An Epiphany....

I had an epiphany coming home from the studio Wednesday night. Months ago I did a branding exercise and asked everyone I knew (and didn't know) to give me just one word to describe my work. the goal is to find out of your seems all over the map or if for the most part, people come up with the same words or words that mean the same.

My word? - UNUSUAL. over and over again times ten people....Hmmm....not really sure how to take that.

In my own verbal dialogue, if I substitute this word I use words like "weird" "bizarre" "strange" etc...not exactly the "ideal" words I associate with "your photography evokes emotion and leaves me speechless" if you know what I mean. However, after seeing Tims' personal images at class, I realized EXACTLY how dead on this is...

I don't market for me, I market for what I think you want to see. Which is all wrong within itself. I tell everyone to "shoot for you" and I do shoot for me, but them I market "for them"....bad bad idea. Its realizing you haven't let go of the fear that still binds you from letting go. I never could put into terms how I liked to shoot. No words sounded appealing. I can see now calling a client, "how do you shoot?" they say...I reply, "UNUSUAL" what the hell is that?

The closest word I can use to describe for you how I love to shoot is - oxymoron - Its a suburban mom in heels and a ball gown exposing colorful tattoos on her sun-kissed skin. Its also COMPLETELY opposite of ME. Therefore I feared the people that knew me well, would freak on me if I did edgy or bold - when I am not personally.

I am all about my subjects or elements being contradictory. I am all about the environment around the actual focus. When I went to Hawaii, I would not shoot the landscape everyone was in line waiting to shoot. I wanted a different view. Does this make sense? No one in my family understood why I wasn't taking pics....I did shoot in Hawaii - just completely contrast of typical vacation photos. It was the culture I loved, the people, the weed that NO ONE wanted a pic of. So watching Tim's work and reading about Dave Cook gave me a fresh approach to embracing how I shoot and letting go of the fear.

I leave you with an image as an inspiration for burn out. It was taken by my husband at the braves game about a week ago off his iphone. It was during a rain delay and the sun looks like its on fire. A few months back I decided to document whenever the skies or sun looked unusual (there is that word again)...I don't typically take landscapes and to do this gave me a new energy to work from. I plan to post more throughout the class. My point is, "shoot for you NOW - THEN take what they hired YOU for and shoot for them." If you shoot for what you THINK everyone else wants now - you will be in an industry that you are passionate about, but left shooting something that you may be much less passionate for. Find your style FIRST and THEN polish it to work within the industry.