Journal — Tristan Parker Photography

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.

Collaborations with other artists

Since returning to photography after 12 years absence and starting to take photos of any kind a little over 12 months ago, I have gone through a bit of a whirlwind transition of finding my feet again with a camera.

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.

Digging out of creative ruts through writing

I have been in a bit of an artistic rut lately. I dont know the pin point reason for this, and I guess I dont even know if there is a single reason, or if there are few things that have come together to result in the lull in productivity. Since I started to get back into making images with a camera about 12 months ago now, I havent had this happen yet, so its causing me a little stress. When I remove myself from the situation and sit back and try to be objective about the scenario I am not overly concerned. I know deep down that I will come back again. But its sometimes hard to be removed and objective, so I thought that I would write about it in the hope that maybe penning these thoughts would act as the conduit that I needed to return to some form of productivity.

My Photographic Inspiration - Mum

I have written in the past about my Dad and the inspiration that he had on me as a photographer (I still feel like a bit of a fraud when I call myself that by the way). Well the article caused a bit of a stir... Mainly in the form of my Mum saying, in the words of Shannon Knowls, 'What about me?'. Well this ones for you Mum...

My Mum is a bit of a strange story really... I guess we all are in our own ways, but its likely that you will find this story a little stranger than most. I will try and give you a little overview. I think for the purpose of the story its going to be a little easier to start from the end for a minute, and then run through how we got there, at least the how that I know about anyway...

The great genre debate: The influence others have on Street Photography

This was a topic that I started to write in Thailand, but my broken tablet screen put a halt to the blog productivity. This was actually a real shame, as while it was raining there (it rained a lot) I was really enjoying just sitting on the balcony of the villa we were in and writing. I found it relaxing, and quite honestly I couldnt have thought of a nicer way to spend some time while away on a break.

Street Photography Without People

As the topic title says, we are going to have a look at street photography without people. A lot of the street photography at the moment is centred on people. People doing things out of the norm. People in the right light. People who have an interesting look. A majority of the work of the masters of Street Photography also contained a people element, but I think at that point there was more of a trend of telling a story and showing a snapshot of society. Maybe the trend of the moment of seeking out and capturing the weird and wonderful says something about us as a society in the modern era, but that is likely the topic for future conversations. But... Is there a need to have a person in a shot, or is it possible to shoot street work of high quality without shooting people?

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.