Mostly alone is how I do it. The less distractions the better for me, both shooting and in the dark room. I do enjoy company but then I find myself explaining what I'm doing, rather than doing
Mostly alone is how I do it. The less distractions the better for me, both shooting and in the dark room. I do enjoy company but then I find myself explaining what I'm doing, rather than doing
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I generally need solitude and time, lots of time. It takes me hours, if not days sometimes before I can get out of the normal left, analytical side of my brain and let the creative right side take over. It's a very difficult thing for me, but when it happens, time, hunger and thirst just disappear.
My wife and I are best friends and like to do everything together. She likes to watercolor and occasionally, I can find a photograph when she is with me drawing or painting. However, mostly, I'm always thinking, "Is she bored here yet?", "Is she finished with what she was painting?", or some such question even when she tells me not to worry about her and to go do my thing.
It just seems that I am always looking for subconscious reasons to not be creative. It makes me nuts!
Jim Cole
Flagstaff, AZ
Add me to the list of loners.... I can shoot with others, but I've rarely been happy with my results when I've been out with even one other.
OP...As an offshoot to my simple living work, I now use the practice of "voluntary solitude" to give me a more peaceful life. The same way I pick and choose which complexities of living I allow in my life, I now do the same with noise and commotion.
I first learned of this concept when reading a book by the granddaddy of backpacking Colin Fletcher. He described the benefits of pure solitude by walking alone. It occurred to me I was addicted to noise and commotion.
I felt like my mind was going to explode some days. Music and noise kept repeating in my brain all night and my sleep was fitful. I had the TV blasting all day with the stock channel or the news or whatever. It didn't matter if I watched it or not, I just liked the noise.
I had the radio or CD going whenever I was driving. Even on the trail when hiking or biking, I had on earphones and at the pool a radio blaring. My mind was full of noise and I could never seem to get any escape with noise even in my sleep.
Once I started with voluntary solitude and shut off the noise, I went though a period of noise withdrawal for a few days, but gradually could see things were getting better. Sometimes our peace is disturbed by other means than noise. I've seen persons going out to be alone in nature and they bring their computer or paperwork with them.
Maybe they have removed some of the fuel for their stressed life but cannot let go of it all and must still feed their addiction even while in nature. Be aware of peace disrupters in your life, irrespective of whether they make sounds or not.
I now am very choosy when it comes to noise pollution and other disruptions entering me that can be cured by using solitude, deep quiet and renunciation. When we are quiet within we are in an easier position to find peace. I've known some people that have a completely quiet day once per week seeking quiet for their mouth and speak to no one in addition to seeking quiet for their ears.
Other persons I have talked with just make an effort to lower the volume of the noise they intake as well as lowering the volume of the noise they output...lowering their voice. No matter which road you choose, now is a wonderful time to seek the solitude of nature and practice voluntary solitude in whatever degree you choose.
I have no tog friends. That is what I use forums for.Originally Posted by DanielStone
I don't get to meet many people, not very social. I sometimes meet people when shooting. Since I like shooting people, it is always welcome to find new subjects. Was out at a demo site shooting and met this gal Carla and her kid while testing out an out RD-1s and 21mm Zeiss. Didn't have an OVF, so half assed it with the composition. Worked out fine by luck.
Don't like it 100% alone, like some social interations now and again. But too much commotion in modern lives many a time.
Photography can be a meditative practice.
I was never into flower photos in my previous life of picture making. (see my sig line for some early examples.) But I took up an interest in nature photography recently. Each time I shoot in nature I notice it iprovides a relaxing, enjoyable zen-like meditative state.
It is similar to other movement based meditative activities I enjoy such as mountain biking, skating, skiing, swimming, scuba diving and climbing. And although nature photography may not be as physically demanding as the foregoing sports. Photographing flowers can still get you into some yoga like positions. Especially if you have no right angle finder!
Now, not all areas of mind concentration yield relaxation. While the forgoing areas concentrate you mind, they can also relax it. I can't say the same for paying bill, doing taxes, bumper to bumper traffic or dealing with deadbeat workers. Such areas concentrate my mind as well, but they also burn my ulcer and are far from relaxing. So activities for me can be lumped into 2 camps. Ulcer relaxing or ulcer burning. Photography is ulcer relaxing for me.
Well said,
Alan
Love my wife,but the only time we shoot together is when doing wild life, other wise I'm alone.
For me...it depends what I'm shooting, and who the company is.
If the company is professional, like a team on a fashion shoot, I do my best work with them around (not only them doing their jobs...but usually we bounce ideas around a bit and so on). I enjoy the support and collaboration.
However, for anything else I pretty much need solitude or I just won't get anything accomplished. I found this to be especially true the last time I shot LF regularly back in school. Friends in the studio and it took 4x longer.
For non-photographic art...I can do either, pretty surprisingly. I've had equally productive days painting and sculpting with loud music and constant conversation in the studio, and alone in silence, and everything in between. I tend to get in a zone no matter what's going on, like the art making part of my brain turns on and everything else gets relegated to another area, and they work separately but simultaneously. Not sure why photography is so different in that regard.
I have no problem visualizing strong compositions on crowded streets etc - I just don't want my view camera gear damaged or being constantly hassled. Even out hiking with another photo bug or two, I'll get the shots, but I won't be relaxed afterwards. I need solitude for a variety of reasons, and it certainly makes shooting itself much more enjoyable. I once encountered a rather famous photographer (for that era) with his workshop at a well-known scenic location - some hiking required, so not crowded overall -
but then he sees me with a view camera, walks up, and asks if he can dump his class on
me to get his sanity back - couldn't understand why they'd pay all that money for his
particular skills, when most of what he did was teach them how to set up and focus some
obscenely expensive view camera they had just purchased and had never touched before.
For me the hunt is just as important as the kill, and a fine print means a whole lot more if
there is some special moment or strong personal emotion behind it - even if nobody else knows what that really is. I try to impart it in the print, but you really can't include certain
kinds of intangibles.
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