Have you ever asked yourself this question?
Why is it that you photograph what you photograph? What are you trying to say, or ask, or define?
Today our greatest challenge is to make a powerful and meaning image that is different than the 2.6 billion images created every year. Not an easy task with those staggering numbers. But because of these numbers it’s one of the reasons I work with photography and beeswax—I want to set myself apart. But let’s face it encaustic is just a tool. It’s not what makes an image great. It has to be the idea behind the image that has the impact.
I was on a Southwest Airlines flight recently and came away with the napkin. “Real art comes from the heart”. Admittedly it’s a little cheesy. But there is a lot of truth in it as well. If you’re heart isn’t in your art, I can guarantee you that it’s going to fall flat. There is something innately intense about an image when the photographer communicates an emotion—not just the facts.
I’ve been pondering for several months now a new project. It’s sort of been sitting there percolating alongside me as I’ve been working away.
I’ve just returned from Ireland and I’ve been thinking long and hard about including my Irish heritage into this new project. If you’ve never been to Ireland, go. It’s ancient and modern at the same time. It’s rugged, and real, and raw. The scenery is where I started my career as a photographer and to which I have now returned.
Our images affect our viewers in ways that we can never know. But if we are aware of why we photograph we have a much better chance of expressing our inner thoughts and feelings simply by the way we choose to portray our subject.
A photograph without an idea is simply a reproduction of what the world looks like. Creating art isn’t about seeing and making. It’s about thinking. A successful image can express our inner thoughts and feelings by the way we choose to portray our subject—in other words, the ordinary gets transformed into the extraordinary.
And that’s why I’m photographing Ireland again.
Would love to hear your thoughts on why you photography what it is that you photograph. Let me know in the comments below.
Be well….be creative,
Hi Clare- photography used to be my favorite way to express myself. Then I got away from it, doing other arts and crafts but lately I’ve been wanting to become more creative with photography. I have been using my 35 mm more instead of my phone lately too. I’ve always loved photographing animals, flowers, nature and still do. I am also loving the barn quilts here in North Carolina so have been stopping to photo these lately.
The encaustic is new to me but the more I see it the more intriguing it is. You can create beautiful mistakes and eary dreamy like scenes that add mystery and I like that. Thanks for your knowledge and emails. Ireland is on my bucket list!
In formulating my thoughts for this post Deb I also got lost in reading back issues of magazines that I have piled high. One article struck me, Jean Schnell’s images of Quaker meetinghouses. She has photographed them with such intention and stillness….they are mesmerizing. It reminded me of the times when I photographed Ireland with my old Canon AE-1 film camera. I was so much more intentional back then. For me, there is something about my use of digital and iphone that has taken me away from that intention. Not that these tools are bad, heavens no…..just that I need to slow down and re-assess how I work. Encaustic is truly a beautiful medium, the trick is to be intentional with it as well. To let the medium add to the conversation rather than be the conversation.
Enjoy Ireland when you get there!
What a great question! For me it’s been a 40 year journey starting with being a photojournalist at a local newspaper. It was the realism and truth that captured me. So I’ve taken those themes with me as I grew. Moving from NJ to Colorado jolt my photography. Not being in a strong corporate setting, a looked around and wS captivated bu the strenght and beauty of horses. Thete was a “rule” of how to shoot horses, I tried to follow along but realized that wasn’t me. So logically for me, I moved onto ranch life, rodeo and the wranglets. I’m a bit of an adreneline junkie- so that worked. But after 10 years, I again wanted to grow more. Serendipidy happened when I got your email offering your course on photo encaustic. I jumped in enthusiatically, hot wax and all. So that is where I am now – western photoencaustic and working with mixed media. Yippee
I’m glad you jumped in Roberta….your images are beautiful, and in your work the encaustic adds to the story rather than ‘is’ the story.
Hi Claire-
Thank you for bringing forward this topic. With social media we are constantly inundated with photography and as a professional photographer I find my voice seems diminished in an endless ocean of images. Why create more pictures? How many pretty photos of a sunrise or a mountain or a tree do I need to see or create? At times, I find it is hard to be surprised by an image when you swim in a vast ocean of them. Encaustic may help that, I really miss the physical contact and manipulation of the darkroom in my process. So I’m brand new to encaustic but am hoping it helps open experimentation and visual investigation in my photography-imaging.
When I photograph- I am most interested in relationships of light shadow texture. The actual subject of the photo becomes less important than its relationship to the light and shadow. Subjects that inspire me are ones that show the passage of time, the relationship of light on texture, fragility/strength, passageways, relationship of people to environment. Quiet contemplative scenes. Would love to travel to Ireland as my ancestors are there. Blessings and thanks! Laurie
This is fabulous Laurie. Kudos to you for knowing why you photograph. So many are just taking those ‘pretty photos’ that are not adding to the conversation of ‘why’. It is indeed getting harder and harder in today’s fast paced multi media world, but I believe wholeheartedly in if you can find your ‘why’ (in anything you do) that the world will take notice. Good luck as you delve into the wonderful world of photo encaustics!
Frequently when I look at something I only see part of what is visible. While I obviously see the entire scene I constantly think about how a specific part of the scene, angle of viewing the scene or perspective could enhance the view. In other words I frequently view things as a processed finished image that I have worked on. Maybe this is denying reality but it sure does on thing and that is “Through My Eves The World Is a Happy Place”.
That is amazing Ron and takes quite a lot of time to get to where you can see the finished image so early on. I don’t think it’s ‘denying reality’ at all……
Clare, I recently started doing bead rolling metal art, look up Jamie Jordan on UTube. If you can’t see into the future you are in real trouble trying to do this art form.
Ron H
Never heard of bead rolling metal art Ron. It looks fascinating……and I totally see you doing it.
I believe that there is beauty and wonder right under our feet and in front of our eyes all that time but we miss it by looking for those wow moments. I try to capture the beauty of those “ordinary” moments and things that surround us all the time.
I have to remind myself often that this is an important and worthwhile purpose and helps us to savor life more. The world tends to glorify only the once in a while wow moments but our whole lives are filled with bits of wonder and delight. Your asking of this question helped me revisit that purpose and affirm it’s worth. Thank you!
I agree Gaile. It’s easy to get caught up looking for those wow moments and totally missing what is right in front of us. Thank you for the reminder.
I find that I am attracted to, and often photograph incongruities, in its many manifestations.
Lovely Diane:) It’s a fun thing to be attracted to….and even more fun to photograph.
Here’s a weird answer: Recently on a trip to CA I stayed at a nice resort. While at the hot tub I noticed a pool chair rig for the physically challenged. As my uncle is a quadriplegic I took a photo to send to him. Google saw my photo and asked if I wanted it to upload it to the resort’s photo collection, which I did. That photo, which is nothing special beyond using a centered image, has over 500 views already. It’s started me thinking about photos as document, as beauty, and as utilitarian. Like a 3-legged stool. Mostly I’ve only paid attention to beauty in the past. I’m interested in broadening my perspective in how I make photo encaustic, and this insight is fascinating to me.
Love this Kathleen. We indeed make images for many many reasons…..and the reasons can change over time. The key is to have a sense to why you photograph what you do!
I make photographs because the process of framing and otherwise choosing the settings helps me to be present in the moment, and pay more attention to the world around me.
Hi Mic, yes, being present is so important.
I like texture, composition and beauty…for encaustices, I prefer muted images.
Why do I photograph:
1. I began photography more than 40 years ago because
2. It was a new way of seeing, of focusing in on the beauty of a detail of something you might not see otherwise – the close up of a flower or a bunch of paint splattered on a wall etc.
3. I could create a different reality through choice of film, shutter speed, choice of subject and composition,
4. Capture time and moments in people and the environment
5. I didn’t have time or space to paint or the patience to draw
When I began darkroom work:
1. It was still another way of seeing more deeply – things you miss while actually looking or photographing
2. Again there was more manipulation again in the darkroom experience to capture mood or mystery.
When I traded the darkroom for the computer,
1. I took photography to a completely different place from the darkroom
2. With programs I could create things with photographic images that were impossible with film and dark room
Then I missed the tactile feel of materials and began to work in mixed media and paint, my photography became just the starting point for ideas. As I began to use digital cameras I lost part of the joy of photography partly because of the loss of the viewfinder. Everything became too “click” quickly. I lost the original reasons for photography
Starting encaustics brings me back again to photographing more mindfully and to look at the images I’ve created in the past in a whole new way that is very exciting because
1. It brings me back to being more mindful with photography as I was many years ago
2. Brings me back to the more meditate state reminiscent of the dark room
3. Adds a new dimension to photography while encouraging the use of other mixed media techniques.
Working with wax is a whole new way of working
Most of my photography is of nature and the ever changing turn of the wheel. Seasons! Why? I have realized that the time I spend, uninterrupted, in nature is pure meditation and therapy. It is the ultimate “in the moment” experience. When I’m in that space, I do not think of anything else. I’m fully present, alive and connected with all that is. It is addictive and exhilarating unlike anything else I’ve experienced. And when I capture those moments, I can return to them, again and again. Pure magic ✨💫✨💫✨
Thank you for this post, Clare – I’ve been ruminating on it for a few days. I’ve spent so much time on my writing lately, and my photography has lain fallow. I miss it.
For you: I saw your mention of Quaker meetinghouses, above. I offer here Linda Butler’s photos of Shaker villages, which I’ve loved for a very long time – http://www.lindabutlerphoto.com/shaker-1-of-3-pp.html
Thanks for sharing Linda Butler’s work Gail……its so quiet and reflective….something I seem to be seeking more and more of in this crazy world of ours.
Yes, yes, YES to having to have your heart in your photographs/art-making! Love and can relate to all the insightful comments from everyone else.. .. From my own experience, the pieces I have created photographically that I was most passionate about, that had a story behind why I made the image, were the pieces others also lingered over, asked questions about, wanted to buy. And I know when I purchase other artists’ works, I don’t consider the ‘value/investment’, how “famous” they are, etc. I FEEL it and find a way to get it home with me because I want whatever it is that draws me in to grace my sacred space. If I had to define what and why I photograph, I’d have to say those moments in my everyday living I want to freeze and practice simply paying attention to those ordinary things we rush by day to day.
As for your return to your roots, Clare, photographing Ireland, I appreciate your nudge to ponder that for myself. My camera(s) have been tucked away too long and I need to start wandering with them again. I’ve been considering of late my fragile, beautiful desert and national park being loved to death. What was once a quiet, dusty region of communities is now overrun to the point we residents can’t enjoy our own restaurants, coffee houses, shops, or park without standing in line or fighting crowds for a parking spot. I feel moved to capture the fragility of this landscape and preserve it – not to entice more people to it, but perhaps to educate those who wish to appreciate it as well – lightly and gently. And adding those luscious, ethereal layers of beeswax and resin to them will add to that feeling of sacredness and preservation – I’m thinking…
Whew! You’ve opened an abyss of possibilities – again – Clare! I always appreciate your teachings and the depth you bring to this art world.
Wowzers. You are right on Diana…..and I can’t wait to see what you create going forward. When our heart and soul are into something then the world pays attention.
I posted my initial response on Facebook instead of here on the blog. This question and Clare’s suggestion to “dig deeper” into why I photographed certain things finally got me to do some research on art theory. Not to find a “theory” for my art but to understand the context of the conversation. I started college as an art major but mainly focused on studio classes and art history before taking a left turn preparatory for a very left-brained career. Photography led me to Encaustics, in the pursuit of ways to present my images in ways that expressed what drew me to take the photograph. That led me to become more thoughtful about my photography. Finding my voice as an artist matters to me but it has been an iterative process. I photograph and create Encaustic pieces that interest me. Understanding why I am interested in capturing a particular image is I think the point of Clare’s question. I agree that has value in this iterative process. My rebellious side immediately emerged anlong with an intense illectual curosity about art theory. What is art. To the delight of my rebellious self, I noted that art theory is often a philosophical exercise-by philosophers, not artists. For me, as an artist, there are three primary components of art: a creative response and skills, which enable me to actualize/communicate. my creative response. Creating art is an emotional process for me-it opens me up and I must me open to create. I do agree, at least to some degree, with Plato’s observation/comment that an unexamined life is not worth living. In that spirit I will continue to discover my artistic voice. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my creative process. Thanks, Clare, for posing the question.
Thanks for posting Nancy. Yes, “understanding why I am interested in capturing a particular image is I think the point of Clare’s question”…..that is exactly the point. We all photograph and create images that interest us…..the point is to figure out why these images interest us….beyond ‘because I like them’, that’s a cop out that I hear from many artists. You figure out this hard stuff…..why you really photograph and create those images….and your art will start to emerge differently.