LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

Here's a Thought… #2734 with Brooks Jensen

Actions of the Creative Process

There is a lot of buzz about "Creativity" in artistic pursuits. Books are prevalent; YouTube videos are offered by the terabyte; even here in LensWorkland find you'll find a lot of references to Creativity. Well and good, but what is Creativity? If we were to observe a person in the actions of Creativity, what would that look like? There is the part of Creativity that happens in our brain that is invisible, but there is also a part we can see, observe, and emulate. Creativity is often as simple as, What If? and rejection.

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Here's a Thought… #2733 with Brooks Jensen

A Box With One of Ones

I recently ran across a box of prints from 1989 I'd almost forgotten about. That is to say, I remembered the project but had forgotten the images. Looking through the images, I fell in love with them all over again. What do I do with these 1/1 Polaroids? I've kept these secured and protected now for 37 years — and perfectly invisible to all but a handful of close friends. Have they fulfilled their purpose?

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Here's a Thought… #2732 with Brooks Jensen

Time to Get Off the Stage

I'm a baby boomer. My generation invented rock and roll music. I'm vicariously proud of that. I must admit, however, that it is time that some of my favorites need to get of the stage and enjoy their retirement. The fires of creativity still burn, but the remaining embers are a dim glow, and an off-key one at that. I wonder if we photographers need to take an honest look at ourselves, too? There is a time to retire our cameras, but will we recognize it when it's our turn?

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Here's a Thought… #2731 with Brooks Jensen

Universal Stories

Photographs, by their very nature, are specific. They capture a view of a specific place at a specific time. Stories, good stories anyway, have a sense of the universal about them. This is why vacation snapshots of landscapes often don't have much appeal; they are too specific, too personal. What brings a story (or a landscape) to life is when we can identify with the characters and can imagine ourself in their shoes, when we see ourself in the story.

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LW1520 - The Big, Big Problem of Repetition

I've been doing multiple image projects now for 45 years and reviewing submissions to LensWork for 34 years. One of the things I've learned is that nothing kills a multi-image project as fast as repetition. The instant a viewer thinks, "I've seen this one before," their interest starts to wane. Even if they haven't seen it before, but think they have, the damage is done.



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You might also be interested in. . .

Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.

and...

"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.