The 10 attributes that I aspire to have as a photographer.
1. Fun
It has nothing to do with photography (but it’s everything).
Have you ever seen this scene in The Hangover Part II when Bradley Cooper talks about how he got shot and Ken Jeong responds “but did you die?”
I have made that my mantra (with a minor tweak): “but did you have fun?” If the answer is yes, that’s all that matters. When I’m shooting, rule #1 for me (and anyone I’m shooting with) is have fun. Because our most valuable asset is time. It doesn’t matter how the project comes out. If we’re not spending our time joyously, we’re wasting it.
I aspire to be a photographer who is fun.
2. Curious
ALL CAPS TO EMPHASIZE EXCITEMENT!
I ASPIRE TO BE ALWAYS CURIOUS – TO KNOW NOTHING. TO DIG DEEPER. TO ASK WHY. TO GET DIRTY. TO FIND THE ROOTS. TO LEAVE NO STONES UNTURNED. LIFE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY WE HUMANS HAVE BEEN AFFORDED THE ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE IT SO DEEPLY BUT WE MAY AS WELL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT WHILE WE CAN.
PHOTOGRAPHERS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. CAN CHANGE THE PEOPLE AROUND US. CAN CHANGE OURSELVES. THAT POWER ORIGINATES FROM OUR CURIOSITY AND THE DESIRE TO SEE THE TRUTH (THE LIGHT) FOR OURSELVES.
I ASPIRE TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS CURIOUS!!
3. Studious
Listen.
Photography is a discipline that many have undertaken. Everyone and their mother has a camera. Humans LOVE to take pictures. It’s a field so vast and interesting that there’s no reason to never not be a student of the game.
It’s probably advantageous to constantly learn, to listen intently to everyone as if they know something you don’t, to pick and choose the information most applicable to where you are in your creative journey, and use it with intention.
I aspire to be a photographer who is studious.
4. Not a dummy
The word “competent” sounds too personal.
80% of camera work can be reduced to a few basic rules: get to the location early, charge your batteries, remember your memory cards, have the right tools for the job, double-check your settings, expose your image correctly, ALWAYS BRING YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU…you get the picture. The simple (important!) things that EVERYONE could do if one chooses not to be a dummy.
I originally used “competent” but “not a dummy” fits better, mostly because these are child-like, stupid mistakes. Light-hearted mistakes call for light-hearted verbiage. Being competent is cool and all, but have you ever tried not being a dummy? It’s an appropriate reminder for me to be diligent, but not to beat myself up if these stupid mistakes happen (but try to make sure they only happen once).
I aspire to be a photographer who is not a dummy.
5. Open-sourced
Information yearns to MOVE.
When you become good at something, most people might ask “how can I do that?” And you get no bonus points for being a gatekeeper. Information loves to be shared, the truth loves to be said, and there is no reason to take what I’ve learned about photography (and life) just to withhold it.
Share share share! A book that collects dust dies. It’s not about the pages, but the information (energy) in the pages that have a chance to live if those ideas move from one person to another. Minimize all hurdles that prevent the stalling or friction of information – maximize conversion, make efficiency seamless, and then figure out proper storage.
I aspire to be a photographer who is open-sourced.
6. Empathetic
Would I do that to my own child?
In one of my favorite all-time shows, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, an improv segment assigned a “director” and “actors,” with the director giving absurd audience suggestions and telling the actors what style to use for a skit.
“WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT,” Colin Mockery would say while stumbling in mid-scene, “THAT’S TERRIBLE. I’M FALLING ASLEEP OVER HERE. I KNOW! YOU ARE ALL…DINOSAURS WHO GET A GUT FEELING YOUR IMPENDING DOOM IS COMING AT ANY MOMENT…I DON’T KNOW, JUST DO IT!”
As a photographer, you get to play the role of director. You pitch to people your ideas, what they should do, and you are given the responsibility of portraying them. Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the art, the pizazz, the dance, the absurdity. An important standard to hold is never asking someone to do something I, my child, or my child’s parent wouldn’t do.
I aspire to be a photographer who is empathetic.
7. Fearless
Feel it, then do it anyway.
Photography is a bit scary – talking to strangers, revealing your creative ideas, opening the doors that hold truth, etc. etc. etc. You “expose” the world around you – and the world occasionally exposes you back.
One of my mantras in photography (and life) is GET CLOSER (I think it in all caps, too). Photos look 10000x better when you’re closer to your subject, and ultimately, life is about experiencing, living on the edge, playing a part. Getting close to things is sometimes scary; you aren’t just hiding in the corner. You’re in people’s faces, teetering on the edge of cliffs, seeing things up close. But it’s worth it (and makes for a much better picture).
I aspire to be a photographer who is fearless.
8. Vulnerable
Air out any wounds.
Vulnerable comes from a Latin root meaning “wounded.”
There’s a tendency in humans to hide our wounds and pretend they’re not there. To a degree, we become ashamed when we get hurt, and we hide. But our wounds don’t heal unless they’re aired out.
There’s something beautiful about photography in particular in regards to vulnerability. We become (or at least feel) “exposed.” Poking and prodding others’ “self-image” can be a painful but therapeutic experience – curating someone’s portrait is a powerful task and one that can be mutually beautiful if I set the example of a willingness to be vulnerable.
I aspire to be a photographer who is vulnerable.
9. Undeniable
Is this the BEST I can do?
You may think becoming undeniable as an external act – the seeking of validation from tastemakers that have the authority to claim something as “good” and then the general population being convinced of its “goodness.” But becoming undeniable is an internal act.
This is because I am my own biggest fan and my own biggest critic. Nobody will ever love my photography more than I love my photography. No one will ever critique my photography more than I critique my photography. There will be a day when the part of me that critiques my photography will shut up. That will mean 1) I have settled or 2) my skill has capped. I don’t know which is scarier and I don’t look forward to that day. But…
I aspire to be a photographer who is undeniable.
10. Masterful
To be the greatest photographer EVER.
What is mastery? There’s a great anecdote from one of my favorite artists, Kanye West, and I think it explains it pretty well:
When “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland was released, club music was turned upside down, and the song was a groundbreaking hit. Kanye recalls his fiancée loved it “just a little too much” and came out with his own electro-dancehall classic, Stronger.
Kanye, likely one of the best hip-hop beat-makers EVER, played it on the club speakers for the first time and said the drums sounded muddy. He tried to fix it, but nothing worked: “It didn’t sound like how Sexyback sounded in the club.“
He recruited Pharrell and Swizz Beats – two more heads from the Mt. Rushmore of rap music production – but even they couldn’t get it to sound just right. Eventually, Kanye hired Sexyback‘s original producer, Timbaland, for an hour session so he could fix the muddiness.
Kanye recalls:
“He did it in 5 minutes. Then spend the rest of the hour talking about how nobody else could’ve done it except for him.“
This is mastery. Making something simple (but truly complex) look so easy. And then to spend the rest of your time having fun. Photography is inherently simple. But truly complex. To make the process of creating a beautiful photograph look so effortless is true mastery.
I aspire to be a master photographer.