Artistic Vision

Spring Idyll

Spring Idyll is my most recent creation. I worked on this as it was snowing outside....I'm definitely ready for more spring-like weather!

Before I get started on a fresh topic of conversation, I'd like to pontificate just a bit more on the topic of titles. Click on this link to read the original post. In the end, I decided to keep the original title of Forgotten. Why? I decided that the word forgotten could lead the viewer in several different directions when looking at the image. Sure, changing the title to Gratitude may put a more positive spin on the image, but do I really want to point someone down either path...positive or negative? After I thought about it for a while, I decided that using the title Forgotten might make a viewer take a moment to really look at the image. There is a solitary crow...is it the crow who has been forgotten? Has the crow forgotten something? There is a lock on the gate...is it the church that has been forgotten? The parishioners? Is it a larger story about religion being forgotten? Each viewer might think of a different story. That's why I stuck with my original title. Here is the image:

Moving on to today's thoughts...I was recently interviewed for a photography podcast which got me talking (and later, thinking more) about various things. One question I was asked was "what advice would you give to a beginner?" 

In a nutshell....I believe that artistic vision is just as important....perhaps more important...than techical knowledge. Having the confidence to pursue your own artistic vision is the best advice I could give, and something I continue to struggle with. It's tough to remain confident when people don't "get" what you have created.

How do you find your own artistic vision? Go through your own portfolio rather than comparing your own work to other people's work on social media. Pick your favourite images. Why are they your favourites? Is it the subject matter, the style, what is it that speaks to you? Experiment with the things that you feel drawn to in your own work and build on that. Sure, learn the "rules" of photography or whatever medium you work with, but learning the rules is less important than learning about yourself and what makes you happy to create.

I just received a newsletter from Cole Thompson Photography, and he talks about vision in a much better way than I could. Here is the link if you'd like to take a read (scroll down past the quotes)