Photographers are creators. As creators, we have something to say. Photography, as a medium, can powerfully record a mood or message such as words, music, paintings, and sculptures. Embarking on a personal project is the perfect opportunity for the photographer to convey their message without being swayed by any of the client’s concerns.
At the most basic level, a personal project is self-directed and has little or no direct potential to generate future income or work for you. This is a gallery of images that you want to create. Or better yet, it’s a collection of images that you’re forced to create. If you are shooting frequently, you may think that you don’t need to manually specify additional shots. The point is that if you have a lot of clients, your image may reflect their vision rather than yours. You may love black and white photography, but your clients don’t, and your portfolio is filled with color as a result. Or perhaps you’re trying to put your love of black and white photography into the work you’ve been hired to photograph. Your client is not interested in these photos because these monochrome images do not represent what you are really capable of creating in this medium. A better approach to showing your passion is to treat you like your own client and take the time to create your black and white photos the way you feel they should be. This is where you can fulfill your vision.
When you work for someone else, you are selling a service or product that meets their needs. Your job is to create a photo that clearly represents the client’s vision. You are limited by what those people want. You may have a great sense of humor, but if your client owns a funeral home and doesn’t see the place to be funny in their pictures, your sense of humor won’t be evident in the photos. there. If you want your images to represent something more than a paycheck, you may have to take full control of some of what you’re shooting. This is where a personal project comes in.
A personal project that gives you the freedom to choose. You can use your favorite camera and you are free to process the final images any way you want. But beyond these technical concerns, a personal project can be a place for you to express a message that is important to you. When you convey an authentic message, it has great potential to resonate with others.
To understand how an artist can express himself through personal work, I spoke with photographer in the UK, Rachel Vogeleisen who has completed several self-assigned projects that reflect values that are important to her. After doing what she describes as “normal work” for most of her life, Rachel decided to pursue an MFA in photography. She started photographing landscapes, but realized that landscapes were not the subject she was really interested in. “I have always admired pioneering women – women who bring about change. The women have exceeded expectations.” Her first project is titled “Stories of Women Who Served in World War II” and showcases women who have volunteered with the Air Service, Air Transport Association, Navy, and Army. “They are flying planes. I’ve never heard of that before,” she said. The first challenge was to find these women. Not much information could be found on the internet, so Rachel placed ads in veterans magazines. She also contacts veterans groups to find suitable candidates. The process of finding and photographing 20 women took more than four years.
Rachel mainly shoots in women’s homes using Canon 5D Mark IV with one 50mm or 85mm lens. For lighting, she uses a portable Elinchrom strobe light that has been replaced with ELB 500, paired with a 49” cell to create a soft light. Rachel has self-published a book of photographs along with stories of the women. It’s important to note that the project did not directly lead to Rachel getting a paid job, but she did embark on another personal project once the first one was completed. A personal project should be driven by a passion, not a desire to achieve immediate financial or career gains. These projects can be very expensive and time consuming.
Rachel’s next personal project took two years to complete and focus on Women over 50 have decided to reinvent themselves. This topic is very personal to Rachel. “I have reached 50 and I want to show that this is not the end. I want to inspire other women by featuring the women who changed their lives after 50”. One of the women is 75 years old and has founded a cosmetics company that specializes in products for older women. Another woman founded a company selling collagen that can be produced from cooking chicken bones. There is also a woman who has a factory where she sells healthy chips made from fruit. For these portraits, Rachel sometimes captures women in their work environment or alongside suggestive elements for their work. To ensure that the project would be seen outside of her circle, Rachel searched for a gallery to host a display of the printed images.
Rachel’s third project is titled “Silent Rebellion,” and you can immediately have some idea of the gender of the subjects and maybe a vague sense of the project’s message. Rachel’s projects provide insight into her value system and vision. Customers who are connecting with her vision and values will be drawn to her on a personal level. These people would be her ideal clients because they see her as something more than a person who makes good photos.
The benefits of completing a personal project include developing the skills needed to work on an extended project. This will be valuable if you’ve ever been hired for an advertising campaign that required you to complete multiple shots that would be combined to create a single cohesive message that aligns with the company’s brand.
Working on a personal project can be fun, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it has nothing to do with actual work. Self-empowerment requires you to be the one to start and rise to excellence without expecting a reward or even praise. Do you have the work ethic required to complete a project with no deadlines, no managers, and no expectations?
If you don’t know how to start your first personal project, you can explore outside of photography and consider your other interests. Perhaps you enjoy baking, kicking a ball, or building model airplanes. What do you want people to know about this endeavor and how can you communicate that through photography? If you complete your second and third personal projects, you will begin to see common themes in your work. In Rachel’s case, she photographed three projects featuring women of different ages with different stories to tell, but messages about the importance of gender equality, risk taking, hope. Birth and residence are common in all the photos. Photos from your projects will reveal the most about you and your audience. And it is that fusion of self and art that we should all strive for as artists.
Image by Rachel Vogeleisen and used with permission.
