Productions

So I realize that in the world of photography I am a n00b. I have not been shooting that long, and have not been studying it that long either.

At this point I am working with 1% experience, 8% luck, maybe 2% skill and 89% sheer determination. This equation changes daily based on a bunch of other factors like: mood, what I'm shooting, how prepared I am, how relaxed I am, whether I'm having a confident day...blah blah blah.

The thing I've noticed watching all you pros is that you're doing a heck of a lot of other work during your shoots: video crews to film production and shoots, tweeting about the shoot as it happens, blogging about the shoot both before, during and after it happens, shooting instructional videos...blah blah blah blah.. I know. It's all about hype. It's all about marketing and branding YOU the photographer, but seriously folks what about KISS.

In the age of "AH MY GAWD THE MARKETS ARE FALLING" chicken littles, cut back the production scales and the production hype. What, are you afraid your photos won't stand up on their own? Are you afraid that you're only as big as how much you hype yourself? Are you afraid they're gonna forget about you?

If what you're shooting is good, relevant, worthwhile, and in demand, the simple act of shooting, and delivering an honest photo should be enough.

I took a bit of a step away from my blog for a bit to sort out some personal issues, but I also stepped away from this crazy cycle of shooting, reading about shooting, thinking about shooting, blogging about shooting and getting myself worked up about it all. I'm working at building a portfolio and a name for myself, and yeah I think about photography a lot, more than a lot of other people I know who have been shooting for longer than I have, but a bit perspective and time away helps.

I have a shoot this weekend. It will be interesting to see what comes of it. I'm just waking up from a personal fog that I've been in since early to mid-February and now that my head has cleared of a lot of junk I'm hoping that I see what I like on Saturday night. So tomorrow I'll start my process of shoot prep: charging batteries, loading the fresh film, cleaning the gear, packing bags, and finding inspiration. Keeping it simple is sometimes the best way to go.