FACT: I chose the name “Merge Imagery” because of my desire to merge my life with my love for photography. Can it truly be done and can I still have a good balance in my life?
Today I was reading a photographers blog where they mentioned that the particular shot in the blog post was captured at the expense of family being hauled out of bed before sunrise during their family vacation and even at the protest of that family complaining that they had to stop yet again. I’m sure some of it was in humor and for entertainment purposes. However, this struck me as odd because it seemed to me that becoming a photographer – a real professional, that is – might mean forgoing normalcy and not quite living in the moment anymore. Could I really give that up? Sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy a moment and capture it in your mind vs. on camera. To really enjoy that moment in the company of those you love because they are there sharing it with you and not in spite of them being there.
I had the same thought again while watching a movie this evening where the character was taking a photograph on her trip. It was simply because it was a moment she didn’t want to forget, but it wasn’t intruding on the experience she was having, rather just a part of it. THAT is the kind of balance I want as a photographer. Which is exactly why I have been trying to figure out where I will be going as a photographer. I bounce back and forth if I should start the endeavor of a photography business or if I should keep photography as a hobby. It is something I truly enjoy and love doing, I think I’m good at it (though not great yet) and I wouldn’t mind if I got to do it the rest of my life as career. Though I have to wonder, would that mean losing introspective and intimate moments…? Do I want photography to lose that special place in my heart when the stresses of having to run a business and make a profit come to play? Do I want to always be looking around for that “Wait! There’s a photograph that would sell well!” moment? Would it even be that way for me? Well of course, I don’t begin to know.
I find a lot lately that many photographers these days get so wrapped up in the technicality, shooting and editing/processing (or as some elitist proclaim – lack there of) that they forget to remember that the image that speaks to us on that unexplainable emotional level is the REAL thing that matters most. I like photography because it captures the moments or emotion and experience that I wish the reflect on years and years from now. I like it because it can tell stories and speak on emotional levels that sometimes can’t be put into words…not short words anyway.
So it seems fitting that I ended this evening with a quick pop onto twitter where I found a blog post by Scott Bourne that spoke exactly of what I mean by this. (quote below) THANK YOU! It’s like you read my mind!
SCOTT BOURNE on “The Process“
When I critique photos for competition, I’ll often receive entries from photographers who will include a long, passionate statement declaring “No Photoshop or digital manipulation of any kind was done to this photograph.”
I don’t care.
I really don’t. At the end of the day, all I want to do is look at great photographs. This isn’t a contest to see who can make it the hardest to get a great shot. The result is what matters. I don’t really care if you use Photoshop or iPhoto or Aperture or Lightroom or none of the above or all of the above. I don’t care if you used or did not use filters, actions or special effects. I don’t care if you shot digital or film or if you manipulated the image. I don’t care if you used HDR or tonemapping or didn’t. Unless you’re a photo journalist and I’m looking at your images in the “New York Times,” I don’t care if you posed people, cloned out distractions, changed colors or anything else.
From his blog post here: http://bit.ly/b4lmbY
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