Single photos, small series or medium long term projects?

[robert blu]

Granted that everyone has his own way of taking pictures and there is nothing wrong with that, on the contrary it is the beauty of photography, I have recently wondered what other enthusiasts are more interested in, whether to take pictures in search of a single good photo (but we should define what a good photo is, maybe another time!), to work to produce a small series on a specific theme or to engage in a medium-long term project.

I've realized that I'm not interested and it doesn't give me any more satisfaction to take photos that are not part of a project, even a small one. In fact, even my more or less random photos, like those taken during a walk, are somehow part of a project or at least of a series to catch my attention. It is possible that after more than fifty years taking photos I have already taken photos of almost everything 🙂

Having a subject to look for or work on helps me to better see what I have around me. Maybe it's the famous "point of departure" that Dorothea Lange was talking about to Ralph Gibson!

I have some other thoughts about this but first I'm curious what do you guys think? Please share your view.

A short Ralph Gibson talk here, at 1.00 comes the "point of departure" : https://youtu.be/2S9NkO8Jf-A

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Do you really want to pay a little fortune for one famous photog book with dogs. Or another famous with oddly called "Reds". Or buy "W are beautiful".
I would not. Way too narrow for my wild mind and shallow pocket.
But I would love to get "Animals" because it is not primitive repeat of the same.
And I do have American Photographs, Americans and Inner Silence. Those are great series, projects.

 

[Saganich]

I've been most attracted to sequences of photographs, ala Minor White. I'm like Robert, I have 4 or 5 ongoing 'projects' that I'm adding to each week. Often they bring me back to the same places over and over again at different times in the day, different weather, different seasons. This is easy because I rarely shoot more than 20 blocks from my apartment. While I can find interesting subjects on a per sq foot scale, the 'projects' tend to have a deeper pull or connection. What I find interesting is attempting to sequence those images into some inner representation that reflects back what truly matters in my world.

 

[chipgreenberg]

I've been primarily shooting one project for about 5 yrs and just started a second a few months back. Find working this way helps me focus. (pardon the pun) When I go out shooting I know what I'm hunting for. Doesn't mean I "never' just shoot what catches my eye, but primarily one of these two projects.

 

[Dogman]

It might also be interesting to know how many photographers work like Lee Friedlander. Friedlander has said he just goes out, shoots whatever looks interesting to him at the time, makes prints and puts them in boxes...boxes by subject. Eventually he finds he has a project photographed.

I'm sorta like that. I just wander around and snap pictures of stuff. Projects don't really interest me but I often end up with a series of connected photos that could be construed as a mini project.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

It’s a combination of things/projects for me.

I’m retired and I try to walk 10,000 steps a day. I do this for my health. Sometimes my walk involves going shopping for the daily essentials like food and drink. However, most of the time that I’m out walking I have a camera in my hand. Taking pictures as I walk around eliminates the drudgery of the walk. Time passes more quickly. With a camera in my hand I’m more likely to explore new places and seek out interesting things to photograph.

I also have a blog that I try to update once a week. It’s a photo essay of my life. I started the blog as a way of letting my relatives and friends know what I’m up to. Since I retired 6 years ago the blog has given my life more purpose. It’s my photography project. I plan overnight trips and daily excursions to give me a topic to photograph and blog about. I think my life would be fairly aimless without my blog. Not meaningless, just a bit aimless.

Lastly, the RFF forum is kind of a project for me. I love to make and share photographs. Some of the sub forums are a great inspiration for doing that. The “Words/No words” forum is a great place to get ideas and inspiration for taking pictures. It’s kind of a collaborative project with many members contributing; it’s terrific fun!

All the best,
Mike

 

[John Bragg]

A mix of things for me. Local walks around sea ports usually provide some inspiration. Just now I'm doing people in those places. Last month was a grave yard. All the while my goal is to improve my technique and that includes processing, scanning and post processing and finally inkjet prints. Darkroom is mothballed and paper and chemistry is just too costly. I realised the other day that all my cameras had film in them. I decided to use a different camera in turn until all if them either had been emptied or reloaded with fresh film. That project may take a while.

 

[farlymac]

I've gone places before, looked around, and then realized how great it would look in a particular lighting. So I'll go back and get one or a couple of images and be done with it. Then there are times I'm covering an event, or just doing a walk around in a small town I've never been to before, and will take photos of things totally unrelated to the original intent that I separate out in post for later display. It just depends on what presents itself as an interesting side subject.

PF

 

[Retro-Grouch]

It might also be interesting to know how many photographers work like Lee Friedlander. Friedlander has said he just goes out, shoots whatever looks interesting to him at the time, makes prints and puts them in boxes...boxes by subject. Eventually he finds he has a project photographed.

I'm sorta like that. I just wander around and snap pictures of stuff. Projects don't really interest me but I often end up with a series of connected photos that could be construed as a mini project.

I'm also much like this. I have certain concerns, both formal and intellectual, that generally drive my image making. But I remember that some photographer (can't remember who) said that if you go out looking for a certain photo, then that's all you'll get. I prefer to shoot what interests me, and later, figure out why and how it may relate to my general concerns. It seems to be a process of letting things bubble up out of my unconscious and make themselves manifest. I try not to over-intellectualize the process; that often seems to be the kiss of death.

 

[jsrockit]

Projects for me too. Some are simple and are easier for others to like (street photography), some are closer to conceptual art and are not as easy to like. However, right now the latter is what works better to keep me occupied. I currently have a few projects that are finished that I have to really edit and then make book dummies for. One I just finished making a zine style book that I am selling locally here in Chile. Since Covid, I have five new projects that I am working on simultaneously. Only one is street photography and that is the one I am working on the least. I certainly use the Friedlander approach though with digital folders instead of boxes of prints.

 

[Rob-F]

I have built up several color slide shows that are on a specific subject or theme, such as Missouri's springs, streams, and mill buildings; Colorado mountain scenery and small towns, and so on.

I also make individual black and white prints, not necessarily related (Although I have have shot a number of B & W photos of locomotives and trains).

So I do a little of both.

 

[robert blu]

First I would like to thank you all for the interesting answers. A mix of projetc related and occasionally found (not sure it is the correct definition but I assume we all understand what I mean) subjects works for many of us.

About myself last winter because of covid we have been for a long time in a semi-lockdown situation, being allowed to go out fro a walk only in our neighborhood, which is not a real exciting place. To make the walk interesting I brought a camera with me. Next I thought that where I live, north Italy in winter and beginning spring the light can be very different from one day to the next: sometimes foggy and soft and sometimes sunny, with strong light and hard shadows. So I concentrate to work more on the light than on the "topography" of the place. It has been (still is) a challenge because I like to photograph in soft not too strong light and I had to learn how to deal with what for me was an extreme situation. Which forced me to go out of my comfert zone, at least a little bit 😉

In these day I still work on that subject...

 

[sojournerphoto]

I think themes for me - perhaps extended projects and often simultaneously. At the moment, having scanned 30 boxes of Kodachrome, I’m now reviewing and editing them for my ‘African Walkabout 1995’ project. Yes, these slides have hidden in the attic for a long time and scanning and seeing them, many for the first time has been very moving. I met my wife in Zimbabwe on that 7 month trip and my girls have been delighted to see the first pictures I ever took of her.

I will make a book for us in due course. It’s interesting that amongst the pictures of ‘impressive scenery’ are notes of the everyday that feature to this day - a favourite is my very old Audi in a Namibian petrol station.

I’m only doing limited shooting at the moment due to it being winter and 54 north meaning that the interaction of day length and work are not that conducive… however, that is letting me focus on the slides


back to the original question, I agree that I have less interest in the single image and, also, the impressive impressive image. I’m much more interested in the everyday and pictures that being questions or thoughts to mind. Then there are always my family who are a theme in and of themselves, even when they cross with other ideas.

sorry, long reply🙂

here’s a family X other theme picture from the other week

 

[Brooktaw]

I use instagram as a complement to my website and for the last year I've tried to take advantage of the 3 across format of the gallery to post images in related sets of 3.

You can see the results here.

https://www.instagram.com/brooktaw

I think that this approach has improved my ad hoc photography by compelling me to work a subject and find images that relate together rather than just coming back with lucky one-offs.

I also work on long term projects such as this attempt to photograph a changing local cafe each time I go into town.

https://www.cnmiles.ca/People-and-Places-/Fresko-Pizza

Chris

 

[jsrockit]

I use instagram as a complement to my website and for the last year I've tried to take advantage of the 3 across format of the gallery to post images in related sets of 3.

You can see the results here.

https://www.instagram.com/brooktaw

I think that this approach has improved my ad hoc photography by compelling me to work a subject and find images that relate together rather than just coming back with lucky one-offs.

I also work on long term projects such as this attempt to photograph a changing local cafe each time I go into town.

https://www.cnmiles.ca/People-and-Places-/Fresko-Pizza

Chris

I follow his account and I recommend you guys should too. 🙂

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

I follow his account and I recommend you guys should too. 🙂

It seems that one needs to be a member of Instagram or Facebook to follow. Unfortunately that’s a bridge too far for me; my loss I’m sure.

All the best,
Mike

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

This really is an excellent thread. Thank you Robert; it has made me think more about what I’m doing with my photography life. I’d like to call it my photography hobby but it seems to have taken on a larger part of my life than just a hobby.

Projects versus locations. Locations, locations, locations!

I think I fall in love with locations first and then they become my projects. It starts with a location - is it interesting? Then comes the light; gotta have some light. Add in some people, landscape, the ocean, a mountain, animals, trees, flowers, maybe a mix of all.

Yes, I would say that I’m a location guy more than a project guy. And, having said all that, I’m probably a nonsense guy to most of the other members who might be reading this. No problem; we are who we are.

All the best,
Mike

 

[jsrockit]

Mike, what matters is you are doing it every day. You are enjoying it. You can figure out what it is later. 🙂

 

[mapgraphs]

Over the years, I've pursued a variety of projects - series of images. So it would be series of series. One image leads to another. It's a point of view. A narrative. You keep trying to get it right. Practice.

I'm attracted to a point of view, regardless of subject matter. I look at what other people see. It's something that inspires, creates questions, looks for answers. I look at more imagery than I create, sometimes just for fun... https://www.flickr.com/photos/41670072@N07/


There is something about adding to a visual vocabulary that helps enunciate better ones own point of view. For the last dozen or so years I've been working with 250-300 year old records, pen and ink descriptions. And going to places mentioned and looking at them in contemporary light. An image may be worth a thousand words but a word can be worth a thousand images...

 

[Larry Cloetta]

“Every Picture Tells a Story, Don’t It?”

A single photo that distills the essence of a thought or concept down to its purest embodiment, or a series of photos that portray something, perhaps the same thing, gradually, piece by piece.
Both approaches have, what would seem to me, equal value. If I wanted to be a “better photographer”, it seems that it’s incumbent on me try to master both, as there is nothing inherently impossible about that, or even particularly difficult. Walk and chew gum. Don’t limit yourself, it won’t make you “better”. Don’t be satisfied with solving half the puzzle.
Getting your point across with a series is easier than with a single photo, however. As others have noted, if your single photo needs a caption, (as mine often do) it’s probably not good enough. Alternately, if in your series you can be accused of saying, “here’s another one of”, a la dad’s slideshows in years gone by, then it needs a cull.
Film and digital, do both. Color and Black and White, do both. Read a book, go to a movie, do both. It’s a world ripe with possibilities out there, avail yourself, don’t cramp yourself with the misguided notion that you “can’t”.