I thought it might be insightful to share the pinball like direction I've been bouncing around in lately. In an effort to share myself and my art with the world, I have been producing Youtube videos. This medium is a great way for me to communicate and share experiences from the artist/human perspective, motivate aspiring photographers and share tips and insights about photography. Since video is relatively new to me, I've watched how other people have been producing their videos. This is a good thing for video creation but, inevitably, I let their subject matter affect me. I wander into realms of information, types of photography, technical methods, etc., that aren't "ME".
Unintentionally I find myself trying to produce what my subconscious mind thinks people want. This is frustrating! I need to stick with "ME", what I do, why I do it, who I am and how I do things. Simple. My experiences and my art. Fortunately, I realize when I start to "wander" much sooner these days.
As it turns out, these wrong turns reaffirm who I am as an artist and how strongly I feel about what I've chosen to do and how I've chosen to do it. These hiccups, which we all have in life, can be a gift. I have the opportunity to stand back and realize that I like being a large format film photographer. I love the quality, and qualities, of the big beautiful prints I produce. I love the intentionality and responsibility found in capturing an exposure on a big sheet of film. And I love my ability to stay true to my vision using a modern digital darkroom to bring my experiences to life in grand scale.
I find it interesting, difficult, frustrating, disappointing (all normal), and also helpful and motivating to want to pull myself back onto my chosen path. After 20 years in business, and as a parent, I've learned the true value in mistakes, failures and deviations. We are almost always moved into a better direction with greater focus and conviction. As an artist, this reinvigorates the passion required to go beyond taking pictures and being able to produce what I call, "The Fine Art of Nature".
Now I hope you'll follow along as I share who I am and what I do with a bit more clarity. I welcome your comments, insights and requests for information you'd like me to share here and in my Youtube videos. (Corresponding Video HERE)Thanks again for joining me.
Enjoy the View!
Jon Paul
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