What do I see?
I see a photo studio that does a lot of things really well, but that has drifted a bit from my original goals. Perhaps all businesses do this. Perhaps all businesses run by families with small children MUST drift a bit to accomodate the needs of the kids. Perhaps I'm ready for a shake-up, and I need to revisit my roots.
Whatever.
But, I'm looking back fondly at the days of medium format cameras loaded with silver halide B&W film, and at my collection of photo-oils. Whatever are those, you ask? Well, back in the day, when color photography was the stuff of legends and myths, photographers would take a black and white portrait print and hand-paint oil color onto it, giving it a dreamier-than-life appearance that is unmistakeable. As a photo-shopper, digital tinting is something I do upon request, but I must say, it pales in comparison to the hand-tinting I did all those years ago. So, I think I will break out those photo-oils and tint a few images the real way, the old-fashioned way. I may even buy a couple rolls of B&W film and shoot away with one of my medium format cams. Of course, I'll ship the negatives off for processing, at least for now, but if I enjoy it, I might invest in a developing tank and some chemicals....God, it has been a LONG time since I smelled developer and stop bath.
Digital photography is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But, it has, perhaps, taken the preciousness away from a single, perfect image captured on a strip of silver-coated celluloid. Do you remember taking photographs with a machine that didn't give you real-time feedback on the little glowing screen on the back? It is quite a trip, like dancing in pitch darkness, with invisible, elegant furniture placed here and there....
And no, I'm not getting out of digital. I love it. It is where my business model functions the best. It provides beautiful images at reasonable prices for my customers. Even if I add a bit of film to the mix, I will never be able to get rid of my digital darkroom. The tools residing on my computer's hard drives are just so precise, so varied....
I want to add more art to my work. I want to hand-tint, hand-paint, add real gold and silver leaf to prints....I want to personalize more. I want to create a unique portfolio of images tailored for each customer. And speaking of customers....I want to create photo PROJECTS based upon their goals without pigeonholing them into specific packages and products.
I want to do story-based Sessions, where our goal is to really tell a tale about that child, that person, that family. I want to document that moment in time for that family. Families move through time, growing, changing, adding members, and, of course, losing them as well. I want to honor the families that I work with in THAT moment in time.
I want to tell stories with my books of images. I love books--designing them, printing them, building them in different styles and constructions. I want to share that love with my clients, to create image collections in one-of-a-kind book formats that are as much art as they are books.
I want to excel at infra-red photography--I do a little of it every year, and this year, when the first hints of green emerge in the landscape, I want to hit it hard. I love the haunting beauty.
I want to publish new books---3 this year, if I can. I write and illustrate children's books, for those of you who don't know. You can learn about them here, at www.inclementiowa.com. I may write a non-fiction one about photography as well this year.
I want to do more mosaic tile work. I love mosaic tile. It is like playing in the mud for me. It seems to paraphrase many of our lives so well---something beautiful made up of all sorts of broken little pieces.
I want to share my love for all things creative with my children, to teach them and foster in them this creative practice that so nourishes me. And, perhaps eventually I will put together classes for others, to help them learn more about their own creativity.
Oh, and the list goes on and on. More nature work, more macro work, more art with my hands, more digital paintings, pushing the creative edge. There are always more things to do.
And many of those things, I already do. But, I want to do it better, with fresh eyes, outside the box thinking, and an appreciation for the perspective of the clients in my Studio.
This is my backward-looking yet forward-thinking list for 2013. It's a lot. I won't get it all done. But, I'm starting. I'm working on things already. Stay tuned. And keep creating.
