From happy snapper to artist

[admin]

Anyone visiting this forum most likely has, or or is considering their photography as method by which they can move beyond the mechanical recording of events, to a means of self expression or creation of art for its own sake.

There are no rules to this transition, other than a desire to seek out or create images that define a concept or emotion.
The first step is consider what you would like to achieve. What will satisfy your creative urge?
Is it fame & fortune, recognition, setting up a commercial photography studio, creating saleable art, or just the joy of 'finding' or creating images.

If you are starting out, consider sitting with a sheet of paper or open a word document and list topics, items, themes and emotions that are of interest to you. This list should simply be an honest stream of thought without too much justification.
For some (including myself) there is a simple satisfaction in wandering with a camera seeking 'found images'. This may take the form of a defined project, a theme, or simply opening the mind to seeing as one does through the restricted view of the lens. Images and and artistic opportunities are literally everywhere we choose to look. Do not place any restrictions on yourself. It is however relevant to go through this initial process, so that some structure and direction begins to form in your mind. From this outline, the creative progress has a place to begin

In my own case, my wife and I run a small 'lifestyle' portrait business. We simply decided that this was something that we would enjoy doing and set about devising a plan to make it happen. I have a very broad interest in photography and a collection of images covering many themes and projects concocted over the years. But when we looked at turning our love of photography into a business, we refined our focus within this area, created a plan and now work that plan.

I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of others on this topic. What path did you take, or where would you like to go with your photography?
What do you consider be essential in growing from happy-snapper to artist?

[bpsphoto]

I think when you move from shooting pretty pictures to Purpose is when you transition from shooter to artist. And then when you learn and execute the tasks of running a business based on your art, you become a working artist.

In my case, I shot for years, trying to find a purpose. I'm something of a dilettante (perhaps Renaissance Man is a better phrase) - I love to learn about things, but I've studied nothing other than photography very deeply. I don't know enough about biology to photograph evolution convincingly, I don't know enough archaeology to be a paleophotographer, I don't know enough geology to sell pictures of rocks to geologists. What I do have, though, is a love of patterns and shapes and minutiae, and that's what I photograph. I love things like the reflections off hubcaps, the shape of a mountain or a canyon wall that was violently thrust upward, then eroded to reveal the layers of ancient ocean, a tree growing from grasses growing from moss growing on lichen on an otherwise bare marble rock, rivets on a door and a million other things. My Purpose is to show people the details they ignore in things they see all the time.

Now I'm learning how to make a business of it so that I can become a working artist. I could be happy enough slinging lattes at a coffeehouse or cooking in a restaurant or leading tour groups, but none of that satisfies like someone saying, "Your photograph of the rivets on the bell in China made me think about how much work goes into making a bell." Thanks, that's what I was trying to say.

And I still like to shoot pretty pictures.

[admin]

That was beautifully put Brian.
That is what it is all about - and a million variations on the theme of capturing the expressions and nuance of life and the little rock we live on.

[Analog6]

Brian that really strikes a chord with me too.

I too love learning, I'd be a full time university student if I could afford it.

Although I have a BA in Journalism (I love writing), I'm also a qualified woolclasser, I did 2 years of a 4 year ptrofessional photography course at TAFE (the physics beat me), I've done LAN installation and support, and learnt other stauff as diverse as Spanish and Reiki healing.

I'd love to do Post Grad history but it is over $1500 a unit and you need at least 8, so that's out.

But I think I can turn my photography into art, and I intend to give it a shot.  My mother is 84 so I;ve got 30 yeasr or so to go at least!

[bpsphoto]

What is a woolclasser? My thoughts are a) You go to Hobbiton, look at sheep, and determine the value of their wool or b) in context of the conversation we're having, you do as I did, taking 7 years to get a 4-year college degree, along the way studying several subjects before finally settling on a Russian degree, and minors in philosophy, history and English literature.

[Analog6]

A woolclasser is a very valued occupation in a wool producing country, Brian. I did a 2 year course at TAFE (6 hours p/week in class and 10-15 in the field) to gain a Certificate in Wool Classing and Shed Management.  The classer is the 'top of the line' in the shed and manages the shearers, pick up staff, baler etc, under the direction of the owner.

Sheep have wool from as low as 10-11 microns (very finest Merino, used in Italian hand made men's suiting and ladies lightweight designer clothes) up into the high 30s (usdually from heavy cross bred sheep and used for furnishings and carpets).  Believe me, you wouldn't want to wear a jumper made of 28 micron wool - it would be like wearing steel wool! The measurement used to determine the diameter of a fibre is the micron (millionth of a metre). The finer the wool, the lower the micron of the fibre.

The classer takes the fleece after the shearer has shorne it from the sheep, spreads it out on a large slatted (to let the 'dags' (lumps of dung)  and dirt fall off) classing table.  He then cleans it by removing the daggy edges, and then classes it to the proper bin (Superfine/Fine/Coarse/Dags/Bellies/fribs etc) ready for baling.  A single flock may have a fair range of microns so you'll have wool for all the bins.  The classer makes an estimate of the micron count which goes on his report to the wool broker, who has 3 samples from each bale tested scientifically for micron count and then it is sold.

Things like belly wool and fribs are the fine, tender (easily broken) wool which will sell for less money.  And yes, even dags can be scoured to get usable wool, usually for dying a dark colour though as it nmay be stained.

I always preferred to work on fine to superfine fleeces.  The classer estimates the micron count of the wool by its crimp (see pictures below) and tests it for strength, the groups according to colour (indicates dirt and contamination), burr/seed content and a number of other parameters.  The more heavily comtaminated the wool, the less it is worth because the processing is longer and therefore more expensive.

Sorry if you got a bit more than you bargained for with my answer - couldn't let you go away ignorant!

[Analog6]

And this image shows you the table

[bpsphoto]

That is so cool. One of the millions of things you never think about.

Here are a couple (poor) scans from a morning spent at Kashgar, China's animal market.

[admin]

Brian,
Call me a carnivore, but I sussssspect we are talking juicy cutlets in your images here...not wool.
Of course it may be a byproduct of the szechuan lamb.

[bpsphoto]

It was a really interesting market, because you could buy animals (sheep, goats, cows, horses, camels, yaks) at any stage of their life - from kid/foal/calf to full-grown to freshly-sheared to ready-to-be-sheared to meat (or entrails or both) to cooked on a stick (yum). You could also get a haircut and a shave, watch a movie, buy some feed. Kashgar is as far as you can get from the Szechuan Province and still be in China - about a 3-hour drive over bad roads from Pakistan - so I doubt the lamb was going there. Mostly they used it locally.

The woman is shearing. The sheep in the rows are for sale primarily as stock I believe - not for immediate slaughter.

[admin]

That is some trip. How did you come to visit there?

[aprillove20]

Such as a good resource of information, Actually, the classer is the 'top of the line' in the shed and manages the shearers.