1. The camera as a tool of self introspection
The first thought is that the camera is a tool of self analysis. For example, gopro in Ultra Wide mode, you can literally document every part of yourself, your daily life, what you do, where you go, what you eat, etc.
Lately I’ve been making a habit to just record mundane and every day details with my GoPro. What I eat, where I go, where I took a nap, how I cook, how I work out, how I flex, look at my face and body, and how I make my morning coffee. Reviewing the footage is fascinating: because it gives me a chance to analyze myself, and my life from a third person perspective.
2. Selfless photography
Ultimately at the end of the day, I see ourselves as instruments. We are instruments to document, photograph, and make art out of embodied reality. Ultimately I don’t really care for myself too much, I’m more interested in the act of documentation and photography, introspection, and sharing my thoughts and findings with others.
The irony is this: we are both ego-ful, and egoless photographers. We must use our personal ego in order to understand the world around us. But ultimately when we photograph, we lose our ego.
When I’m really in the zone of photographing, I lose a sense of self. Similar when I’m doing a one rep max power lifting, especially deadlift. When I do a one-rep max in my dead lift, I literally have an out of body experience. When I’m doing the maximal lift, I lose all sense of self. And even after the lift, I kind of forgot what happened.
3. Photograph yourself
I believe ultimately the most virtuous thing you do is photograph yourself. literally to shoot selfies yourself.
Why photograph yourself? You cannot refuse yourself. Also, you are the center of everything. You are the oculus in which you perceive, understand, and engage with the world.
Therefore, I encourage you to shoot more selfies. Shoot your reflection, shoot yourself in the mirror, shoot yourself topless, shoot yourself in uncommon settings.
Also, assuming you want to become more fit, I think actually it is a good idea for you to shoot selfie‘s of yourself topless, in order to track your progress. If you have a keen sense of how you look, you’re less likely to eat sugar, and other things which make you fat. Also motivate you to become more determined to keep working out, in order to augment your muscle mass.
4. Blog through your photos
For myself, in order to make sense of my photos, I must blog about them. Typically what I do is I will post the photos on a blog post, write about them, and as I am selecting the photos and reviewing my photos, I remember the photos, and I also make sense and meaning out of them.
I don’t think your photos exist until you post them.
5. Critical feedback on your photos
Arsbeta.com is the ultimate platform to get critical feedback on your photos. Otherwise, becoming self critical in your photography is not about self flagellation and bemoaning on how bad your photos are, it is about getting a more critical sense of how you judge your own photos, which photos you find meaningful, and which type of photos you want to continue to shoot.
Otherwise, just keeping asking yourself why in the context of photography. Have a chat with WHY APP?
EK WORKSHOPS >
Turbo thoughts
- Life is better with powerlifting than without
- iPad will make you a better photographer
- Why are the new Apple products so boring? Also, why are the new colors so strange?
- Probably the best laptop for you to buy as a photographer is the new MacBook Air
- What if there could be such a thing as a self washing car?
- Maybe it is a good brand idea to create the male equivalent of Lululemon
- Consuming beef liver, and beef heart is the ultimate natural steroid
- Just vlog it with GoPro