speed of the world — Journal — Tristan Parker Photography

On being a photographer

I read something that resonated with me recently and I wanted to both share it with anyone that would like to read it, as well as discuss my thoughts on why these couple of paragraphs weighed on my mind for a while. I think that this process of writing some text might help me take the words apart and analyse them for myself, so here we go. This is the short statement that I found on a site that I have been spending a lot of time on recently. I have stated already that an addiction to Japanese photo books is on the way, the site sells a lot of great titles. But this statement was on their main section: "To me, the recent use of the term street photographer is similar to calling oneself artist or art photographer with an intention to add artificial value. I don’t think any respectable practitioner worth their salt would proclaim themselves with this title in this day and age. Nonetheless it appears that it is often banded around, especially on the social interwebs, with an intention to gain credibility or cool the same way teenagers would display branded clothes or gear to gain attention from peers or lowly outsiders.

My plans for 2014

I have already posted about the fact that I am going to spend 2014 with one lens and one camera, but I thought that I would also make some public outlandish statements that I will hopefully hold myself to for the upcoming 12 months. Some of these will be photography related, others will not. Dont expect this to be a massively read blog post. Its more one of those things that I am putting out there for myself more than anything. So here we go....

One Camera and lens for 2014: My thoughts

The other day I posted on Facebook that I was thinking of going to one camera and one lens for 2014. It was interesting as I got a few replies from people saying that they were thinking of doing the same thing, or had done in the past. I knew it was a popular learning tool, but it was just intriguing for me that as we come to the close of a year, people are having similar thoughts to me for a photo related new years resolution. I thought this would be a good time to post something outlining my thoughts on what it is that I am hoping to get from this, and maybe some assumptions about what I think may drive others to pursue such a project. I dont know if project is the right term for this decision for me. I dont think that my decision to use only one camera and lens for 12 months has anything to do with the subject matter of the images that I will be making, but this may be a statement that I come to be totally off base with this time next year.

Lessons in life through following your passion

This is a topic that has been slowly forming in my mind for a while. Today, I had a chat to a good friend online, and some of the things that we were discussing finally started to crystalise these thoughts into some sort of form that I think I will be able to get out. The general thought that has been slowly forming goes something like this:

If you lead a life that involves following your passion, this is a path that you are able to follow that will teach you lessons about yourself, and others

What is a camera?

We all fall prey of the camera and the strange yet powerful hold that it has on us. Whats this about? Its a lust, its one of the sins in the history of many religions... Dont get me wrong, Im not religious. I just know from experience that this is what drives the obsession with the camera. Its also what drives modern society to want better cars, bigger houses, better whats its, and so on. If its not lust then its greed, I dont know if one is better than the other, but I am going to say lust... I know this as its something that I need to fight to control myself as well. The answer to the question is quite simple really. The camera is a tool. The camera is the same sort of tool as a painters brush, a sculptors clay, and a woodworkers saws. It is however one that has been much abused by society, and has hence lost some of its bygone allure and mystery.

Is street photography changing in the digital age?

This discussion is a growing theme for some of the words that I pen here when I have the time and motivation to do so. I guess I write these things on topics that I feel passionate about. In all things in life this is where you get your best results (maybe a topic for another time). The theme in question is how the world is changing and how this is changing photography. I have asked this question specific to Street Photography, but I think we will be able to investigate the topic in a more holistic nature as far as photographic genres go.

Where Will the Street Photography Boom End?

Street photography is booming right now, and I think that this raises a few questions. Some of these questions in my mind will lead to desirable results, others however may not.

In the years gone by there have been a wealth of very talented artists that have walked the streets of the various cities and locations of the world with a simple camera in hand, and a very simple goal. The goal was to document and record the world around them. Some were doing it for different reasons to others. Some were doing it to preserve memories of their life, others as they loved to interact with their subjects and record life of people in the places that they either lived or visited. Others still as they were simply obsessed with the still image and its wonders. I think that even the later needed to be draw in some way to the people around them though, it was a requirement of the trade for most.

Why you should let your images stew before processing and editing

This topic is something that I think a lot of people struggle with in the digital age. Even film shooters in the digital age have things just a little easier, and hence just a little quicker than our counterparts of the years gone by. Its not only photography as well, its everything. Its the mobile phone and everything that it gives you the instant you want it. Its the ease of online shopping and the fact that you can now buy things without even leaving your house! Its the speed of the world these days, and its something that people need to take care to control before it controls you.