Just Noodlin’ Around
A lack of seriousness has led to all sorts of wonderful insights.
Kurt Vonnegut
If anyone doubts the wisdom of this quote attributed to Kurt Vonnegut, then I simply say this - consider the other side of that coin and ponder where an excess of self-righteous seriousness in current politics has taken us. Doomsday Clock be damned! But, before this rant sucks me down into the obsession-depression doom loop served up on the nightly news, let’s refocus on photography for the rest of this blog.
This winter is, thankfully, pretty much in the rear-view mirror for many of us (but sadly, not quite there for some others). No doubt like a lot of people looking to improve their craft during the short daylight winter days, I invested a not insignificant amount of time over the last couple of months, looking at U-Tube videos and studying websites by some real photography geniuses and experts. Great and bountiful advice, on offer just for the taking… and lots and lots of it.
As I reflect on this cornucopia of advice, I’m reminded: to be mindful of where my head is at before I go out; to be deliberate in limiting the lenses I take out to shoot with; to be intentional in de-cluttering my kit; to be present and sensitive of the environment I am shooting; to be both spontaneous and prolific in selecting compositions to shoot; to ignore the former advice and be selective and intentional in my shooting; to be ruthless in culling and curating my collection of new images, and last, but not least; to be both surgical and spare in editing the images that have made the cut into my portfolio.
Beyond the very pomposity of the idea of “curating” my work, there was so much to take in, to take on board, to take under advisement, to take to heart, to take with a grain of salt, that by the start of February I found myself wrapped around the axle of analysis paralysis.
I imagine you can guess where I am going with this early spring flowering of cliches. I realized that my whole approach to photography had become, frankly, a bit silly. And that, my friends, is when the genius of Kurt Vonnegut appeared, like a flickering light at the end of a dark tunnel. I found myself emboldened by James Popsys’ unapologetic statement that he often likes nothing better than sitting in his study, with his slippers on, electronics off and surrounded by a selection of newspapers to read at great leisure. [Not to loose the thread here, but let me digress and very highly recommend the U-Tube videos and website authored by James Popsys (www.jamespopsys.com)]
With that as inspiration, I decided to spend the last couple of weeks doing nothing more ambitious artistically than to take my camera out to noodle around in my backyard. From time to time, while looking for some first signs of spring, I found subjects to photograph casually and spontaneously. The result was, very simply, that this exercise was a lot of fun. Along the way, I managed to find some images that I am quite pleased with, although I will leave it to you to be the better judge of, with the Gallery images corresponding to this blog. Did this intentional lack of seriousness start me down a new approach to photography? To be honest, not really. And in fact, to not become too serious about not being serious, I’m planning my next blog to be about a very serious subject.
Hopefully, this all makes some sense and Kurt would approve.