Starting over sounds so much better then I failed. Although, what do you do when you fail? Start over. Failing is not a bad thing despite what we have been conditioned to think. If you don’t fail then you don’t learn. The only time failure is a bad thing is when you hadn’t learned anything from it and you don’t try again. So starting over is the inevitable step forward on to a new direction, a better idea, or an improvement over the last idea that landed you here.
So what am I going to do now?
First; I am not going to make my journey all about selling prints, books or whatever merchandise seems to grab people’s attention. Yes I will have prints to sell for those who ask but commerce is not the driver of what I am doing with my photography. Instead I want my subjects I create images of to be the main focus of my work. I want the story of the landscape to come out, giving the viewer a new perspective and maybe change some minds along the way.
I feel that the best way to do this is to document through video that journey. I have tried this before and I am going to try this again. What I am not going to do is to make it about the shutter click, rather about the subject matter itself. An environmental aspect to the story rather than a pretty picture only. And maybe my subjects won’t be pretty but rather the ugly side of environmental destruction that happens. I feel that we as photographers are always in pursuit of the next jaw dropping beautiful landscape to capture, package and sell. And by me saying that, don't get the idea I am casting any dispersions on them. I think it’s great they are able to find those areas of extreme beauty to show us. But I sometimes feel that by not showing the true reality of our environment, we give a false narrative that everything is alright. On the other hand, true reality and the ugliness of it doesn’t sell.
The second thing I am going to do is incorporate my cycling with photography by using the bike as the main mode of transportation as often as I can. And not only as transport but some subject matters I think can cross over to my photography. I am not entirely sure, as you can see, how I am going to use my cycling in my photography. But what I won’t do is write about cycling as a sport or have endless of the photos I create with my bike leaning up against something. I guess the best thing I can do is be open to whatever works out for it.
The last thing is to show more. Besides the video maybe do a show of the prints I make. Create a project and have a year or two to complete it up to and including a show. Again I am not looking to make a lot of money or maybe I’ll never make anything off of my work. I enjoy my work and I would like to share it with people who may also like it.
I have lived over half my life expectancy and I, like many others, would like to leave a small legacy behind that if only a few know. It would be nice to think that my work would be up in some museum as a photographer that changed the art, but that is a foolish notion. I would just be happy if a few of my images hung on a handful of people's walls. That’ not too much to ask, right?
Thanks for reading and coming along on my journey. I hope along the way I can entertain, and pass along a little knowledge. If anything I hope you find yourself wanting to visit the places I have shown you.