I am continuously amazed by the David Vestal book The Craft of Photography.
Yesterday I have read last pages and found something which directly
describing my feelings and probably quite well my position in photography.
It is interesting that when you see such a thing written you immediately
recognize it, but it is considerably more difficult to find it your self. I
am lucky one that I found it so soon.
So what he is writing? I hope nobody will make me problems if I citate a
bit:
What to Do? What to Do? By the time we learned technique but
forgotten what it's good for there are two sensible ways to go.
Maybe Quit. One is to stop photographing, as many people do at this
stage. (Others, less sensible, just go on repeating the mechanical motions
over and over, for years, and wonder why they aren't happy about their
pictures.)
Maybe Start Fresh. The second sensible course, and the one I
recommend, is to start all over again, this time using your acquired skill
to shoe the nature of the things you photograph and how you feel about
them, in the strongest and most personal way. All resources are used to
strengthen expression.
And somewhere else:
Call it art or call it photography the attitude that leads to strongest
pictures is seldom "above" things. It's with them. With what you see and
feel, not with what you think someone else wants. You have no way of
knowing what others want.
And one more:
Pay attention to Yourself Start noticing how you feel about things
you see, and you will soon know what to photograph and how to show it in
your pictures.
The problem is to recognize your own photographic territory, which might
be anything and anywhere. It can be a rational aim or irrational urge. One
is as good as another
