Photo Fitness

A thought:

Focus on your physical and photographic (art) fitness in order to become a more productive photographer and visual artist.

Fitness

I like the notion of “fitness” (thinking about Charles Darwin). Fitness as related to evolution, adaptation, and strength.

This is my thought:

What if the more physically fit you were, the more artistically fit you were?

For example what if you prioritized your physical fitness (diet, exercise) — would this make you a more productive artist?

This means:

1. Walk a lot
2. Lift heavy weights (powerlifting, deadlift), or body weight exercises (chin-ups, pistol one legged squats, pushups, planches)
3. Prioritize your diet (ketogenic diet + intermittent fasting)
4. Sleep 8+ hours a night (if possible)
5. Lots of black coffee during the day, no stimulants in the evening.
6. No alcohol or drugs (not a moral thing — a mere physical productivity thing)

Why fitness in photography?

Thinking of the notion of “artistic/photo fitness” is a good one. We need to be physically and artistically sharp to maximize our creative productivity.

Shooting photos is like physical exercise — the more you do it, the stronger you become.

At this point, I treat photography as visual exercise. The more photos I shoot, the more artistically fit I become.

Visual food

Go to exhibitions, museums, read books, or upload your photos/give critique on arsbeta.com.

For example I was at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC and found a treasure chest of visual inspiration:

You can discover visual inspiration anywhere and everywhere.

Study the masters

Study the masters — their compositions and philosophies to inspire you to become more visually fit.

For example, Henri Cartier-Bresson:

Or W. Eugene Smith:

Conclusion

Shoot everyday, study visual art everyday, and never stop striving for more!

ERIC