The feeling of knowing is great, but learning is the most exciting thing.
The other day, I attended a panel discussing artificial intelligence and its potential future impacts on photography and other art forms. This article is not about AI, so I will mention it especially briefly. But the only reason I bring this up is because during the discussion, one of the things that became clear to me was how much I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Sure, AI can get me “a” result faster than traditional methods. The effect is undeniable. However, by substituting the sometimes difficult process for achieving the desired result, you may also be taking away the joy and ownership that comes from discovering the process on your own.
I guess I always liked being a student. Maybe not exactly going to school. Life can be difficult for people who are socially disadvantaged. But I really enjoy studying. Even when the topic at hand was one that I knew would be of no use to me beyond the academic wall (I’m talking to you, Calculus), I still enjoyed the process of sitting in a classroom and presented ideas I never knew existed. I enjoy the feeling that my mind can start as an empty vessel and become more energized through hard work and study.
Learning photography is the final equation. Anyone can enjoy looking at a great photo. But when I began to question how those wonderful images I was seeing were realistically created, my mind became alive with possibilities. Why exactly do Annie Leibovitz’s portraits look the way they do? What must have happened behind the scenes for Elliott Erwitt to capture such amazing moments? What did Steven Meisel do with his images that inspired me, a fashion-ignorant man, to spend so much time looking at women’s Vogue?
From the moment I picked up the camera, I threw myself into learning how to do it. As my career progressed, I learned that understanding your why is equally important. Pursuing both of these levels of knowledge simultaneously, I eventually became a better photographer. As I became a better photographer, instead of things getting easier, the task at hand became more difficult. Because as a person’s skills increase, so does their ambition. The great thing about being an artist is that it’s a profession where your goal is never to be a finished product. No matter where you are in your career, from beginner to experienced professional, there is always more you can learn. Your profession is always evolving. And in that consistent progress lies the beauty of being an artist.
Of course, it may not always be like that. I can remember my early days learning photography and making the same mistakes over and over again, fooling myself into thinking that the blurriness in my photos was due to my camera failing and not me. Can’t understand the consequences of that. shutter speed. You don’t know what you don’t know. And many times throughout your career, you’ll convince yourself that you know a certain aspect of your craft perfectly well only to randomly discover one afternoon on set that you barely know anything about it. Any clues from before?
But the bumps and knocks you encounter along the way are exactly what you need to develop, not only your skills, but your voice as an individual artist. Like mathematics, anyone can use a calculator to arrive at the final result, but it takes a true mathematician to be able to express their results. And because they understand complexity, it gives them the ability to imagine new equations beyond what might already be in the textbook. Understanding how you get from A to Z is an important part of becoming a better artist. Even if you never return to a few letters along the way.
So as you continue to work on improving your skills, don’t rush to the end of the road. In the long run, photography is a journey. To skip the hard part would be to skip the best part.
