PixelatedImage Blog

Pretentious author signing book and looking pensive. Marga Lopez shot captured my best Sears pose at this weekend’s Vancouver celebration of the launch of Within The Frame. Thanks to all who came to help us celebrate and to my long-suffering wife on whose shoulders I dumped this thing when I got too busy.

Yesterday I spent the second of two days shooting a gig I just didn’t enjoy. On Twitter I was more hyperbolic; I believe I used the words “Soul-killing.” It wasn’t as bad as that, but close. More like Soul-bruising. I initially agreed to shoot some images to illustrate a book. A sports book. I had some free time and was doing someone a favour. The timelines changed, I got busy, and still agreed to do it. Looking back I regret it. The money was good for two days shooting. But the shot list was unrealistic and things were just not within my control. We worked today with children from kindergarten to grade o3, outside in the sun. So that should tell you all you need to know about the amount of control I had over the shoot.

I keep telling people to shoot what they love, and I know there will always be shoots that don’t go well. I also know shooting things that lie outside your normal fare is a good idea and a learning experience. But when you KNOW you don’t like it, when you KNOW that you aren’t good at it, and when you add the pressure that a paying client to whom you are contractually obligated brings to the mix, it’s no fun. The client was great. The guy I worked with was great. It’s not about that. And in the future, I’m going to be even more firm about this kind of thing. Some people shoot everything and love the challenge. I don’t; I know what I love to shoot and every time I’ve taken a gig for the money and not the passion it’s been a bad idea. I can learn and find new challenges on my own dime, the last thing I need is screwing up an assignment for a client.I know, like much of the stuff I babble about that this could come off sounding very unrealistic and idealistic – but for me it plays like this in the real world: shoot what I don’t like means shoot without passion means shoot without inspiration means shoot crap means unhappy client. That’s bad. Or I rise above it, that leads not to shoot crap but to shoot good, that leads to happy client which means potentially more similar gigs and word of mouth leading to similar gigs. Also not good. Shoot what you love leads to shoot good leads to happy client, more gigs, more referalls, less Xanax. And that’s good for soul AND wallet.

Anyways, that’s my rant. I’ll finish the deliverables tomorrow and get them to FedEx and move on. Wednesday I’m driving down to Seattle to see Chase Jarvis. Friday my wife and I fly to New York City for a Within The Frame event on Sunday the 21st. Can’t wait. First time in NYC and I’m doing a book launch and having dinner with Joe McNally. Then home to prep for an assignment in Ethiopia.

Hey speaking of Within The Frame, The Travel Photographer did a great review of it HERE, and The Wandering Photographer also had some kind things to say HERE.

If you missed the comments left in Friday’s post, Can Vision Be Taught, be sure to check them out HERE. I’m still unpacking it and trying to wrap my brain around some of the words we use in these conversations but I think the way you see the world is deeper than mere creativity. I think creativity is what we harness in order to express our vision, but that vision itself is more foundational. Can it be taught? Learned? I’m not sure, but it’s worth the effort to explore it. What I do know is that the need we feel to “be taught” this kind of stuff (the “how to see” stuff) can sometimes be the search for a substitute or counterfeit for the harder work of discovering our vision, honing it, refining it. But if you’re serious about studying creativity itself, I suggest you look at Twila Tharp’s excellent book, The Creative Habit.

Busy week ahead, time to get to it!