obviologist

I've been thinking a lot about photography and its natures.  At one time I was wholly set on being a documentary photographer.  I love the medium and still do, the feel and look of a documentary style print is, well, breathtaking, the stories that can be told are meaningful and powerful, and good documentary photography has the power to change minds and hearts.  There was one problem that stopped me from really pursuing documentary work, and it took me a long time to realize it.  The problem was, I didn't care enough about any one topic to pursue it far beyond a meager beginning, and never to an end.  I should clarify, I am not saying I am heartless and passionless. What I am saying is that while there are things I care about and think about and am moved because of, there was nothing that I felt strongly enough and passionately enough that I felt I could or should try and move other people about that would take more than one or two images to do.

So here here is the crux of my post today.  As I look around the photography world, I have noticed that there is a group of photographers that pic up the camera as a means to illustrate some other end that holds their passion. Be it snowboarding or skateboarding, mountain climbing or some social issue that they feel needs to be shown to the world. For them Photography is strictly a tool to be used for the benefit of something greater in their lives.

Many times I have tried to find that Higher meaning for myself, something that I could care enough about to make me pic up the camera and shoot. The answer I keep coming back to is that photography IS my end, it is that thing that the other things I do are aimed at, and the things that I am doing that are not aimed at photography are slow ebbing away.

My question then is this; What is photography for you, is it a Means to brighten and liven some other End that you love, or is it the End that keep your days focused and passions tuned.

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Time and time again I've thought about what makes a great photographer, how does one become an Ansel Adams, Richard avedon or Annie Leibovits? What was it about them that set them apart from the rest of us that love to take pictures but struggle to get noticed? Turns out I am not the only one who has ever asked those kinds of questions about the people we call The Greats, People like Mozart, JP Morgan, Steve Jobs and Michael Jordan, and of course the aforementioned Great Photographers. The subject of the New book I am reading, 'Outliers' Malcolm Gladwell one place were that question is asked, and some surprising answers are given.  

It turns out according to Gladwell, success is due to a lot of things, many of which are not what you would expect, for example, what month of the year you were born, or even your birth order.  Many of the things that lead a person to success come down to shear luck, but there is one thing (at least) that you can take into your own hands as you strive for that illusive, and fickle mistress, Success.  That one thing is what Gladwell calls the 10,000 hour principle, its simple, if you want to master anything, to Truly be great you need to spend at least 10,000 hours actively trying to be better at it.  Yup, thats right, if you want to be the best at something, you just have to do it, and then re-do it, and then do it again, and again, and again.   The people who we call the past masters were so because they ate slept and breathed their work, it was everything to them, and the legacy that devotion left is truly astounding.    

I know the question you have been adding up on your fingers since you started reading, What does 10,000 hours look like, well don't stress, I did the math for you,  If you actively worked at your chosen field for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week (thats 20 hours a week) 52 weeks a year, for 10 years you would reach 10,000 hours.   and don't even think about skipping corners, it wont work, Even Mozart who is considered a musical prodigy, didn't start composing works that are considered great by musical standards until after he had been composing for 20 years.

With this 10,000 hour principle in mind, I am re-focusing and re-dedicating myself to my art.  Though it is conceivable at this point that I have dome 3-4k hours already, its time that I focus in on making my work great and not just good.  For myself what Im in the act of creating, is a book, into which, I will be putting images that i find interesting, inspiring or simply fantastic, and then will systematically be working to learn the techniques that went into creating each of those images. Hopefully this will keep me organized and goal oriented in a way that will lead to success.  

Please cheer me on in this. give me suggestions, and join in the goal with me and start on your own path to master.


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Facebook:

This is just a brief journal, I simply wanted to let all of you know that my Adam Heath Image FB Fanpage www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-He… up so you should totally like! me.

Also, you should Friend me at my personal FB page  here: www.facebook.com/obviologist

Thanks bunches.


Adam the Obviologist


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you know, I think that I too wrapped up in what people on DA are doing (or other art networking sites), I spend a lot of time looking for great images, and trying to coax people over to look at my gallery. I think at times we all do this to some degree.  I do this so much that I tend to forget about a group of people we call the Past Masters, so I have been trying to slow down and focus a little more on their work and what made them great.   one thing I've noticed is that along with their great images, these Past Masters had a lot of years of photography behind them and had some fantastic insights.  so I decided to let Ansel Adams and Irving penn take the lead on the bulk of this journal. I hope that their words inspire.

Ansel Adams:
"No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit."

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

"I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term -- meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching -- there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster."

                and one from Irving Penn:

"A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective."


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I finally ordered the 7D From Pictureline,  they have a shipment coming in tomorrow and i have dibs on one of them i am sooooooooooo excited I cant even stand it. The only way it would have been better is if they would have had a body in stock instead of the kits that they have with the most worthless lenses money can buy.  but waiting a day is not the end of the world.  I did bring home my new 70-200 f4.0L USM today so that will tide me over till tomorrow!!!!!