Last night I attended a talk given by Brian Griffin entitled "Survival and the Creative Photographer". We saw many slides of Brian's work while he talked about his career spanning several decades.
Initially I found his work intimidating. It is just so amazing. However I sensed I wasn't the only one in the room that felt that.
Much of what he said resonated with me. Be yourself. Create your own style. Don't copy other photographers.
He also said how he decided very early in his career that he would not look at other photographers work but looks at paintings and other art forms. He showed us images that were inspired by various artists. He also emphasised how much of his work is done by thinking about what he is going to do. Taking the photo is the easy part. Deciding what and how is the hard part.
I'm starting to really understand this message. It is coming through from the tutor's notes, from the books she has suggested reading, from other photographers.
When I left I felt really positive about what I can do and how I will go about it. Not from seeing Brian's amazing images but by having confidence in my own ideas and acting on them. The second part is what makes you a photographer. I think I am guilty of having loads of good ideas but not always acting on them.
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