In Your Heart of Hearts

Photo by Kirsty Mitchell

Perhaps you’ve seen a popular link lately, to an article about photographer Kirsty Mitchell’s Wonderland series – one that she created over a three-year period, in memory of her mother.  When she lost her mother to brain cancer, Ms. Mitchell escaped her grief through her camera’s viewfinder.  What was intended to be a summertime experiment turned into a three-year project, with breathtakingly beautiful results.  Her images have captured the imagination of countless people via the internet; Ms. Mitchell has plans for an exhibition of the work, and an accompanying book.

Photo by Kirsty Mitchell

When I first saw the images, I was astonished by their beauty, and inspired by her dedication to the project.  When I saw them again today, they reminded me of a lesson that I keep trying to remember in my own creative life as a photographer.

Photo by Kirsty Mitchell

To explain:  I’m the mother of two very young boys, whom (of course) I adore.  When they play outside, they love to pick handfuls of tiny wildflowers and bring them in to Mommy with sweetness in their eyes.  My heart melts each time, and of course, I’ve wanted to keep those flowers forever.  Since that wasn’t possible, I – quite naturally, I suppose – started photographing them.  Pleased with the results, I posted them online and offered the images for sale.  For a couple of months, nothing.  But then, out of the blue, I heard from a company that wanted to offer some of the images for sale internationally, at Ikea stores.  After determining that this wasn’t some barely comprehensible scam, I signed a five-year contract for the sale of two images at Ikea stores, as a packet of two posters.  The product launches early next year.

On White, Dandelions, Copyright 2012 Teresa Castracane Photography

My point?  Well, my point is this:  when I created those flower images, I wasn’t thinking about Ikea, or my business’s bottom line, or about pleasing anyone other than myself.  I was merely satisfying a desire, and a visual notion, that originated in my heart of hearts, and would have stayed there if I hadn’t taken action to bring the imaginary into reality. And while I can’t read Ms. Mitchell’s mind, my impression is that she began creating her images to satisfy a deeply personal need, and that it didn’t matter much to her what the outcome might be – she simply needed to make those photographs.  And in the end, I believe this is what speaks to other people – artwork (photography or otherwise) that comes from our most intimate selves.  Are you following your own creative impulses? Or are you, without realizing it, merely doing what you think will please other people? If you’re honest with yourself about what pleases you, what fascinates you, what images you need to create, your work will have an authenticity and a distinction that can’t help but be stirring to others.

On White, Bleeding Heart, Copyright 2012 Teresa Castracane Photography

So, I encourage you to shut down your inner critic, and especially all those ugly outer critics, and quiet down enough to hear that voice in yourself.  The next step is to commit to bringing your ideas to fruition, and after that, your skill and experience take you the rest of the way.

See more of Kirsty Mitchell’s images here.

My stuff is here.

Guest Blogger Kristen Cleveland: Pinhole Photography coming to WSP

Events at Washington School of Photography are becoming bigger and better in our new space. We’ve always had gallery openings, and open houses, but we’re entering a new realm of events with guest speakers, auctions, and more artist opportunities than ever before.

Something I’m very happy to announce is a FREE workshop, open to the public, coming this May.

WSP will be hosting world-famous Justin Quinnell, expert on pinhole photography. Not only is Justin a pro on the art of pinhole photography, but he knows the ins and outs of constructing your very own pinhole camera. He can construct a pinhole lens from almost anything – an old film canister, a beer can, anything! In his workshop at WSP Justin will be giving his “Aristotle’s Hole” Lecture talking a little bit about the history of pinhole photography, but also the art itself, and a brief demo on construction of the device.

Justin himself is hilarious. A wonderfully-chatty Brit, who wants nothing but to share his love of pinhole with the world. He called me up one day – after swapping a few emails – and after working out the event details, ended up telling me about his great two kids who will be visiting the US with him this summer. They seem like adorable miniatures of their father – of course he sent me a photo of them to “follow up on our discussion earlier”.

His love of the history of pinhole is also wonderful. When I mentioned a potential blog post, he responded with a long list of history facts. A couple of my favorites include…

“The earliest recorded reference [of pinhole photography] was in 470 BC when the Chinese philosopher Mo ti compared light forming an image through a small hole acting as an arrow being fired.”

“In the 19^th century the invention of photography along with developments in lens design, gave an eager public the ability for self portraits without the need for being clamped still for hours! Pinhole photographers consisted of a few brave exponents holding out against the roller coaster progress of lens based photography and the accompanying desire to look cool with a camera!”

Justin’s images have appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, Dentistry Today and NASA.gov.  He was pinhole photography consultant for the Rachel Weisz – Mark Ruffalo movie ‘The Brothers Bloom’.   He has made broadcast appearances on The One show, Jonathan Ross show, Blue Peter and Radio 4 ‘Today’.  Justin’s published credits include ‘Mouthpiece’ and ‘Make your own paper camera’.  A third publication, ‘Make your Own Pinhole Camera’, will be published in June.

We are really looking forward to Justin’s lecture, to take place on May 25^th, 2pm-4pm. It promises to be an educational event, filled with plenty of entertaining stories and words of wisdom to the pinhole public.

To register for the workshop – free of charge – visit our website.

If you’d like to learn more about Justin, or see some of his pinhole photography, please visit his site at http://www.pinholephotography.org/

The Virtue of the Printed Photograph – and the Digital One

In the Huffington Post Weddings section, a blog post appears by photographer Kathleen Trenske, entitled “The Case Against ‘Good Enough'”.

In the post, she recommends that brides and grooms have an album of their wedding photos professionally printed and bound in an album, instead of simply purchasing a disc of the digital images (which many do, to save money).  Her argument is that a beautifully bound album provides a better and longer-lasting keepsake for the couple’s children and grandchildren.

I appreciate the value of such a thing – like the author, I have vivid and cherished sense memories of my parents’ wedding album, bound in white leather, and containing maybe 20 striking images.  But this issue highlights for me how much we, as an industry, are still smack in the middle of the transition from the older to the newer technologies.  Will a time come when some digital representation of an image is the standard?  The most convenient and usual way to enjoy our photographic memories, appreciated by professionals and casual users alike?  I, for one, love to look at digital images – they seem to be inherently made of light – but I sure don’t want to sit down at my computer every time I want to look at a cherished image, and Facebook doesn’t seem like the ideal family photo album for the long term.

So, what do you think?  Will there always be circumstances under which we prefer to print our images?  Or is a more modern way of keeping, appreciating, and cherishing our photos coming down the line?

By the way, be sure to read the comments at the bottom of the post – both sides of the argument are interestingly represented there.

Welcome Home to Rockville!

Our grand opening party was a big success.  Thanks to everyone who was able to come out and celebrate with us.  If you weren’t able to make it, no worries – just come join us for class!

Our new location is 12276 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD, 20852.  Email us at info@washingtonschoolofphotography.com, or call 301.654.1998.

Now, take a minute to enjoy a glimpse of the festivities, and the beautiful new space!

Photo credit for these images goes to Leo Heppner, longtime friend of WSP.

A Photo a Day

Looking for a photography challenge?  Need something to shake you out of your doldrums?  Or are you just the type of person who needs to have a concrete project in mind to get you going?

If any of those applies, here’s an idea for you:  a 365 project.  In short, you take one photograph every day, for an entire year, no matter what.  (And yes, I give you permission to use the phone in your camera if you need to.)

I haven’t tried one myself, but here’s what I imagine:  some days, you’d travel a bit to capture a subject you’ve always admired, some days you’d finally set up the studio for that idea that’s been brewing in the back of your mind, but some days – maybe most days – you would probably end up saying, “Oh crap, it’s 10pm and I haven’t done my 365 photo yet.”  And THEN what would happen?  That’s what I’m most curious about.  You’d be sitting at your desk, or out for the evening, maybe in a completely unphotogenic location, maybe in a very difficult lighting situation, and you’d pull out the camera, and try your damnedest to make a great shot of it.  That’s where I think the exercise could really start to expand your preconceptions, call on your skills as a photographer, and force you to see things in a new way.  You might end up discovering that you love taking photos of clowns, or that you have a talent for abstraction, or that there are amazing things you can do with long exposures.  And even if these new ideas have little to do with your bread and butter, they can’t help but expand your creativity.  And who knows, maybe your portfolio too.

For inspiration, visit Mark Seton’s 365 Project 2012.

Mark Seton
336/366 Down My Street

Photography Burnout

It seems like everyone I know these days has too much on their plate.  Or maybe it’s just projection, and it’s really only ME that has too much on my plate.  All I know is that, when I’ve been going non-stop, and when there’s no break in sight, I want to stick my camera in the back of the closet and lock the studio door.  And that’s not a great place for a photographer to be.

So, since I’m in the middle of burnout myself, I’m going to keep this brief:  sometimes, you need to stop, and look around you.  And take a deep breath once in a while.

And, while I’m at it, here are some links to other folks’ ideas about how to take a break, how to get new ideas, how to love what you do again.

What’s your favorite way to refresh?  Please, tell us.  At least one of us needs to know.

http://virtualphotographystudio.com/2008/07/are-you-facing-photographer-burn-out/

This is a very short post, but if this idea of filling the well appeals to you at all, I highly recommend looking further into Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.  An intensive but very rewarding way to rekindle your creativity:

http://juliacameronlive.com/2012/08/17/filling-the-well/

http://artaligned.com/lessons-from-my-burnout/

http://www.slideshare.net/hugeglenn1975/dealing-with-burnout-in-professional-photography

Use Your Camera For Good

 

(Photo credit:  Joshua Mindemann, http://darkknight1986.deviantart.com/art/Helping-Hand-208312488)

Recently, a friend shared an article with me:  http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/25/health/brian-steel-impaired-perceptions/index.html?iphoneemail

It’s about a disabled photographer named Brian Steel who, “tired of the way people made up their minds before getting to know him,” created a series of images called “Impaired Perceptions”.  In it, he sets out to empower other people with disabilities, and change the perceptions of those around them.

You’ve probably heard of an organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, through which volunteer photographers capture the first and last moments of the life of a dying infant, as a gift to the grieving parents.

And there are countless other photographers out there who, in addition to running their businesses, are also contributing their time and skills to a purpose that matters to them.  That last part really is the key – when you come upon an idea of how to help your fellow human beings that really lights you up, you’ll know you’ve found the right cause, the effort that you can be happy giving yourself to.  

If you do this, the first thing you may notice is the feeling of well-being that you get from it yourself.  Another thing you may notice is the way it helps keep your skills honed, and keep you building upon your skills and your craft.  And one other thing you may notice is that it helps to bring more paying business your way.

But again, the key to making it a beneficial situation to those you’re helping, to your business, and to your own self-worth, is that the cause be one that truly matters to you, truly moves you, and makes you want to take action.

Once you’ve decided what that is, start asking around (or googling around) for organizations that might appreciate your help.  It could light things up in a whole new way. 

For inspiration, take a look at the back page of Professional Photographer Magazine.  They have a column called Good Works, in which they profile a different photographer’s contribution to society each month.

Are you already involved in something like this?  We’d love to hear about it.

You Must Have a Really Nice Camera

 

You know, it’s possible we’ve visited this topic before.  But it seems to strike a nerve – with me, as well as with lots of other folks.  Of course, you can’t show up for a professional job with a toy camera, and you can’t provide portraits that can be printed no larger than my thumbnail.  That said, wouldn’t it be a terrific challenge to one’s creativity, and mastery of the art of photography, to set out with a ridiculously simple camera and see how good an image you’re able to get?  Not with a client, of course!  Not when someone’s paying you the big bucks!  But, as an exercise.  To help remind you of what it is in your eye, in your mind, in your heart – not in your camera – that makes a great photograph.

See here for a video of David Hobby of The Strobist, doing something similar:

http://gizmodo.com/5972475/a-pro-photographer-with-a-crappy-toy-camera-proves-hardware-doesnt-matter

You know what else seems like a good idea?  To put the camera down entirely, and create images some other way.  Any other way, even if you stink at it.  Pencil and paper, take a painting class, borrow your kids’ crayons and use the back of the electric bill.  To find out what moves you about color, about shape, about composition.  To know more about yourself as a visual artist, and then apply that knowledge purposefully when you’re back to using your camera.

So, that’s all I have to say about that.  You catch my drift.  I’m off – I think there’s a Fisher Price digital around here somewhere that I need to get my hands on.

 

Worth a Thousand Words

As lovers of photography, we’ve all spent countless hours contemplating exposure, composition, depth of field, f-stops, shutter speeds, ISO, focal length, resolution, qualities of light, megapixels….  the list of technical considerations that goes into each photograph is seemingly endless.

But it pays to remember that all of these technical considerations, and all of the time we spend mastering them, are not ends in themselves, but rather, exist to serve the story that a great photograph tells.

In a great photo, every technical element aligns to support the story of the image – the lighting, the point of focus, the composition, and of course, the key moment at which the shutter was released.

So, by all means, master those technical details.  Fill your head with them many hours a day, until manipulating them becomes second nature.  Because when your eye, and your brain, and your heart identify that moment, that event that is the story of the photograph, you’ve got fractions of a second to get it right.

For inspiration, treat yourself to a view of chief official White House photographer Pete Souza’s Portrait of a Presidency.  Many of these images are, technically speaking, pretty straightforward.  But in each one, an event or an emotion is palpable.  Each one tells a story:  worth a thousand words, told in about 1/125 of a second.  Enjoy.

How Do I Look with this Camera Permanently Stuck on my Face?

Ah, the glorious usefulness of a cliche.

I think we’re probably all guilty of some of these.  And no harm, no foul.  But, for what it’s worth, with the holidays coming right up, there’s something to be said for putting the camera down once in a while, and being in the moment.  Something to be said for appreciating something just as it is, without mentally fixing it in PhotoShop.

Hope you’re finding the right balance this year, of recording moments for posterity, and also just being there.

Enjoy:

http://notastarvingartist.com/post/12766897643/50-reasons-not-to-date-a-photographer