PM Subscriber Spotlight: Moments in Time
Photoblogs Magazine subscriber spotlights are chosen randomly from our subscriber list and posted each Monday. If you would like to become a subscriber click here.
Photographer: Paul Wood • Web Site: http://pnjwood.com/fotoblog/ • Location: Slidell, Louisiana
Contact: paul at pnjwood dot com • Member Since: 01/09/06
Equipment: Mostly Canon gear
PM: How did you get involved in photography?
PW: I've been taking photos for as long as I can remember. I've only been serious about it for the last 4 or 5 years though, and most of my early work is lost.
PM: How would you describe your photographic style?
PW: My style changes depending on what I'm shooting and what my creative mood is. One consistent aspect of my style is if I'm shooting theatre, I love a very shallow depth of field with a person sharp in the foreground and other cast members in the background. Other than that, I'm a bit of a generalist, always willing to experiment with something new.
PM: Why do you photoblog?
PW: Photoblogging is a great creative outlet. I started by joining in the "picture a day" crowd on pbase, and found that forced me to stretch as a photographer -- finding new things to photograph in new and unusual ways. Now I have my own site, and I'm a little more selective in what I post.
PM: What are your strengths and weakness as a photographer?
PW: My biggest strength is probably theatre photography. I've been the photographer for our local community theatre for several years now, and I've taken thousands and thousands of photos during rehearsals. This is a very challenging environment for a photographer -- the lighting is difficult and continually changing. Going back over my archives, I can see where I've slowly improved over the years.
My biggest weakness is probably formal artistic training. My wife is also interested in photography, and she has had formal art training. While she's only been taking photos for a couple of years, she's progressing much, much faster than I am.
PM: How do you make a good photograph?
PW: I've been asked that before, by many people, and it's an easy answer. Anyone can make a good photograph. It just takes practice, knowing the rules and techniques, and taking the time to shoot.
But I suspect what they really wanted to know is how to make a great photograph. And that's a little harder.
A great photograph is highly subjective. I've taken some images that I consider to be some of my best work, and some people look at it and say, "That's crap." Be that as it may, I like it, and it fed my rat.
Fed my rat? What the heck does that mean?
This may take a little bit of explanation.
In my opinion, the key ingredient that makes the difference between a good photograph and a great photograph is passion. Passion for the subject. Passion for artistic expression. Passion for the process. This is something you have to create, cultivate and nurture until it takes over on its own. And once that passion begins to grow, it begins to demand an output. It demands to be expressed. It demands to be recognized.
And then it becomes a living thing that you need to feed.
There's a concept called "feeding the rat". It says that everyone is born with a rat in their belly, and you feed the rat whatever it likes to eat. If you don't, it drives you to WANT to do it. Some people's rats don't eat much; others eat all they can get.
Some people's rats like to eat mountain climbing, or distance bicycle riding, or bass fishing. People are DRIVEN to do these things, and when they don't, they begin to feel the ache, the desire to get out there.
Mine eats artistic expression.
Once your rat gets a taste of artistic expression -- once you can point to a print and say "I did that. I created that, and I'm proud of it." -- it gets hungrier and hungrier. It demands more and more. It forces you to get better and better. And you begin to create art instead of taking photos.
You still need to learn the basics, the skills, the techniques. But you'll also learn to use them in ways you never expected -- you'll exploit them, you'll stretch them, you'll break them. And you'll feed your rat.
Once you learn passion for the process, you'll find that you begin to look at ordinary things in an extraordinary way. You will learn to "see". You'll kneel down to see how the blades of grass weave together to create a pattern. You'll lean closer to a drop of water on a flower after a rain and see the reflection of the surrounding flowers. You'll see how colors interact and combine to form dazzling displays and subtle shades. You'll see that one dead leaf floating in a puddle of water, and you'll start to feel your emotions begin to grow. You'll think of loneliness, solitude, death and rebirth.
And you'll want to capture these images, these emotions, these feelings. Your passion will grow. You'll feed your rat. And you'll create great photographs.
Five Recommended Photoblogs:
• Dave at Life Kapptured
• Rock at Rock Kauser Photography
• Massimo at Massimo's Photoblog
• Janice at Frame of Mind
•
Michael at Macro Art in Nature
PM: What is your background, and what are you doing when you are not photoblogging?
PW:I spent twenty years in the US Navy, serving and working on submarines and seeing the world. I retired from the military in 2001 and started a new career as a programmer. In my spare time, I shoot theatre images, stock images and a little portraiture, plus whatever I feel like photographing at the time.