what are you trying to say?

[back alley]

in the last bit, we seem to be talking about some things that got me thinking.
we have been talking about rff being too gear minded and not enough about the photos.
then we have been talking about photos and how to evaluate them and who should be able to evaluate them.
communication comes up alot too.

we are often told that as photographers we are trying to express our vision to the world, to say something.
you know, the photograph tells us more about the photographer than the subject does, that sort of thing.

anyway, it got me to wondering...what are you trying to say with your photography?

joe

 

[peterc]

what are you trying to say with your photography?

Usually, nothing more profound than I thought the subject or scene was interesting in some way (beautiful/ugly/geometric/abstract/etc.).
Any deeper meaning is up to the viewer.

Peter

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

Interesting thread starter Joe.

For me what i'm trying to say ultimately depends on the nature of the subject. Some projects have much more social concerns and messages than others which are more about a personal exploration of reoccuring themes and concepts over a long period of time. The language for both these different bodies of work evolves slowly and not always concurrently.

As an individual i'm often driven by my feelings, so my photography becomes a vehicle to express this - sometimes i get it right, others i'm way off base but what's important to me is that the entire creative process is one that is moving forwards and that i am always learning from it. Learning not so much in the technical sense but in the emotional and intellectual prcocess of what is involved in image making.

My wish would be that as i get older the work becomes more thoughtful and evokes a deeper resonance, a more informed and more powerful way of expressing what i see in front of me and that's the gradual learning curve that motivates me to continue making my photographs.

 

[w3rk5]

I don't know what I'm trying to say with my photos. I'd like my image's to tell a story, create a mood, or just to get people to say, "WOW! That's a kewl shot!" 🙂

 

[JohnM]

These days, I think I am trying to say "my job is a pure stress machine and the couple of hours I get to spend off on my own taking pictures is probably keeping me from whacking members of the general population about the head and shoulders with a whiffle ball bat."

No real message beyond that right now - just relaxing and having fun when I can.

 

[sf]

There are three basic breeds of pictures in my collection. Pics of girls, landscapes, and street stuff. I am not trying to say anything with any of it, actually. I just see a good shot and take it.

I like working with the females. I'd say that doing this was what got me into photography in a big way. I guess the only thing that matters when I am shooting portraits of girls is that the image portrays what I see.

As far as landscapes, I just like images that have wall-hanging impact. Ones that have aesthetic and probably even nostalgic powers.

Street stuff is mostly about my interest in humans. I like to get out and see things, try to catch the city in all its chaotic humanity, red handed. Or, in the case of many of my favorites, catch it being beautiful and serene.

I guess the overall message is just that I really think there is a whole lot of beauty in the world, and I like to take pictures of it.

I suppose that some day, I'll be glad to have all these pics, and those who follow will be glad to see them as well. All of this IS delicate and endangered, so it only makes sense to grab what we can while it lasts.

 

[robert blu]

I think it depends a lot on the mood of the moment : If I'm happy and relax I try to say how nice and gentle is the world (or place) where I live. it can be a gentle landscape or a nice smile. But if I'm in a bad mood I try to say how horrible it is. But these are two extreme examples, most of times I'm in between. Let say at the end I try to say...what I feel, or what I dream.

 

[willie_901]

When I was here, this is what I saw and this is how things seemed to me.

willie

 

[kbg32]

I try to come close to expressing how I feel, my reaction to the world around me and my place within it. As I look over my work through the years, I see recuring themes and a difinitive stylistic approach to my subjects. It is interesting to see things in my imagery that were there when I was younger, but now more defined, more clear. Doing the work, not trying to sound too "cliche", has always been a learning process and a journey. When I look at my own work, I know where I've been and what I was feeling. I think it is important to develop one's own voice.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

My photographs are not meant to speak to anyone but myself, and those I share those memories with (family and friends), in that time and place. That is the paramount value ... captures of my imperfect memory.

If they have an ancillary positive effect for someone else, great. But I take them for purely personal reasons.

 

[MCTuomey]

i don't know

photography feels more compulsive than articulate, for me

example: i was fly fishing on the au sable last week with a friend, engrossed in the day as fishing people usually are. we passed an access point where, delightfully incongruous, a group of young amish had stopped their canoes to set up their volleyball net and play a hearty game. i had to stop to photograph (requested permission, of course).

my friend commented on my "must-do-this" attitude, struck by my momentary intensity, i guess

 

[varjag]

On occasions when I see beauty in mundane everyday moments I attempt to capture it and share with others. Life is so much more enjoyable when you realize how beautiful even the ugliest sides of it are.