One9Design

In the Marine Corps (at least when I was in) there are three levels of marksmanship: marksman, sharpshooter, and expert. When I first enlisted I was a marksman and for years I could not get over that hump to expert. It was not until I had a very different marksmanship instructor once I became an officer that I was able to get over the hump. I cannot remember this guys name but he was a character. The quote I remember from him most vividly: “This morning I gave myself a check up from the neck up and found myself OUTSTANDING!” He refused to call us “marksmen” and “sharpshooters” and instead told us to refer to ourselves as “frustrated experts.” How we talked about ourselves would influence our performance on qualification day. I have decided to apply this to my photography. I am going to refer to myself not as an amateur or hobbyist but instead as a “frustrated artisan.” I am not yet sure if I want to make a living with photography but I definitely want to become an artisan. Let me define what I am talking about: The ability to consistently and deliberately produce photographic images that have emotional impact beyond their own context. There are three elements to this definition:

1. Consistent & deliberate. Now when I get a great image it is usually rare. Most often it is accidental. Often I don’t even have a vision in my mind I am just hoping to get the exposure right and maybe apply the rule of thirds. Once I can get a great image on purpose and without 100 bad images along with it, I will be on my way.

2. Emotional impact. Does the picture make you feel something? How powerful is it? Does it take you somewhere you are not exactly comfortable being? Your kids school photos or maybe your wedding photos will have emotional impact for you. They may not have impact for me which leads me to…

3. Cross contextual. If I can look at your wedding photos and feel that impact, the image is cross contextual. When I look at the work of Avendon or Ansel Adams I feel that. The photos are powerful even though I have no direct attachment to the people or places in the images.

As I unpack “frustrated artisan”, my goal is to remember where I am on my photographic journey and keep myself motivated to keep improving.

Now stop reading this and go shoot something. That’s where I am going.