I think that in an age obsessed with performing "process" on Instagram, failure—real failure—is far from a trite subject. I've had several conversations about creative work recently in which I and the person I was talking to both expressed surprise and shame about our long and convoluted paths to finished pieces. But why were we surprised? These false starts ARE the creative process.
It's so true. I was watching the Louisiana Chanel interview with Rachel Cusk recently. She says that she now knows which projects are going to work and which aren't in part because she has started so many that ended up not going anywhere. I also think part of what you are getting at is that we aren't always (or ever) sure what we are making at first. Part of the process is that discovery, and sometimes what we discover is that something isn't working.
I just started getting into street photography on film. The feeling I got when I back a bad batch… oof. It was crushing, definitely a sense of failure. But then it motivated me to course correct. That’s beautiful thing about film, you put in a fresh roll and you feel like you have a blank slate.
The gap between when you take/make a photograph and when you see it is one of the things I love about film. For me, I think there is something about the time between the two that is really important. With digital, you can often correct or adjust in the moment. It's great for commercial work, or projects where you really need to get "the shot." But I often think about the images that feel like mistakes in the moment but that get better with a second look. I wonder how many of those get lost now.
There’s a part of me that loves not knowing in the moment so I can move on immediately to the next shot. Plus, the suspense and excitement when I finally get them back and open up the pack. Its such a fun process
I think that in an age obsessed with performing "process" on Instagram, failure—real failure—is far from a trite subject. I've had several conversations about creative work recently in which I and the person I was talking to both expressed surprise and shame about our long and convoluted paths to finished pieces. But why were we surprised? These false starts ARE the creative process.
It's so true. I was watching the Louisiana Chanel interview with Rachel Cusk recently. She says that she now knows which projects are going to work and which aren't in part because she has started so many that ended up not going anywhere. I also think part of what you are getting at is that we aren't always (or ever) sure what we are making at first. Part of the process is that discovery, and sometimes what we discover is that something isn't working.
I just started getting into street photography on film. The feeling I got when I back a bad batch… oof. It was crushing, definitely a sense of failure. But then it motivated me to course correct. That’s beautiful thing about film, you put in a fresh roll and you feel like you have a blank slate.
I know that feeling well :)
The gap between when you take/make a photograph and when you see it is one of the things I love about film. For me, I think there is something about the time between the two that is really important. With digital, you can often correct or adjust in the moment. It's great for commercial work, or projects where you really need to get "the shot." But I often think about the images that feel like mistakes in the moment but that get better with a second look. I wonder how many of those get lost now.
There’s a part of me that loves not knowing in the moment so I can move on immediately to the next shot. Plus, the suspense and excitement when I finally get them back and open up the pack. Its such a fun process
Wow. These are quite elegant.
Thank you, Hanz.
Lovely work, and very cool to hear the thinking behind it. I’d love to see a second go at the first set, there’s definitely something to those images.
It's funny, rediscovering this batch made me see them with fresh eyes. There are a few I've now come back to, so maybe you're right. Thanks Chris!
Very cool. I like the first set too. But yeah the second is really interesting
Thank you!