BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPHER

Becoming an inspired and adept photographer does not happen overnight. What a photographer does, in the process of creating an image, involves more than just performing a series of acts. A photographer also expresses self and communicates something of self, of his or her own feelings. In this way, a photographer who produces a photograph may be holding up a mirror. She or he may discover tendencies which were quite invisible -- such as awareness, intuitiveness, deep originality, instinctiveness, receptivity, and communion.

If the photographer has the courage to look and the insight to see, the self-images which these mirrors disclose can be very revealing and can offer valuable opportunities for self-discovery and self-improvement. This can lead to new growth and development for the photographer, and is one of the very rewarding aspects of being a photographer. Then camera work becomes a truly maturing experience in which the creative process helps the photographer in his or her own process of finding self.

As the photographer grows both as a person and as an artist and as he or she changes accordingly, it will be important to keep an eye on those mirrors to see what further growth is needed.

© Richard Garrod