Written by Ivy
|
19 September 2010
Today is the one day out of the week I am most inspired. There is something about leading worship and feeling the Holy Spirit move around the stage that just lingers with me all day. It's a truly indescribable feeling.
So that got me thinking about how I could build on the inspired feeling I get every Sunday here on Unscripted Life. And I decided today would be the one day of the week, more than any other, where I have to post what is inspiring me. It's weekly series of sorts. A special time to shine the spotlight on very deserving people.
For the first Sunday spotlight, I've chosen my dear friend, Derek Green. You'll recognize the name from the series I did about him a few months ago. Check it out here and here.
Derek used his blog to show the process behind his stunning photography. Each photograph tell its own story and is good in its own right, but it's also a really cool chance to watch the artist grow through his work.
Derek wrote a blog not too long ago about this very subject and agreed to let me re-post here on Unscripted Life. Enjoy!
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Developing As An Artist
by Derek Green
I was watching a video on @chasejarvis new website, www.creativelive.com, of Vincent Laforet. Now if you
don’t know who Vincent Laforet is, click his name to find out, but
the quick gist is, he’s a over 20 year vet of photojournalism, having worked for
The New York Times, he’s no slouch! He also became a household name among
videographers/filmmakers with an online video shot on the Canon 5d MarkII called
Reverie. During this vidcast he was discussing
filmmaking using new hd dslr cameras, but something Vincent said stuck in my
head.
“Content is Key”, is what he said.
During Vincent’s vidcast he was discussing how content is key to telling a
good visual story in relationship to film making/moving images. He loosely
stated that a movie shot on a lower quality device with great content will
outshine a film made on 35mm with lackluster content. Buying the most expensive
piece of gear available will never take the place of good content/vision. This
takes me back to my “Importance of
Style” post, where I mentioned paying attention to what makes you you as a
photographer. Now I’m not claiming to have all the answers to what makes a
photograph/photographer great or not; photography, like any art is completely
subjective. Personally though, a photograph that has had no more thought put
into it than a snap shot and had a few Photoshop actions run on it, probably
won’t do that much for me, but then again sometimes I’m looking for a whimsical
snap-shot aesthetic. The difference is, what is done on accident and what is
done on purpose.
Dolly Parton said, “It costs a lot to look this trashy.” All of those
brilliant lifestyle shots you see in magazines that you usually give no more
than a passing glance to, can cost a lot of money to look that casual, from
assistants, models, to travel and lighting, etc. Most people know this as an
after thought, but what is not taken into consideration is the photographers
creative eye. That is what professionals are paid for. That is why “Uncle Bob”
will not get you the same photos at your wedding that a pro would, and that’s
also why “Uncle Bob” doesn’t shoot the cover of Vogue. Now I know it sounds
funny when you think of your uncle shooting the cover of Vogue, but it’s not as
funny knowing people ask their uncle to shoot their wedding. Sorry “Uncle Bob”!!
The bottom line is it’s not the gear you have/use that will make you a better
artist. Proper gear will help, but it’s not the key to unlocking your vision. A
true artist would draw with a piece of rock on slate if that’s all they had. The
only way to develop a style, which I’m also still developing, and most likely
will never stop, takes a long time of continuous shooting. My mentors preach
this all of the time. My vision will evolve, just like my taste for wine, it’s
the only way to move forward. I’ll set up shoots all the time to practice ideas
that I have, cause that’s the only time to practice them, and recall them when
the chips are down. You certainly don’t want to show up to a shoot, and have
your client, model, or your crew looking at you like you are unsure about what
to do, because you haven’t rehearsed enough to have a “toolbox” of ideas and
tech skills. Even the best in the business have to practice new ideas.
Don’t be frustrated at where you are in developing who you are as an artist.
No one sits down at an instrument and immediately knows how to play it. You
learn scales and rudiments, the “ABC’s” of an instrument, and once they become
second nature, you can focus on becoming a musician. You can’t write a novel
when you’re first learning to write, but you can enjoy in the fact that if you
are working hard enough towards a goal that it will eventually pay off.
