To shoot or not to shoot?

I shoot therefore I am.

My take is that this is a common problem, however if one ‘surrendered’ to it, well you’d never bother doing anything.

The subject had a good philosophical airing in Albert Camus’ “ Myth of Sisyphus” where Sisyphus is condemned, by the Gods to roll a big rock up a hill everyday, whereupon it would roll down again, seemingly pointless, futile labour, but in Camus’ account Sisyphus reconciled to himself that embracing the present moment and finding satisfaction in the PROCESS ( my caps) regardless of the outcome, is the essence of existence.

I would say the vast majority of photographs I’ve ever taken, percentage wise are disappointments, comparing what I wanted/hoped for with the result, but I realised that the ‘doing’ is the real satisfaction, as R. L Stevenson remarked “ the purpose of travel is to go—-“

Brilliant virtuoso musicians eg pianists will play/perform say a Mozart piano concerto 20-30+ times, because they always believe they can do it better or find something new every time.

I [used to] shoot because I enjoy[ed] the act of *shooting*.

I enjoy the location recce, the model selection to fit the location ... the actual shoot itself.

I'm not bothered about spending hours stuck behind the monitor editing every little minutiae.

I don't shoot for social media*.

I don't shoot for other people's opinions or critique.

I don't particularly care if anyone else likes the images.

I shoot for me.

* I'm not on IG, twitter etc, and only *just* on Facebook ... and model images don't get posted there anyway.

I do it because I enjoy it. 

I'm not on IG, FB or any other social media sites. The only outlet for my pics is on here. I'm happy posting on here. I use my portfolio as a sort of personal photo album - it enables me to view some of my favourite pics without having to open up various photo files on the hard drives. And if other people like my pics - especially if models think 'if I work with him he might portray me in a way that won't have me putting a paper bag over my head and going into hiding' - that's a very nice bonus. 

For example, I've just spent the last two days working with Jasmine High (not nude, of course). She's bl**dy brilliant to work with and I've have had a blast. I'll post some of the pics on here in due course. There's loads of stuff on here that's a million times better than anything I'll ever do, and there's some stuff on here that (IMO) is truly awful. But that - and my inability to post on IG etc etc - does not detract from the immense pleasure I've had from the last couple of days. 

I'm old and decrepit and my energy levels are reducing all the time. At the end of each year I find myself wondering 'is this going to be the last year I can do this?' When the answer to that is 'yes', I'm going to be a very, very unhappy bunny. Indeed, I might well be back of 40mg Citalopram instead of my usual 10mg.   

Too much pondering over whether to do stuff I sometimes feel.

Life is short. Do fun things.

Just to make it clear, my point about ‘not being able to post on Instagram, and not seeing the point in nude work’ was a personal reflection for my own work and not of others, so please do not take this personally.

Edited by Pippa.

Pippa. said

Just to make it clear, my point about ‘not being able to post on Instagram, and not seeing the point in nude work’ was a personal reflection for my own work and not of others, so please do not take this personally.

Edited by Pippa.

Thanks for joining in. I did try to link you, but our internet didn’t cooperate.

I have a profile on IG specifically for BW Art nude pics. 
Very tame. The IG AI flags them in about 30 seconds and limits my reach.

Work needs to be seen. Probably. Or maybe the work is the point, not the results.

Every single electric guitarist who has played since the middle of 1966 has lived (if they are aware) with the knowledge that they will never, ever be Jimi Hendrix -- unambiguously one of the most fluid, expressive, innovative, entertaining, daring, inspiring and creatively generous musicians who has ever lived. Why play the guitar when Hendrix seemingly perfected it? Musicians did quit or change instruments while trying to process their loss.

And yet! Fleetwood Mac's "Man Of The World" was recorded in 1969, Santana's Samba Pa Ti in 1970, and so on. All the way to Rodrigo y Gabriela in 2006, and onwards. 

The problem of a venue for art nude is a perennial one but it's not only art nude photography that can't go, or doesn't work, or is suppressed to hell on Instagram. 

But I wouldn't worry about Instagram. There is a bigger epoch change than Jimi Hendrix coming, and you can see it everywhere: people are logging off various places on the internet, never to return.

Social media ate culture. AI will eat social media. It will shatter into smaller and smaller communities: the idea that a photo needs to go on Instagram to exist in any meaningful way is a concept that will fade away.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

The more I hear rubbish about trying to please other people, the more I am seeing them as the problem and not the inspiration. How on Earth did people remained motivated to create anything before they could get it universally liked on Instagram. Most previous generations were not able or not motivated to create something to please everyone but succeeded. Now it is possible to share everything and suddenly that takes away that vision or ability

I have my own motivation, I enjoy creating the images I do, enjoy exploring the concepts and find it rewarding. If you don't, or have got set in your ways or believe everything has already been done, that is your problem, go and wallow!

If someone doesn't see the point if it cannot be shared on IG, then either they have a vested interest [shooting low enough levels and wanting to diss anything not suited] or they are pointless, not the work.

Fortunately, I have always had way more interests than time available, so I just go where my enthusiasm and time will allow and am prepared to push and challenge myself. Having watched people around me start to drift into the tunnel of old age, I am quite pleased I am as driven as I have ever been and part of that is because I never listen to all the "Can't's" and just work out what I would like to do and get off my arse and do it. There is one thing for certain, we will all get older and find it more challenging for various reasons and time becomes ever smaller and finite

I just shoot as I have always done and not influenced by Social Media. I am looking to constantly review and improve. IG has become a monster if you let it be. There have always been barriers but they can be overcome.

Gerry99111 said

The more I hear rubbish about trying to please other people, the more I am seeing them as the problem and not the inspiration.

…How on Earth did people remained motivated to create anything before they could get it universally liked on Instagram…..

I don’t think there’s much danger of people thinking you are trying to please other people….   ;)

I think the motivation for the original prehistoric cave paintings was to get a hot chick to take off her fur clothing. The song remains the same.

:)

Unfocussed Mike said

Every single electric guitarist who has played since the middle of 1966 has lived (if they are aware) with the knowledge that they will never, ever be Jimi Hendrix -- unambiguously one of the most fluid, expressive, innovative, entertaining, daring, inspiring and creatively generous musicians who has ever lived. Why play the guitar when Hendrix seemingly perfected it? Musicians did quit or change instruments while trying to process their loss...

 

Digressing totally... The only time I saw Hendrix, he wasn't very good. Mind you, he was... shall say... chemically aided (or unaided), and it was only a few days before his death. 

But I am aware of his usual skills and his legendary status. 

[I apologise for the digression. I'm not hoping to turn this into a Hendrix thread. I'm just showing off that I actually saw him perform.] 

More generally still: I'm a fiftysomething single man who has spent his entire life locked in a battle with what people call depressive realism. Every day is a series of choices about how I am going to feel.

And given the nature of modern life and middle age, I've probably spent as many hours with my dentist this year as I have with any one of my close friends.

One thing I continue to feel is that while it has cost me friendships and relationships, I am better off not allowing social media to influence value judgements about anything or anyone. If you stay away from social media, but turn up to people's real events in life, that's the goal.

There are two perfect outcomes to depressive realism: one, the discovery of a meaning of life that survives it. The other is probably more energy efficient over the long run.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike

Huw yep, META is getting increasingly stricter, and although it may be annoying to nude artwork etc, at the end of the day, they don’t create the platform for that. I think particularly for those that make a living out of modelling and photography, it’s important to adapt to such changes and try to show more SFW styles, because otherwise it’s literally like treading on egg shells the entire time. You post nudes etc, you will get shadow-banned and your page will stop reaching other accounts. On Facebook, you can get banned for 30 days from posting. That’s then 30 entire days that you can’t market yourself on a platform. By breaking the instagram rules, and getting shadow-banned you are then decreasing your visibility to potential clients. But if none of this particularly bothers you, carry on :)

Orson Carter said

Unfocussed Mike said

Every single electric guitarist who has played since the middle of 1966 has lived (if they are aware) with the knowledge that they will never, ever be Jimi Hendrix -- unambiguously one of the most fluid, expressive, innovative, entertaining, daring, inspiring and creatively generous musicians who has ever lived. Why play the guitar when Hendrix seemingly perfected it? Musicians did quit or change instruments while trying to process their loss...

 

Digressing totally... The only time I saw Hendrix, he wasn't very good. Mind you, he was... shall say... chemically aided (or unaided), and it was only a few days before his death. 

But I am aware of his usual skills and his legendary status. 

[I apologise for the digression. I'm not hoping to turn this into a Hendrix thread. I'm just showing off that I actually saw him perform.] 

My suspicion is that (among other music industry depredations, toxic friends and lack of care etc.) Hendrix began to fall victim to the very same thing, over time. That he'd never be as transformative as Jimi Hendrix in 1966. I mean there's a (relatively long, in the context of his career) period of him deliberately rejecting his own trajectory that lead to Band Of Gypsies; a band he formed almost as if to underscore the point that there was music and there was the tokenism people were forcing him into. 

One of the most difficult things we face as humans, and I feel is in evidence in this thread, is not so much loss of youth, or loss of vigour, as the simple feeling that one day we know we're beyond the summits of many of our mountains, on the downward slopes. Because it's inevitable; things peak. How you deal with that is a measure of character (one I am lately failing). 

Collectively, culture is on a downslope: we are well beyond the summit of Mount Social Media. We know that essentially all the good, transformative, exciting, validating bits are over. Even tiktok is a place where people get bullied. 

What we replace it with is up to us, I guess.

Edited by Unfocussed Mike