Twelve Queries for The Aspiring Imagemaker

     The title refers to an article I recently read in which Robert Hirsch explains and answers some common questions that up and coming photographers may have. He goes into abstractions regarding each question and gets a bit redundant; however, he makes some great points about certain topics in photography. There were three "queries" in particular that spoke to me: "Why is it important to be proficient in your medium?", "Why is it important to make your own images?", and "Is it necessary to explain my images?".
     The topic of being proficient in the medium one is working in is inevitable, as one must try again and again in order to suceed in it. Hirsch brings up the point that a photographer's initial print is like a first draft, essentially a rough scribble of ideas. Upon developing and refining this cloud of ideas, the photographer will end up with a well thought out piece of art. This idea especially spoke to me because of how many prints I need to make in order to get just the right one. I start out cropping it one way and later decide it would look nicer another way; I start out at a 5.6 f stop and move to an 11 f stop for a different contrast; and not to mention filters (which I switch at least 3 times per print).

This print took me about 7 or 8 tries to get just right.

     While being proficient is important, the concept of making your own images is significant in that it allows one to see the world differently. Making one's own prints, Hirsch argues, changes the way one sees the world in sense of appreciation and discovery. This idea was very interesting to me as I have always had a relatively keen eye for detail, and it has only grown since I began to envelop myself in my photography. I have since begun to see nature even more appreciatively and with a reverent eye. There is a down side to this as, occasionally, there will be a time in which I have to sacrifce being able to capture a moment for simply experiencing it. And experience in itself is wholly important.

To get this picture I awkwardly placed my camera at the edge of a mosaic bowl, essentially warping the way reality appears.

     The final idea, whether it is necessary to explain your images, is especially striking to me. I have always pondered this question. Do my images need to speak for themselves? Is photography actually about creating imagery that speaks for itself, or about creating imagery that's fully interperative and subjective? Hirsch argues that viewers need some sort of toe-hold when viewing work, but the photo should then speak for itself from then on. I think this is a wonderful way to look at things since it allows the artist to set the viewer in the direction they intended, but then allow interperatation to take over. Perhaps a title will tell enough.

     Majesty