I live in a community, a world, with MANY photographers. In some ways it’s easy to become one because the price of cameras has come down and the internet makes information so readily available. That can be a fantastic thing – there are tons of photographers that I can look to for inspiration, camaraderie, or advice. With all of this happening though, I see something that is masked as ‘inspiration’ but is a completely different thing: idolization.
Idolization is defined as “to regard with blind admiration or devotion”. While I think it’s great that many people have found someone to look up to and adore, I feel it can also be hurtful to themselves and their business. I have wanted to be a professional photographer since I was 13 years old. What I wanted to shoot has changed (I wanted to be a fashion photographer for a magazine, and then I wanted to be a landscape photographer for national geographic) but my overall goal has not. I don’t want to be Katelyn James, or Jasmine Star.. I want to be me. I want my own path, my own success, and my own story. That isn’t a dig at those photographers either.. their work is beautiful. However, it’s not MINE. I want people to look at my work and see no one else’s style or influence. I see my style as a melting pot of my life experiences and influences, that can’t be replicated. I notice so many of the great people I network with lost in other people’s stories that I worry they forget about their own.
There is a HUGE world of photographers out there to see, let’s all not just dream to be like so and so, let’s dream to be the best version of ourselves. There is inspiration to be found in nature, and nature photographers. In classic art, and architecture. What about photographers who started this business for us like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston?
This photograph of Bob Dylan was taken by Richard Avedon. He was a brilliant American photographer. Much of his work was done on a simple white background! His work can be found in Paris, Israel, the MOMA, the Met, the Smithsonian – his influence is amazing.
Caravaggio. He is a MASTER of shadow and light. I remember spending weeks in Art History classes studying his use of both in his paintings.
This is the Experience Music Project museum in Seattle. This building is so wonderfully inspiring in MANY ways. It is FULL of memorabilia and information of the great music artists of our time like Jimi Hendrix, but the architecture alone is unlike SO many other buildings. The monorail goes INTO the building! On a side note, this is a really cool place to visit if you are in Seattle. They have cool exhibits pertaining to Science as well. I saw a Jim Henson exhibit when I was there a few years ago.. I got to see FRAGGLE puppets up close!!
Don’t get caught up in keeping up with so and so, or thinking you need this or that because someone says you do. If you embrace YOU and your unique qualities it could honestly make you happier and more wildly successful than you ever dreamed.
