Photography: Just Because

 Academic rut: a place where art becomes just another assignment.

It’s an inspiring Saturday morning. The sun is up, shining beautifully on the opportunity that awaits you just outside.   You step outside, camera in hand and lens cap in your pocket, ready to embark.

Your head is full of assignment guidelines, and as you snap your first picture you begin running through the mental checklist. “Is this the right framing? Are the shadows to dark? I can fix that in Photoshop. Maybe my portfolio could benefit from something less abstract.” You snap the same picture five or six more times and move on still distracted, scrolling through the photos with critiques in mind.

Does that sound familiar or is it just me?

Of course, the things we learn in class don’t just go out the window, we just need a break to focus of the aspect of our work that makes it art. For some it’s light, others it’s subject matter, it goes on. What do you do to avoid the academic rut?

A break in the routine is a good start. Go somewhere you aren’t as familiar and start shooting.

Turn off the screen. Many DSLRs have an option to turn off the preview screen. Try this and you’ll be surprised how good, and strange, it feels not to be glued to the back off your camera.

Try a different camera. This one is the one I use a lot. My iPhone helps me out here. And I love old film cameras, of any kind. A 35mm SLR, an old box camera, or a homemade pinhole camera, are all ways I break out of my comfort zone. The advantage of this is again no screen; you just have to snap and have faith.

So try it next time you’re on your own time and feel the itch to shoot. We’re here because we’re artists right? Never lose sight of inspiration, because then we’re in danger of losing the difference between art and assignment.

Cara Gallardo Weil. 2013