'Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work'

Gandhi

Gandhi

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As above really. Discuss away.

Was from a photographer by the name of chuck close in todays guardian. He does daguerreotype photos. (I dont buy it btw, just do the crossword in my mates)

I initially though 'arrogant ****' and then later I started to think, 'Does he have a point here actually?'


Only because in my job recently I've found that's pretty much what I do.


whole article HERE
 
Joe T said:
I guess it depends if you are taking pictures for "art" or for "work".
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and whether or not you consider yourself as an artist or a photographer (and maybe photography itself as art) Personally I don't see myself as an artist so I guess I just show up and get to work :)
 
This is actually provoking on many levels.

Does he mean that photography to him is now solely 'work' and the love has gone, ergo the amateur is in a privileged position.

Does he mean that as a professional he no longer requires inspiration as he knows intuitively what is required in and for a particular shot.

Is he suggesting that amateurs are a sub-species of photographer that bitch and moan when they can't deliver what they visualise.

Is he just an arrogant nob?
 
I reckon its just plain arrogance!!
 
And of course it may not be specific to 'tography either ... :shrug:

Either way, and in whatever sphere, I guess even professionals need inspiration at some time or other ... :shrug: ... perhaps even moreso than amateurs as their living depends on it ... :thinking:


AND ... Thought provoking subject Gandhi ... (y)




:p
 
For me, inspiration comes from within, from the soul. Therefore he has no soul imo. Maybe he sold it for mercury vapour.
 
Jason said:
For me, inspiration comes from within, from the soul. Therefore he has no soul imo. Maybe he sold it for mercury vapour.
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lol - think the mercury vapour just disolved it :)
 
There's another point about the quote, it makes no sense in the context it's used. It's just used to grab attention with no relevance to the rest of the article.

To judge him on that is a bit difficult.
 
I guess if you're working for a local paper in a dull town where nothing happens then sure. You go to the office and see a list of school play, kitten in tree, ducks, spring flowers, random building and you're on the clock. So you would turn up, get a photo or two and head off.

For me personally, I need that inspiration. I like the fact that there's always something new to try, another way of doing things, and simply that I still have plenty to learn. Maybe I'll say something different in 10 years but I really hope I don't.
 
Different way of looking at things, I've no problem with that.
I tried making a daguerrotype a couple of months ago, and it went very very wrong. I ended up stripping the plate bare.
 
OK as far as it goes. At times at work I would find myself working on 'auto pilot'. Perhaps this is the source of his comment. Instinctive creativity can be acquired by repetition of good practice. On other occasions the creative/inspiration monkey had to be there, on the ball and working damned hard just to get one shot worth having but I don't really remember being aware of it. Just a days work. Perhaps given the time an unpaid photographer might give themselves I would have been aware of the creative thing going on, maybe? By the way, to me professional describes someone who is paid for their work and amature not. I've not really come up with adjectives to describe the various types (quality) of photographer - hard thing to do without prejudice.:thinking: :thinking:
 
As has been mentioned above, it's impossible to know what he was getting out when it's just a snip out of context.

I'll give my take on it, though. In my line of work (portrait photography) I get a ton of questions from photogs who don't have a lot of experience, always to the effect of, "I'm doing a shoot with a two-year-old and a newborn. Can you show me examples of how to pose them?" Rather than just doing the session and having the confidence and knowledge to make it work, they are looking for me to give them ideas.

In that sense, I agree with him. Those who lack experience tend to look outward for confidence and inspiration; those who have the experience and confidence tend to look inward for inspiration.

As far as "amateur" and "professional", as far as I'm concerned those words refer to money only, not skill. I've seen a lot of terrible professionals, and a lot of wonderful amateurs.

- CJ
 
cjnicolai said:
As has been mentioned above, it's impossible to know what he was getting out when it's just a snip out of context.
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Agreed

cjnicolai said:
As far as "amateur" and "professional", as far as I'm concerned those words refer to money only, not skill. I've seen a lot of terrible professionals, and a lot of wonderful amateurs.
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Also agreed, Amateur = Someone who does it for no payment, Professional = Earns the majority of their income from Photography, Semi Pro = Earns a good proportion of their income from photography.

I fit in the total and rank amateur part of that ranking ! lol
 
In a professional situation, you can't really turn up and then spend 20 minutes or so wandering around looking for your muse. Unless of course, you have a healthy comission to provide some nice arty shots in an unlimited time-frame.

Reading between the lines I think he's getting at that. A bit of arrogance thrown in means he thinks he knows what is a good shot and how to get it by experience, hard work and being inately talented.

Still a right knob-jockey thing to say though!
 
I can sort of see what he might possibly be trying to say - although i agree the way it's been quoted makes him sound a bit snotty!

I go for a day out on a Sunday and I can wander round waiting for "inspiration" or whatever you want to call it, to kick in before I do anything. If I don't take the camera out the bag all day then no loss to anyone. I get to speedway on a Thursday night though and there's no point in me thinking "nah - don't really fancy shooting little kids with their fave rider or racing action tonight" - just get on and do it. On the other hand it wouldn't occur to me to think that either, it IS just a case of "that's what I do". sometimes though I can be a lot more "into it" than others - the other week after witnessing a nasty crash my head wasn't in the game all night - I'd just watched someone I know and have known for years taken off to hospital with a possibly career finishing smashed leg and after that my head didn't want to join in. I lost concentration, ballsed up the settings and tried to shoot the rest of the night set at f2.8 - net result lots of REALLY sharp safety fence and some rather blurred riders! Doh! Thursday however, in spite of it being a painfully awful meeting, my attention to detail was spot on and I KNOW I've got some results to be proud of.
 
Gandhi said:
In a professional situation, you can't really turn up and then spend 20 minutes or so wandering around looking for your muse. Unless of course, you have a healthy comission to provide some nice arty shots in an unlimited time-frame.

Reading between the lines I think he's getting at that. A bit of arrogance thrown in means he thinks he knows what is a good shot and how to get it by experience, hard work and being inately talented.
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I think this pretty much covers it - I show up, I do my job. Most days it's dross, but occasionally my subject matter may inspire me to put in a little extra effort to produce something really special. Considering that no-one but you will notice the difference (esp in my line of work) it all comes down to how you feel on the day.

I know I'm bloody good at what I do (and am peerless in my own circle when it comes down to War photography, not because my images are better, but because I go the extra mile to get them) and will come away with the money-shot on most days. Does saying this out loud make me arrogant or self-confident?
 
It is a wise man that knows his/her limitations. Old saying but works both ways. It is a good thing to know and be able to quantify your talent.
 
Arkady said:
Does saying this out loud make me arrogant or self-confident?
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Depends on what type of money shot you were referring to :D
 
Arkady -
I know I'm bloody good at what I do (and am peerless in my own circle when it comes down to War photography, not because my images are better, but because I go the extra mile to get them) and will come away with the money-shot on most days. Does saying this out loud make me arrogant or self-confident?
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Playing devils advocate here....
Well it could be construed as both depending on the context it is said and the wordage used e.g using the word "bloody" makes it arrogant when then followed by the peerless wording in brackets, whereas the removal of such word makes it a confident statement. The arrnagement of the whole sentence could tell the listener a different story, that coupled with the tone of voice (presuming the statement was oral) will define if it is arrogance or that you are dedicated persuer of your field with talent..... JMO
 
My dad once told me that if you havnt got anything good to say then dont say anything at all. Only if he had told this fella then this highly sensitive thread wouldnt had to be made.

I could rant for ages about this topic though, but really what is the point.

King.
 
Why are people getting worked up about this?? :thinking:
 
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