But What If It Works…. Photography as a Practice
“Are you practicing or performing?”
I stumbled across this question recently, and it’s been lingering in the back of my mind ever since.
When I first joined the photography community, practice was the whole point. We shared the efforts, the experiments, and the play. As the internet has evolved however, the “rules” have shifted. Now, it feels like we’re only allowed to share the greatest hits. The hero images.
If we don’t have a masterpiece to post, we’re left feeling inadequate. Less than. Not good enough.
In what world does that make us better?! In what world is that even fun?!
One of the reasons that I’ve been having so much fun with film is that I don’t expect perfection. Every frame is an exercise in curiosity. Will this work? What if I try this?
And I’ve found that this curiosity is contagious. The freedom I’ve found in my film practice has blended back into my digital work. It’s reminding me the importance of play again—to stop chasing the “safe” shot and start relaxing into the “what if”, regardless of the camera in my hand.
Here are some curiosity images on film full of the joy of play.
