Surrounded
As a photographer, I am concerned with producing photographs that are more than just pretty pictures. I want photos that tell a story, photos that touch the soul, and photos that make you reflect about life, about the choices that we make, about where we came from and where we will end up, photos that invoke awe and wonder. It is difficult when such work is surrounded by an onslaught of technographers with their ubiquitous cameras in every conceivable device broadcasting a visual-cacophony of mediocre imagery. All the while they flood the world with claims of artistry and self proclamation of greatness while presenting a mish-mash of cookie-cutter formulaic images of iconic locations coupled with two-bit “Jack Handy” styled affirmations which have nothing to do with the photo its coupled with. I suppose these affirmations are supposed to make you think they are some deep philosophical thinkers that have figured out life and how to live it. God forbid that we should look with a critical eye upon the work of the greatest photographer alive or that we should question the king of nature as the king traipses about in his kingdom.
Never mind the decades of experience behind the lens, the years of study into the life cycles and natural rhythms of creatures, plants and ecosystems, or the nature of light itself and how it interacts with objects to produce the images we see not to mention the eye itself. Never mind the lifetime of experiences spent trying to understand ones own internal psyche through years of spiritual practice so that one would understand the underpinnings of human as well as animal behavior. Those qualities of the artist are not as important in producing art as the tool used in making that art. A tool, the modern camera in this case, so technologically advanced that the “artist” has no real understanding of how that technology actually produces the images that it regurgitates.
If you sense frustration in my words, you would be correct. Presenting work that is either to subtle to be noticed or to sophisticated to be understood is becoming exceedingly disheartening. I produce my work with a discerning eye. I do not travel around the world looking for and presenting the next amazing unseen before image. I also do not produce thousands upon thousands of photos every year. My work is much more an internal examination of the state in which find myself physically, mentally as well as spiritually. Any person could find themselves in these same states and could relate to them personally. In times of difficulty and confusion, we all yearn for moments when an understanding into the circumstances that surround us is all that are needed to maintain our sanity. For me, those moments come visually more often than not, and if I happen to have my camera with me, it is captured in the hopes that others might benefit from that ephemeral epiphany as well.
I photograph what I find appealing and I let the photos find me rather that trying to force the photo I see in my head. Sometimes I do not know why I make a photo or what that image means at the time I capture it. Sometimes the meaning does not become apparent to me for years and at other times it is understood even before I trip the shutter. The photos look “real”, they feel “real” and yet they sometimes border on the surreal because whatever happens to be in the photo was never looked at in that specific way or in that flavor of light or from that certain perspective. If a photo elicits a question in the viewer then I have achieved my goal. The question could be as simple as “where is this?” or “what is this?” The point is that the image has made the viewer think. My photos are not made to be looked at in passing. The longer they are viewed the more interesting they become as the nuances of light and detail begin to emerge and objects are seen in them that we would not have seen otherwise even if the scene was observed in person. Since I do not follow the crowd from iconic location to iconic location, my photos are quite unique and usually buck the trends.
Trends come and go quickly. They appear out of nowhere and vanish almost as quickly. What is in fashion today will no longer be tomorrow. And those who are caught up in the rush of the caprice du jour enjoy a temporal euphoria that sweeps them away into oblivion such that no one can tell where they came from and where they had gone and become nothing more than a blip in our collective memory. At the same time, those that anchor themselves to tradition, integrity, honesty, quality and style, will find themselves apparently losing out in the race. However, what is not seen is that while everyone else has been washed away they are still standing, as firm as they ever were and still as reliable to others as they ever were. That is where true value lies, in that which is reliable. So, even though you might feel surrounded at times by the world racing around you, take solace in lasting traditions and pay no attention to the flotsam whizzing by.
Jack Graham on 09 Jul 2012 at 4:06 pm #
Never a more truer words have been written. You summed things up for a lot of us. Those who differ, I feel sorry for. Great article!.JG
Youssef Ismail on 09 Jul 2012 at 6:59 pm #
Thanks Jack. I had the feeling that this was the sentiment for many but no one was saying anything. Share the link if you like. Thanks again.
David Leland Hyde on 09 Jul 2012 at 8:13 pm #
This is one of the best posts I’ve read in some time. Did you see Ben Glatt’s blog post called “Seeing the Light?” It’s topic is related and is equally compelling and important for all serious photographers to read: http://benjaminglatt.com/blog/?p=31 . Your kind of sentiment is not written about or discussed enough in my opinion.
Youssef Ismail on 09 Jul 2012 at 9:15 pm #
Thanks David. I did read his excellent post and you are correct this subject is not discussed enough. The problem is that those who need to hear this discourse are lulled into a trance by the flotsam. I try on a weekly basis in my weekend exhibits to engage my visitors. Its really hard.
Rafael Rojas on 10 Jul 2012 at 1:34 am #
This blog post really puts into brief words so many hours of conversation I have had with some fellow photographers in the last years. In a way, we have witnessed the mediocrity and fast-food culture arrive to the world of photography, where colorful pixels have become the cool thing of the moment along with the superficial assertions they normally come with. Never before humanity was subjected to so much “bullshit”. And that is the very reason why, in the end, a search for truth and integrity will prevail. It is just physics…everything which goes up ends up falling down…and those who stand still on the branch will contemplate the yo-yo trends with amusement.
Really glorious post amigo.
Rafa
Youssef Ismail on 10 Jul 2012 at 2:18 am #
I love it…Fast-Food-Fotography. Thanks Rafael, another vote that gives me confidence that we will make it through as art photographers.
Harley Goldman on 10 Jul 2012 at 6:37 am #
Beautifully said, Youssef!! I am with you 100%.
Greg Russell on 10 Jul 2012 at 8:25 am #
Hi, Youssef. This is a really wonderful blog post, summarizing (as Rafael said) pretty concisely what I’ve been thinking about for a long time. When I look at the social media, I sometimes get discouraged, wondering how my work could ever stand out, mainly because it is diluted in the flood of 1,000+ other photographers, all trying to be heard.
I won’t make any assertions on the quality of their work vs. mine, but I do agree with you regarding the fascination with colorful pixels vs. thoughtful imagery guided by a well-developed vision and voice. The former seems to “win out” more often than not…and for what?
Anyway, great post…thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Greg
Youssef Ismail on 10 Jul 2012 at 8:54 am #
I know there has to be more of us with these same sentiments. I know that these sentiments go beyond just photography. Among all artists, getting the cream to rise to the top and have that cream recognized and honored is hard. It needs to be a concerted effort that no one seems willing to make. Thanks for you thoughts Greg.
Richard Wong on 10 Jul 2012 at 2:47 pm #
You just shattered my self-esteem, Youssef. I really thought I was the king. J/K. This is a great post. There is too much b.s. and noise within the online photography community. Photography should not be about fame and popularity. We should strive to be artists first, and if that brings prosperity then so be it but photography is not about “photo walks” and how many “friends” you can accumulate. None of those things have anything to do with the creative process, and is more prohibitive of creative growth than anything else. Our reputation should be forged by the integrity of our work and the service we provide to clients (if you are doing this professionally), not by manufacturing a reputation that didn’t really exist in the first place.
Youssef Ismail on 10 Jul 2012 at 4:08 pm #
Exactly Richard, Exactly! Its dangerous territory, the online world, and easy to get caught up in being popular and worrying about what others think of you rather than worrying about what one produces that is of value and benefit. It has become a professional necessity to have a social online presence but not at the detriment of what we produce.
John pedersen on 10 Jul 2012 at 10:02 pm #
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and words. I feel amazingly relieved after reading it. Great insights. Thank you for talking about this topic
Youssef Ismail on 10 Jul 2012 at 10:33 pm #
You know John, that is the feeling I got from the photo that illustrates this post. I felt that all this water coming from who knows where is awesome and its not here for not even a fraction of a second and then its gone, but that tree anchored in that rock watches it all go by and will still be there when the water dries up. No one will remember the water, but they will see the tree still anchored there. It brought me great solace and reassured me to just anchor my work in what really matters. Thanks of sharing your thoughts as well.