more of your blog. A very interesting and enjoyable blog - and some excellent photography as well. Thanks.

[John Kasaian]

Wilhelm,
The Burns film is awesum, but before there was Burns, there were the images, the writing and the music. The Civil Was was one of the first historic events in the U.S. that has been preserved in all three dimensions and that makes it near and dear to US citizens. The Revolutionary War exists in "stimulating" (would that be the correct word?) history be means of "Yankee Doodle" and a few heroic paintings, mostly done long after the fact.
Not until photography came on the scene to visually document historic turning points do we find the study of history (and indeed our own history) so popular.
There is a great loss when each generation passes. WW2 and Great Depression survivors are disappearing quickly these days, and along with them the oral accounts of what happened but hopefully the snap shots they took will be preserved for some future Ken Burns to unite with writings and music into a fascinating glimpse into the rear-view mirror of life.

[Kirk Gittings]

The Ken Burns' Civil War epic prompted me last fall to visit Gettysburg and some other CW battlefield sites around Washington. We watch it also just before leaving on the trip. It was my first time at any of these sites and I have to say that having that series playing in my thoughts made the whole experience much more profound.

[Donald Miller]

Bill, I really enjoyed what you had to say...I also enjoyed the other comments. For me the inspiration to photograph came from viewing some of Howard Bond's work. Sadly I must now admit this was only a beginning and off on the wrong track as I see it today. So many photographers are into making those "pretty" pictures that you mentioned. While those may be beautiful and in some cases awe inspiring, they have very little to do with man and the conditions of man's life. Before one can run on a track they must find a track to run on. In my opinion "pretty pictures" is not where it is at.

[Richard M. Coda]

I read your "Inspirations" series and it inspired me to go through more of your blog. A very interesting and enjoyable blog - and some excellent photography as well. Thanks.

Thank you! I try to keep it light-hearted :)

[Steve M Hostetter]

Ken Burns is God and PBS is heaven,,! I always wanted to say that but thought ppl might think I was crazy:D

[rdenney]

Bill, I really enjoyed what you had to say...I also enjoyed the other comments. For me the inspiration to photograph came from viewing some of Howard Bond's work. Sadly I must now admit this was only a beginning and off on the wrong track as I see it today. So many photographers are into making those "pretty" pictures that you mentioned. While those may be beautiful and in some cases awe inspiring, they have very little to do with man and the conditions of man's life. Before one can run on a track they must find a track to run on. In my opinion "pretty pictures" is not where it is at.

(Emphasis mine.)

Please, there is no single "it". You have an "it", and others have their own "its".

I find that the more we assume the non-animal world is static rather than dynamic, the more it changes before we get a chance to appreciate it. Beautiful pictures of the natural scene, and artistic representations even of the constructed works of man will have as much historical relevance as pictures of the life humans live. I'm glad that photographers are inspired to photograph both.

Some of my street-photography colleagues think of me as a minor member of the Pretty Rocks School, and I suppose I'm guilty. But I don't feel guilty about it. The images hanging on the walls of our house of those pretty rocks (most not made by me) make our house peaceful and calm--a place of refuge rather than disturbance. Others may find that to be pusillanimous, but so be it.

Rick "whose inspiration comes from a walk in the woods, among the pretty rocks" Denney

[Marko Trebusak]

Please, there is no single "it". You have an "it", and others have their own "its".

I find that the more we assume the non-animal world is static rather than dynamic, the more it changes before we get a chance to appreciate it. Beautiful pictures of the natural scene, and artistic representations even of the constructed works of man will have as much historical relevance as pictures of the life humans live. I'm glad that photographers are inspired to photograph both.

Some of my street-photography colleagues think of me as a minor member of the Pretty Rocks School, and I suppose I'm guilty. But I don't feel guilty about it. The images hanging on the walls of our house of those pretty rocks (most not made by me) make our house peaceful and calm--a place of refuge rather than disturbance. Others may find that to be pusillanimous, but so be it.

Rick "whose inspiration comes from a walk in the woods, among the pretty rocks" Denney

Count me in, Rick! My playing ground is nature and inspiration comes from nature too. Long hikes and amazing views ranging from few cm to grand vistas are where my spirit drinks. I startd as a bird photographer, but when our firs son was born, there wasn't time available for me to sit in hide for few hours, and so I turned my atention to other wonders of my suroundings. I discovered landscape and it doesn't stop to amaze me. When I think of other photographers as my inspiration, Michael Kenna and his photos of Japan and photos of my friend Guy Edwards comes to mind.

I know that photographers are different and their work is different, but I really can't imagine my inspiration for taking heavy gear out of the closet and drag it around for few hours in search of an image would come from some bloody and depressing photo of second world war or any of other such self destructing human behaviours. I know that photos of such events must exist to warn us that we are our worst enemy, but excuse me this kind of photography isn't my cup of tea. There was one of the main fronts of first world war quite close to where I live, but I still only see crystal clear Soča river with it's amazing turquoise coloured water that luckily washed out blood many, many years ago.

Marko

[John Kasaian]

Bill, I really enjoyed what you had to say...I also enjoyed the other comments. For me the inspiration to photograph came from viewing some of Howard Bond's work. Sadly I must now admit this was only a beginning and off on the wrong track as I see it today. So many photographers are into making those "pretty" pictures that you mentioned. While those may be beautiful and in some cases awe inspiring, they have very little to do with man and the conditions of man's life. Before one can run on a track they must find a track to run on. In my opinion "pretty pictures" is not where it is at.

I beg to differ.
If "pretty pictures" inspire awe, then they have a lot to do with man and the conditions of man's life.
Inspiration is finding a track to run on.
:)

[ASRafferty]

Our run of Burns' "The Civil War" started this afternoon on NH Public TV, and I'm indebted to Bill for reminding me recently in this thread that, years after the first time I saw it, there are now other ways to watch it than those I initially had. What a prism is the awareness of photography and photographers that I've acquired since then. Remembering what it felt like for me to stand in a field "assisting" is obviously nothing compared to what the "assistant" at Antietam with Brady must have felt, but it's the only way that I have into that part of the film, which Burns so clearly intended us to notice.

I'll never know enough to appreciate photography like you all do, and I probably don't know what's art and what isn't. But the courage and the fire of the (first?) photojournalist are inspiration enough for me. Bless Ken Burns for insisting that we pay attention to that, amid all of the other beauty in his films.

[jp]

For color outdoor photography (which means digital to me), Eliot Porter is a major inspiration. Not landscapes of grand scale, but outdoor scenes of a variety of scales.

I also appreciate sports photography. Sports is perhaps the most challenging task of local photojournalism expertise. It's full of surprises, challenges, fleeting situations and sports talent, and emotion. It's not a color or B&W task, and you can't really appreciate sports photography unless you've done it for a couple seasons.

For black and white, which is LF for me now, it's quite a bit more mixed, but I tend to appreciate the goals of straight photography quite a bit. But I'm still experimenting and trying to be well rounded when it comes to photographic possibilities.