What comes first: picture or project?

[Expatinprogress]

Speaking about truly photogs, what comes first, the picture or the project?

The question came today talking with a friend, who has made (not write, which is the point here) a book of pictures taken in Angola.

My question came because I think you can shot everywhere and anytime with your camera, as a hobby or as a passion, but, speaking of being a truly (a professional? Ummm) photog, or better, what is what really turns you (the amateur) in a photographer in: having a lot of pictures and putting them in order to create a story or the project you have before going out with your camera?

The point is, any of us have lot of pictures which, at the end, may emerge in a so interesting and so good story, enough to become a book. That doesn't mean you already are a photog (or a future one). Doesn't it?

My point is, I think what makes a photog is to have a project which you finally convert it in a product (a book, an article in a magazine or anything in this way).

Ummmm

 

[antiquark]

Gary Winogrand was a "shoot first, plan later" type of guy. He would take thousands of pictures of everything, then later might say "hey, I have lots of airport pictures, I think I'll publish a book about airports."

 

[Bob Michaels]

For me it is almost always a very iterative process where I find something interesting that seems to unfold into more photos that eventually develop a cohesive theme. There are frequent changes in direction in the early phases. And there are projects that lead into other projects.

I photographed on and off while on the Daytona Beach Boardwalk for several years. Then I photographed there almost every week for six months when I sense some major changes were about to occur, resulting in a series. http://bobmichaels.org/boardwalk-intro.htm

One Friday night, I came to the thought that a particular stretch of highway was interesting. I photographed there the following Saturday and Sunday all day. This finally morphed into a two year long series about my local community. http://bobmichaels.org/NOC-intro.htm

That series tighten up and became a three year project about one small socially significant segment of my local community. http://bobmichaels.org/SouthApopkaIntro.htm

On the other hand, I had always wanted to do a railroad project so got complete access to the trains on a local short line railroad. I rode around in the locomotive, and hanging off the back of freight trains for months. Even got to run the train. While I had great fun, nothing really interesting image wise came of it so the series faded away into a pile of negatives and proof prints.

For years I had been interested in Florida HW 50 which runs east-west through the center part of the state from Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. I knew it had representations of everything in FL along the 100 miles. So I recruited three other photographers with different visions than I do so we could do a collaborative project. It was an interesting six month experiment. http://www.alongfl50.org/

Recently I went to Cuba for two weeks with a reasonably good idea of what I wanted to capture. It was fertile territory and my expectations came to reality. I ended up with a 30 photo series that I believe is the beginning of a capture of the Cuban people. http://bobmichaels.org/Cuba_intro.htm

I guess the final answer is to be open minded and let your eye, heart, and personal vision take you where ever without hesitancy to either forge forward or make an abrupt turn.

 

[andredossantos]

I just take photos but the more I take the more I notice some particular "themes". I'm not one to plan anything in advance. Whenever I try to do that in any pursuit (not just photography), it generally goes badly.

Then again, I'm not a pro and just a nobody so I'm probably not one to really give any advice in this area! 🙂

 

[gilpen123]

I think a specific project can be a good way as you will put focus on shooting a particular subject, however, as most of us have been in photography for many years, the accumulation of negatives and digital files can be organized as a project. I noticed I have many shots of street protests (rallies/demonstrations) thru the 9 years of the reigning administration. I started to compile them and choosing thousands of digital images is a chore by itself. I also have a lot of a particular place (Manila Bay) which is my testing ground for any new camera/lens I acquired as there are plenty of things to shoot there mostly street photography. I have quite a few more that I can organize into a project and I'm looking forward to doing a specific project next year.

 

[Expatinprogress]

That's interesting and useful.

As Bob says: let your eye, heart, and personal vision take you where ever without hesitancy to either forge forward or make an abrupt turn.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Can be either. I find that I'm not always shooting what I think I'm shooting: another, unbidden theme appears.

Cheers,

R.

 

[robert blu]

Interesting thread: we are actually having a similar discussion in my fotoclub. For me it's a combination of both: as an amateur I enjoy to have my camera with me and shoot things I like. In this case later I found some photos have something in common, subject or style or meaning. When i find this I evaluate to transform it in a project, thinking which could be the variable: colour or B&W, 35 or 6x6, regular camera or polaroid or Holga, etc etc. If I find the correct answer, which should be cooerent with the theme I start the project. In some other case a project comes first because of some input: personal interest, books or even a song which drives my attention.As an examples a couple of years ago I found some contacrt sheet from my father (made more than 50 years ago). I start to think about his life and my relationship with him. This evolves now in a project I'm working on, which contains many self portraits were I act (do not know the exact word, sorry) as if I were him, including pictures of things or situation we both like (example music or reading). It is quite ambitious and difficult, I progress slowly, but it really takes me in a deep involvement. Of course it does not mean that I give up taking pictures of other interesting things. It s always a balance between the project and the spontaneus ones.
robert

 

[Expatinprogress]

Nice project Robert,

 

[DougFord]

[FONT=&quot]I’m always a random picture taker.
Any hint of a ‘project’ would ruin the casual nature that defines my involvement with the hobby.[/FONT]

 

[Damaso]

Usually the project or idea comes first. I spent nearly a year thinking before I started work on The Europeans. Sometimes a photo can inspire a project as it did for me when I decided to do a project on New York from a native's perspective...

 

[Lilserenity]

I don't have a hard and fast rule but generally the subject matter is what interests me first and if I have an inkling there is enough of it it becomes a project often before I have shot any photos at all.

Impression Milton Keynes is one such project. I knew the place very well but had never embarked on 'the project' as I had so often talked about before I started.

The downside to this is sometimes it doesn't pan out how you envisaged; something disappoints or bends the message you are trying to deliver to a breaking point and you find yourself questioning the core of the project's aims.

Again Impression Milton Keynes was a good example of this. I knew there were areas that weren't so good in amongst what is largely a prosperous and very "can-do" British city (probably what seems to riles up the average Brit is its general positivity -- but that's another matter for when I'm the last one standing in the pub after everyone's gone home 😀!) As soon as I started exploring the less successful areas it seemed to dent the idea that this place is the complete opposite of what people think of it -- it seemed to align it to the criticisms people have of the place which is what I was trying to tackle. In the end honesty is the best policy and in fact the project is all the stronger for acknowledging the areas where the overall message is challenged. It doesn't break the message; but it's given the whole thing some more integrity, and I feel better for having explored the unsung more fully.

I wrote about these problems here: http://lilserenity.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/trouble-in-paradise/ and here: http://lilserenity.wordpress.com/milton-keynes-impressionmk/picking-up-where-you-left-off/ (gives some insight into how I work!)

There again other times I take a photo and like the subject matter and find myself putting it into the 'possible project' category.

That's how my next project started, Great North Road. Two photos, one near Brent Cross in London and one near Sandy. How workable this will be I don't know.

Damaso : That project looks so interesting! Fantastic work there, huge kudos. I will definitely put that in my favourites.

 

[briwhirqui]

I accept with information:a specific project can be a good way as you will put focus on shooting a particular subject, however, as most of us have been in photography for many years, the accumulation of negatives and digital files can be organized as a project.