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Todays article is a guest post by friend and fellow landscape photographer Martin Gommel.
Last week Martin hosted my guest blog entry “Inspired Photography” and has reciprocated with his own take on photographic inspiration. If you’re unfamiliar with Martin’s work I highly recommend checking out his blog Kwerfeldein and his Flickr photostream.
Enjoy!
Source Of Inspiration: Gratitude
Being frustrated and weary when shooting landscapes has been a demoralizing factor for me in many of my photo shoots. When this happens it feels like I have no power to engage in the things I see. It’s the same story at home, when I am working on my pc, looking at the days photos – despaired while reviewing the outcome.
Does this sound like a familiar problem? If yes, you are not alone.
Over the course of my photographic journey I have developed a technique, which has now become habit, that has enabled me to experience photography in a sensible and inspirational fashion. If having moments of frustration while out in the field, I am able to better handle these situations by relying on this technique. As part of my guest post today I want to share the technique of “gratitude” with you and I hope that it is a technique that helps you when in similar situations.
Recognizing the Moment
The first step to handle problematic situations such as this is to recognize it. Being conscious of the situation enables one to take the needed steps of corrective action. Its more than sufficient to make your position clear to yourself : “I am in a snit / halfhearted / nerved / dull / dissatisfied / bored “.
Backpedaling
Take a moment to put your camera back in your camera bag and pause, ceasing all external activities. Slow down. Very often I reexperience relaxation when I allow myself to do nothing, to get away from it all and – yes – to be non-productive. Pressure to perform is good, but it can be one of the biggest creativity killers. In such moments I try to let go of every attempt to “work”, “do something”, and to “shoot” with a guilt free conscience. Try it 😉 .
Vision
Become aware of the ambience you are in at any particular moment. In nature it totally makes sense to name what you see. If you are standing on a lake in the woods you can simply specifiy the things arround you : ” Water, wood, moon, clouds, etc … ” This easy step can help distract yourself from your current situation. Elements of your surroundings gain new meaning and value.
Say : Thank you
This is the essential step, in which internal and external perceptions quickly come together. When feeling frustrated in the field I try to simply say “Thank you” for every seen or newly discoverd element. Why ?
By taking these steps I give myself a chance to revaluate the things around me and change my state of mind from being nerved, bored, dissatisfied, etc. to inspired and thankful. Having an inspired and thankful mindset easily returns one to being productive.
Give it a try.
[tags]inspiration, photography, gratitude, Martin Gommel, landscape, nature, tips, technique[/tags]
Great stuff Martin; really inspiring thoughts. I think getting dragged down is something all photographers have to deal with from time to time. It’s such a creative medium I feel like I get tapped out occasionally. But in the end, as you’ve stated, it’s all about your perspective and how you choose to look at things.
I think these tips apply to more than photography too. For me, blogging is much the same. One week I’m on fire, the next week I can’t write four words without giving up in disgust.
It seems like the ups and downs are a necessary part of many artistic mediums.
Wow! This is such a great article that I loaded it daily for three days, just to take it all in.
Great job!
When one knows not what to do, “trying everything” will often lead to more starts, yet precious few finishes… in other words, lots of “doings” without much to show for it, and Still no real… Satisfaction.
The Rolling Stones (..”but if you try, sometimes.. you get what you neeeeeeed) notwithstanding, a little less Doing, and as you describe, a little more Being… being where I am, noticing what there is to notice, paying attention to what my moment-to-proceeding-moment experience is, acknowledging and appreciating what is around me… are all Grounding practices that set me free from distractions/preoccupations, and allow something meaningful to stand out for me. When such a “something” does stand out, then I am clearly moved, and can respond authentically.
One further distinction about the art of paying attention to one’s experience in the moment might be to specifically note where in my body the experiences are, without naming or qualifying them. I can notice that my eyes are feeling itchy or that my aching shoulder muscles are being held tight, or that my scalp is feeling a tickle, for examples. Often that sort of almost primal information is illuminating, as well as getting one’s attention free of preoccupations and bringing one “back to Earth”.
I also find it helpful to realize that we all sprang from ancestry living in caves, hunting/gathering food… and that all this other stuff we concern ourselves with may be all bonus, instead of critically important. Perhaps by suggestion of a different perspective than I’m used to, day to day, somehow that thought helps set me free, too.
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