Bro, first I love these recordings, keep them coming. Second you already know I agree with you, it’s actually the thrill of the hunt for me (hunting for that VS) which keeps me shooting and trying new things, and experimenting. I feel it’s both my best and worst trait, I am constantly trying to push myself and my art but along the way I know I am also moving away from a single look. But I think once it lands it will land, and I will realize it; and frankly I think I am almost there. 🤙🏼
Bro thank you for listening and always being a source of encouragement. I think you’ve made huge strides over the past year - you’ve been putting in the work and it shows. I think so long as we are aware, awake, and curious, as long as we keep pushing, we’ve got hope of getting there. It’s great to have friends along for the journey - I appreciate you!
I'm on vacation, so I'll try to comment when I'm back. My first episode. Cool idea, under the bridge. I half expected a shutter click at the end where you take the picture that would become the title image.
This super resonated with me, Jim. I’ve been crafting a post for Substack around this very subject for what feels like a few months, as it’s sat in a state of limbo with me coming at it from different angles to reach a conclusion for myself.
For me, as a career artist in animation and video games, having an inherent style is everything. My industry is built on it and as an artist your style and the quality of your work define you. Where I’ve been struggling with my Substack draft on this subject is how to define that in the photography world. What trips me up is approaching it beyond edits, beyond color/b&w, and how to approach photographing subjects in the real world, that look the same to everyone who views them, and frame them in a unique to me point of view that can slowly but surely come to define a style, and whether or not it’s something I should keep exploring or should I just do my thing and have all my work look different from one photo to the next (similar to what Kenneth was saying).
Again, great piece and loving this format. Might try something similar myself.
I think the visual style can only emerge after a lot of life experience and a lot of photographing things. Everything we see and do affects our perspective on things and ultimately our eye, which comes out in the work. If you're struggling for it, that's ok, it's a good thing to be thinking about, and it's a long journey. I think it takes hundreds of thousands of images. Thanks so much for the insightful comment and for listening! - Jim
Me too! It’s definitely easier than writing a longer piece, which I always just twist myself to pieces over. Easier to make sure I get one up every week doing an audio recording. I’m definitely gonna still keep writing here because it exercises a different muscle, but the audio recordings are fun. Thanks so much for listening FT!!!
Oh man! I'm not sure how I feel. Ahhh bullshit. I know how I feel when I used to look at someone's IG feed and see the same color grading and photographic style on each and every one of the dozens to hundreds of photographs they've uploaded. Is that a truth, or a platitude to please the SM masses? We may never know.
I actually envy that to some degree, cause when I observed my feed in comparison, I was all ova the place. That haphazard nature of my work has been my MO since I can remember. I don't just see one way with a singular vision. Sometimes it's high key. Other times is low key. I don't see one way with one visual language.
In this crowded social mediascape, there's that need to differentiate for whatever reason. There's that reason to share, also a reason to be heard with that same breath. Many say they don't require feedback. Really? We're all chasing something. Creative yearnings looking to be free. We're social creatures valuing connection regardless of what comes out of our mouths or keyboards that deny the reality of being out there in the world. The level of connection may be different from person to person, but a connectedness none the less asked for by sharing.
BTW, I love the recording quality of the audio. Pro equipment?
Thanks so much for the comment and for sharing your thoughts, Ken. Maybe the haphazard nature of your work IS part of your visual signature… did you ever think about that? Kertesz said a photographer has to photograph everything - but I think once we get good at our craft, and once we get closer to having that unique visual signature, no matter what we point our camera at it’s going to look like one of OUR pictures. And that’s really what I’m getting at, doing our own thing and getting so good at that that it is recognizable as only us.
Glad the audio quality is good, I use a little $200 Sony handheld digital recorder that you can get on Amazon, I bought a dead cat for it so there is no wind noise and I record everything in 24/96 wav format. I kind of hope that if somebody is listening on headphones, it will feel like they are sitting there with me. Again - thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment. I sincerely appreciate it! Jim
Bro, first I love these recordings, keep them coming. Second you already know I agree with you, it’s actually the thrill of the hunt for me (hunting for that VS) which keeps me shooting and trying new things, and experimenting. I feel it’s both my best and worst trait, I am constantly trying to push myself and my art but along the way I know I am also moving away from a single look. But I think once it lands it will land, and I will realize it; and frankly I think I am almost there. 🤙🏼
Bro thank you for listening and always being a source of encouragement. I think you’ve made huge strides over the past year - you’ve been putting in the work and it shows. I think so long as we are aware, awake, and curious, as long as we keep pushing, we’ve got hope of getting there. It’s great to have friends along for the journey - I appreciate you!
I'm on vacation, so I'll try to comment when I'm back. My first episode. Cool idea, under the bridge. I half expected a shutter click at the end where you take the picture that would become the title image.
I can’t hold the microphone and the camera at the same time 😂
This super resonated with me, Jim. I’ve been crafting a post for Substack around this very subject for what feels like a few months, as it’s sat in a state of limbo with me coming at it from different angles to reach a conclusion for myself.
For me, as a career artist in animation and video games, having an inherent style is everything. My industry is built on it and as an artist your style and the quality of your work define you. Where I’ve been struggling with my Substack draft on this subject is how to define that in the photography world. What trips me up is approaching it beyond edits, beyond color/b&w, and how to approach photographing subjects in the real world, that look the same to everyone who views them, and frame them in a unique to me point of view that can slowly but surely come to define a style, and whether or not it’s something I should keep exploring or should I just do my thing and have all my work look different from one photo to the next (similar to what Kenneth was saying).
Again, great piece and loving this format. Might try something similar myself.
I think the visual style can only emerge after a lot of life experience and a lot of photographing things. Everything we see and do affects our perspective on things and ultimately our eye, which comes out in the work. If you're struggling for it, that's ok, it's a good thing to be thinking about, and it's a long journey. I think it takes hundreds of thousands of images. Thanks so much for the insightful comment and for listening! - Jim
Thanks for your insight, man. Really appreciate it.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Indeed Jim. We are all fighting not to be turned into robots.
Loving the audio notes format!
Me too! It’s definitely easier than writing a longer piece, which I always just twist myself to pieces over. Easier to make sure I get one up every week doing an audio recording. I’m definitely gonna still keep writing here because it exercises a different muscle, but the audio recordings are fun. Thanks so much for listening FT!!!
Oh man! I'm not sure how I feel. Ahhh bullshit. I know how I feel when I used to look at someone's IG feed and see the same color grading and photographic style on each and every one of the dozens to hundreds of photographs they've uploaded. Is that a truth, or a platitude to please the SM masses? We may never know.
I actually envy that to some degree, cause when I observed my feed in comparison, I was all ova the place. That haphazard nature of my work has been my MO since I can remember. I don't just see one way with a singular vision. Sometimes it's high key. Other times is low key. I don't see one way with one visual language.
In this crowded social mediascape, there's that need to differentiate for whatever reason. There's that reason to share, also a reason to be heard with that same breath. Many say they don't require feedback. Really? We're all chasing something. Creative yearnings looking to be free. We're social creatures valuing connection regardless of what comes out of our mouths or keyboards that deny the reality of being out there in the world. The level of connection may be different from person to person, but a connectedness none the less asked for by sharing.
BTW, I love the recording quality of the audio. Pro equipment?
Cheers!
Thanks so much for the comment and for sharing your thoughts, Ken. Maybe the haphazard nature of your work IS part of your visual signature… did you ever think about that? Kertesz said a photographer has to photograph everything - but I think once we get good at our craft, and once we get closer to having that unique visual signature, no matter what we point our camera at it’s going to look like one of OUR pictures. And that’s really what I’m getting at, doing our own thing and getting so good at that that it is recognizable as only us.
Glad the audio quality is good, I use a little $200 Sony handheld digital recorder that you can get on Amazon, I bought a dead cat for it so there is no wind noise and I record everything in 24/96 wav format. I kind of hope that if somebody is listening on headphones, it will feel like they are sitting there with me. Again - thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment. I sincerely appreciate it! Jim