reading #2,3

I often encounter the problems finding out where my next destination would be whenever I got off from the plane. Then I start to worry about the situation. This is kind of my fear of new place and unexperienced situation. I am not used to handle unexpected situations. I am even reluctant to overcome the situation unless someone give me some advises. I usually don't talk to people first (my bad habit) and I wait until someone actually come talk to me. As a photographer, it is the one thing that I really need to get rid of. This bad habit also applies to my best interest, photography. I always struggle to find a subject after I finished one assignment. Ironically, I always have an excuse. My language barrier always has been my excuse for a couple years. It took my confidence away since I landed this country 2 years ago. In order to overcome this situation, I needed to go out to the street and meet people. Sitting in a room and blaming myself never can help with my visual creation activity. Planning and imagining about the subject in front of a desk are necessary, but I recommend not doing this no longer than taking photos and meeting people. I always feel staring is harder than finishing. But it was always easy to finish if I start the right way.

In order to execute the situation successfully, we always need to be ready for the chance, which is coming to us without notice. As Lamott insists in her book, photographers need to be trained, and taking photos regularly should be a part of their lives. Like LensWork's editor, Brooks Jensen, mentioned, Success happens when opportunity meets preparation. It seems Lamott also agree with this cliched but true fact. In order to be a so called good photographer, Ansel Adams' "10,000" theory might work in different way. For example, spending 10,000 hours to learn about mentor photographers' concepts, perspective and style. It is different from copying or imitating their works. It is always good to try how different photographers see the same world/subject differently. It helps to extend our perspectives, which might have remained hidden. We can build something our own based on what I learned from our mentor photographers. I guess it will bring some synergy when the talent and hard working attitude meet together. This "talented man vs hard working man" issue has been bothering some famous people too such as Mozart and Salieri. However, most photographers that I have known for years are talented and passionate about what they are doing, photography. I like to say that don't afraid to make mistakes as Lamott insists us to make more messes to know about ourselves more. I would never forget how many rolls of film I wasted in order to know the concept of ASA.

Lamott's "School Lunches and Polaroids" tells us more specifically about the steps in order to be a patient photographer. This part of reading helps us to move further from the messes we made from out first assignment. During the reading, I often see that Lamott believes that the entire concept of the subject might be so broad and it is best to focus on one small part of the lunch itself. I guess this helps us to narrow down the subject to the specific points. And it really helps us to begin the actual process of shooting. Narrowing down what we know about the subject is a good way to start the story. As I said above, I recommend not doing this no longer that spending time or taking pictures of the subject. You will never know what will happen unless you go out to the street. I guess that starting/planing is harder than finishing, but it is easier to finish when i start the right way with a big picture. So, Lamott's point, narrowing down the subject, helps photographers to understand their concept/purpose of the shooting.

In her book, she compares writing to developing a Polaroid. She said that the writing develops over time. Photographers' patience is required when photographers might feel slow or tedious when they wait their essays/stories to get completed. Photographers' impatient act might ruin the whole work, especially when the film is still wet.We can't repeat the chance that we missed just like a polaroid. We only have a single chance to make the moment memorable. Once we miss it? that's it. Like Lamott says that God can help us when we deal with the perfectionism and the pressure, we might also need to rely on God to get the next chance.

As a photographer, Choosing a subject is the hardest part of the whole work. It determines, in my case, nearly 50% of my work. Photographers always look for something new, something not covered by others. Honestly, it is hard to find the content, which never have been covered by any media. But we can approach the subject differently with the clear message than others'. In order to do that, photographers' passion is essential building an intimate relation with the subject.

Once we start to take pictures, we continue to keep asking questions to ourselves until the end to make sure the purpose of shooting, the visual effect of the subject and etc. We are not only shooting for ourselves, but also for other such as readers. We also need to compromise to find a subject to fulfill readers' interests. If you find something that really interesting, you need to make that subject interesting to others as well. That's photographer's ability to see the world differently.