The search for style

Photography is one of those things that everyone loves and cherishes. You don`t have to be a photographer to appreciate it. Good scenery, posters with colours that give the picture different moods or a particular type of lighting that stirs an emotion. The vast majority of people and in fact a vast majority of photographers, can`t tell exactly how such an emotion is brought out from them. I don`t want to sound like a snob and say that I do. In fact I don`t! Rarely do I find myself in situations that give me enough time to think about all these variables. Its only when we give each photo individual attention in the processing stage when we actually think about these things, and we take back what we have learnt into the field. This is why experience is such a crucial factor.

It was the National geographic that started me off on photography. I`d spend hours looking through pictures and wondering what an amazing job it would be to go to all these places and capture them for everyone to appreciate their beauty. To me, photography was an art that opened my eyes to a world. Calm get aways and fierce mountains, culture, people, no place was unfamiliarlu distant. Soothing rivers and green trees or white snow on the peaks of mountains. It was magical and sometimes, painful when I thought of how near they seemed and how far away they really are.

My camera was the first purchase I made on both my ebay account, and my credit card and its been almost two years into photography. The question now is where to now. I`ve gone through these stages and each time you go out and take photos, you learn a little more. About the physics in photography (albeit subconsciously) or about yourself. All the time you spent editing photos and reworking old ones or simply spending your time looking through flickr for photos that are absolutely stunning, each photo taking you through the stages of becoming who you are as a photographer.

And then there is also the other side to the coin. The photography that you absolutely dislike, a certain style or emotion that you hate to evoke, something is off with the photo. Despite its immense appreciation by others, you find that it is not to your liking. There's nothing wrong with that. Those are the bold photographers who went beyond the cliche stage and there are people that will criticize it for its non-mainstream perspective and then others that will marvel at its beauty. Its really a style and taste thing. And the more you immerse yourself into the world of photography, the more you realise what your style is. For example, take a look at my favourites on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arveyunni/favorites/. You`ll notice that most of them are very low in saturation (with the exception of my favourite colours blue and green to some extent) or are scenic shots of mountains and rivers. These are the photos that inspire me and I try to imitate a lot of the styles found among these photographs.

With time, we develop our own style that consists of a backbone structure of all those amazing images that inspired me and bring me back to view them again and again... But that is the beauty behind learning. Soon, you realise that through those photos and through the search for yourself in those photographs, you have imitated not just a style but also a bit of the persons personality. Such is the power of inspiration.




I`ve always felt that photography or any other art for that matter is simply a matter of practice and learning. I think like most things, talent is developed through constant effort by the individual. We see it as talent because to that person, everything just clicked and its usually the case that the more we learn to appreciate our own work, the better we get at it. It is experience that makes us better at what we do though. The power of the subconscious knowledge can only be developed through this and more than often, we need that knowledge to capture certain kinds of moments.

One day I will look back at this post and really wonder whether or not I really went through these stages. For the rest of you that are reading this, perhaps it is your turn to tell me how close I actually am to getting a consistent style.

Dry spells?

Its funny how this blog is two posts old and I've already hit the topic of dry spells. There are a couple of reasons why I bring up this topic. For one, dry spells are something that EVERY artist must go through. I certainly have times when all I couldn't do much more than get frustrated. The first time I had a dry spell, I went to the shelter of my fellow film photographers on flickr and confided with the many experienced photographers in the community. I have honestly come to respect flickr with such a vibrant community of photographers that being a true part of it instantly brings out your true potential at the time. I say at the time because growth is an on-going process and takes time. Flickr's value to the amatuer photographer goes beyond the $24/year paid to become a pro user.

Back to the topic of dry spells now...
So I learnt a great deal from my friends on flickr and the most important one is that dry spells are a natural part of growth at every stage. In a constant search and find of ideas, your mind tires out as you go into the more narrow fields when you are searching for something so specific that you get lost, and your mind can simply not bring out any ideas. Its when an individual loses inspiration. You reach a point where you just are not satisfied with what's out there and you then know that you need to break out of the box. Often the best way to tackle a dry spell is to switch to something for a while. Like reading, or sketching or blogging for that matter... Just wait it out until the closed box of ideas opens up again. Its your attitude at this point in time that will determine the direction you go. If you lose touch, then you're obviously going to go backwards. The trick is not to give up, but cut down on how much of it you do and turn to other hobbies. Soon you will discover a new and a more creative side that will take over and lead the way.

Also, I hope to find time to go shooting during the day sometime next week. Hopefully for this shooter, all will be back to normal... For now, I take to my reading to both fall asleep and be inspired.

The start

Its a while now that I've been thinking of getting serious about blogging. Since taking up photography, I've become someone that really appreciates my immediate surrounding and the world in general. I think it has opened up a world that I never knew existed. Its only a question of perspective. I always thought photographers were not artists. They are different from 'artists' as they don't create anything. They simple capture what is already there with the aid of a machine. I thought it was unfair to put photographers in the same elite level as painters and composers. Slowly, that changed and I believe that a photographer is someone who has the responsibility of taking what is already there and conveying a message, an emotion and a perspective with the goal of bringing out the same feelings from the viewer. Its a constant challenge that requires an endless amount of time to perfect. Because unlike other artists, we cannot manipulate our surroundings and if so, there is only that much we can do. Our work is based on reality and with that comes great responsibilities. War photographers always dream of taking that one photo that will stop the war, such is the power that this amazing art has. It is used to tell the truth, to bring sights and images in our minds that would otherwise cease to exist.

Photography to me has become more than just another hobby. Its a damn passionate hobby but more importantly, it is something that I have come to take very seriously and of all the things that I have taken up in my life, probably one of the few things that I will stick to. For me, it is a philosophy, a constant strive for perfection, something of an inspiration and is very much a part of me. I hope you enjoy this blog as I share with you my world, my philosophy and my journey...

Arvind