Dear friend,
I wanted to share a thought with you: that rather than focusing on photography, we should focus on having a fulfilling, passionate, and fully-engaging life.
Photography isn’t the point
When I started photography, I loved it because it helped me be more curious and observant of the world around me. Photography helped me be more grateful to the natural beauty around me, and gave me a reason to be more adventurous.
However the problem is as time went on, I became more focused on making nice photos, rather than enjoying the “beauty in the mundane.” I got caught up in the “social media treadmill”— trying to get more followers, more likes, and more comments. I became less concerned about enjoying the world around me, and more about “how can I get that next photo that will hit ‘explore’ on Flickr?”
Times haven’t changed so much 10 years ago and now. If anything, we have become more anxious with social media nowadays. Instagram is like crack (except perhaps more addictive). I am still not immune to it— whenever I get fewer likes than I think I expect, I feel kind of crappy.
The best antidote has been taking a break from Instagram— literally uninstalling it from your phone. If you find yourself too caught up in the social media treadmill, just do a 1-week “social media fast” (uninstall all social media apps from your phone, and then when you get back on social media, you will be refreshed and have a healthier relationship with it).
Photography isn’t the goal
This also makes me think about photography as a “bridge.” Photography should be a tool that helps us enhance our lives, helps improve our lives, and helps us appreciate our lives more.
Why is photography a bridge? Well, photography is a bridge that helps us reach the other side of the river— to become a more happy, “enlightened”, or appreciative human being.
For me, photography has been a bridge that helped transform me from a timid person, to a more courageous and confident person. Photography has helped me bridge connections in my life. I have met some of my best friends through photography, and I am eternally grateful for that.
What will matter at the end of our lives?
My good friend Josh White says it well: “At the end of our lives, we aren’t going to give a shit about any of the photos we made, but we will be appreciative of the friends we created along the way.”
Similarly I would say, “I don’t strive to make photos, I strive to make connections.” These connections can be with strangers on the streets, connections in the photography-community, and a connection with my own surroundings.
Burn the bridges
We should only use a bridge as long as it is useful. We shouldn’t become attached to the bridge— once it has served its purpose, we no longer need it. We should be able to burn the bridge, and feel no more remorse. After all, if your goal is to cross the river, and you have successfully crossed the river, why do you ever need to go backwards to the previous side of the river?
There are certain bridges I want to burn in photography. I am appreciative of all the years I shot film, because it was a bridge to help me better appreciate modern digital photography. Furthermore, film was a bridge that helped me slow down, meditate upon my images, let my photos sit and “marinate” for a long time, and for me to enjoy the process more.
I also feel that “street photography” has been a bridge for me in photography— it was a genre of photography that helped me build my personal confidence and courage, and helped me understand my real passion in photography— to interact with strangers, to connect with my friends and friends closer, and to capture the soul of another person through an image.
When I started photography, I initially used black-and-white as a bridge, because I felt color looked aesthetically ugly, and black-and-white just looked more classic and beautiful. After about 3 years of shooting color film (Kodak Portra 400), I feel I appreciate monochrome photography more.
Monochrome is for me— an aesthetic and philosophical thing. Monochrome helps simplify the scene, remove complexity, and add meaning and emotion to a scene. I also feel that monochrome is like chess— it takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master. The deeper I go into black and white, the more I am learning about the beauty of the minimalism and sublime nature of it. And to make a truly beautiful monochrome image is one of the most difficult things— which I will never master in my lifetime, but still strive towards.
Social media was also a bridge for me. It helped connect me with new friends, helped guide me when I was starting off, and helped me build my own personal confidence in myself and photography. Nowadays I still post to social media, but no longer feel a burning need to post to social media. If I retired for social media for the rest of my life, I don’t think I would feel any regrets or like I was “missing out” on anything. Social media is like a luxury— nice to have, but not necessary in photography.
Appreciation
Photography has also been a bridge for me to become more appreciate of the small things in life— the beauty of the tree in the sun, the beauty of the crashing sound of water at the beach, to the smile of a stranger, to the lovely moment of a loved one.
I appreciate modern digital technology— and especially the democratization of photography with smartphones. Nowadays, I could honestly say that I feel no “GAS” (gear acquisition syndrome). I am content with my simple Ricoh GR II digital camera, and it is more than enough for what I need. And honestly if I started photography all over again in today’s world, I would probably just stick with an iPhone.
Don’t look back
Once you’ve crossed your personal bridge in photography, don’t look back. Always look forward. Try to create new work, push your limits, and see what creative beasts are wishing to be uncaged.
Always be appreciative of what photography has given us— life, encouragement, passion, enthusiasm, friends, and beauty in the mundane.
Go forth and make beautiful art,
Eric
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 @ 11:07am // UC Berkeley