Author: finn

Back in the ’30s Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and a few others formed a group to break away from the painterly pictorialist photography prevalent at the time. Group f64. You’ve heard of it. Bold and innovative at the time. Adams subsequently lapsed into formula and became a print factory, largely due to Bill Turnage, the business manager he hired. Weston stayed true to his vision for the rest of his life. Others weren’t as well known.

The Group f64 aesthetic became the standard for much of the photography that followed. For decades the sharp edge to edge focus, the rules of composition and exposure became set in stone and became the conventional criteria for what was considered good photography, and many photographers still slavishly follow them. Especially in nature and landscape photography. Technical proficiency and the willingness to follow accepted rules has become paramount. The result? Millions of pictures made every day that basically look the same, that fit the accepted definition of good. That have no individuality or soul. There are of course exceptions.

I started taking pictures seriously in the mid-70s. I’ve pretty much run the gamut of equipment – 4×5 which I abandoned almost as soon as I tried it, 120 TLR which I used quite a bit, and a lot of 35mm. These days, since coming out to the desert I use my phone. It suits me.

I made a crippling decision back then – I thought photography would be a great way to make a living. I followed all the standard advice. Study the markets, give the buyers what they want and need. Study the best then do it your own way – but still follow the rules. I had minimal success. I wasn’t anywhere near as good as the best, and I certainly didn’t have anything remotely unique or original. I wasted many years doing this and then quit taking photos for most of the ’90s. Looking back I consider most of that as not a waste. Just practice.

Since coming out here to the desert I’ve started to find my own voice, my own way of working. That can be good, but it can also be a trap. Stay on the same path and it can become a rut. My style (as much as I detest that word) isn’t likely to change much, but I think it’s good to try a different path now and then to see where it goes. More often than not it’s a dead end, but you can discover something new and interesting on it. I’ll try different approaches – double exposures, maybe a touch of grunge now and then, things like that, and if they work I’ll use them. If they don’t I’ll cheerfully shitcan them.

Above all, if I can send the pedantic ones, the conventional ones, the rule followers, if I can send them into convulsions I’ll be on the right track. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m working on it. Cheers.

For what it’s worth, I’ve revived my old blog ‘buzztail’. Like I posted a few days ago, I get the urge to write more now and then. The urge is getting stronger.

I’m posting pretty much only my own opinions. None of it is open to debate – I’m just sounding off. Some may be political, some social commentary perhaps, but largely about the wild. Take a look if you’re so inclined.

buzztail.net

I don’t write much anymore. I used to do more of it, but I haven’t done much in recent years. I seldom have anything worthwhile I want to say, and if I think too hard about it I can hear my brain cells sizzling and I have to lie down. Procrastination wins. I do get the urge occasionally though, so maybe I’ll give it a go now and then.

I don’t write about my pictures, they speak for themselves, and I don’t really have anything to say about technique or method or how-to. That’s up to each individual to work out. Why-to might be worth some exploration if I can actually think of anything.

So, in short, on those rare occasions when I have something original to say, I’ll probably post it here. Or else I’ll just go lie down. We’ll see. This is my space and I can do with it what I want, right? We’ll see what comes of it.