The perfect image is one that is creative.
Budding photographers often lose sight of making photographs, as their photographic practice gets overshadowed by other things they can not control, such as gear, social media followers, or even their inhibitions with presenting their work. Ted Forbes argues that there is a balance between creating quality images, but within current contexts, also putting your work out into the world.
Quality and popularity aren’t the same things. Talented photographer W. Eugene Smith made thousands of images per project in pursuit of that perfect shot. But this meant that his work was difficult to engage with, as it was difficult to present such a large volume of images in a manner that audiences could feasibly digest. He got a bit caught up in chasing perfection.
In the video, the host Ted Forbes interviews acclaimed documentary photographer John Free.
Forget about the style. [Henri Cartier] Bresson’s style was excellence. Excellence in craft. Excellence in execution. Excellence in showing the host. Excellence in thinking about the shot that he wanted to give it to you. That’s the style I want. But I don’t want anybody to look at my photographs: 'oh, that’s a John Free because I can tell how he tilted it.' No, no, no. I don’t want that.
In contrast, I believe that style is paramount. I agree that creativity can be a style; excellence, too, can be a style if that excellence is unique to you, which, as a creative, it would be if you are following your own unique voice. Having a concept or an idea and communicating that through images is paramount. Anything else is a distraction.
What are some barriers holding your photography back, and how can you overcome them? I'd love to hear in the comments below.
I'm glad you found this article useful to your photographic practice! It definitely gave me a lot to think about; everything is just a tool and the only thing that really matters is the final image.