Frozen Ideas

Great ideas can stem from the smallest questions. Sometimes they work, other times you have to try a couple of times before you succeed. Even growing up in Minnesota, land of 10,000 skating rinks, I never really thought about this as a winter sport option... bravo Germans.

Where do great story ideas come from? How does the photographer get from point A to B, without going crazy?

First of all, I don't think that getting to B can ever occur without going crazy. Especially when working on a great story.

Starting a project can seem like a daunting idea, especially after looking thorough the POYi archives. I always find, like Anne Lamott also says, that ideas have to start small, "Bird by Bird." I think that with photographs, a story needs to start with a question. Unlike writers, we cannot sit in front of the computer recalling memories or scenes and create them with your finger tips. Photographers have to walk out the door, drive their car in the correct direction, and ask a question. "What do I want to know more about?" You have to be curious about the subject, and show your process and your excitement with the subject through the medium of the photograph in order to fascinate a viewer. It may take years for your story to take shape, but you have to have the stamina and intrigue to keep going. When I was younger, my mom bought me a book with what I thought were the answers to everything in the world. My favorite chapters were, 'why do cats purr?' and 'How do fish stay alive in the winter?' I forget the name of the book, and I'm pretty sure it has been lost in one of our moves, but I would love to have that book on my bookshelf, right in between my favorite photo books. It reminds me to question every second of the day, even the tiniest things. One of those itty bitty questions that seemed so trivial at the time, may turn into the corner stone of a truly magnificent story.

Life and Work

Passion. Obsession. Photography.... what a journey.


My first camera.

This week in my capstone photojournalism class, we are talking about the relationship between life and photography, and how your own personal style emerges from your own personal self discovery.

The question of the day seems to be, How does your personal life influence your photography, and SHOULD it influence your photography?

I think it does, and darn well should. If you're going to be any good.

As Bill Jay said in his essay life and work-
"... all good photographers have a deep commitment to, and involvement with, their subjects, and through photography they are communicating their understanding and passion to others. If nothing out there is utterly absorbing then a good photographer cannot exist. It's like trying to be a scuba diver in the midst of the Mohave desert. If the photographer is communicating a personal passion in something, anything, through the pictures then the images are also revealing, incidentally, a great deal about the photographer as well as the subject. His/ her attitude to life is evident."

I agree with Jay, when he says that it should be intertwined, like a braid. When I make the best photographs, it's because I'm passionate about the subject that I am photographing. I believe that is the same with anything in life.

When I was growing up, my mother allowed me to play the violin in the school orchestra. I loved the orchestra at school with my friends, but hated practicing that dang suzuki book at home. I would practice the littlest amount possible, just because I had no passion for that sort of music. It wasn't the violin that I hated, I wanted to play the violin, it was that horrible music.

One day my dad bought me a book of fiddle music. I loved it, it ignited a spark under my butt. From then on I had no problem practicing, I just didn't practice what I was supposed to, or where I was supposed to. I would practice in the woods, in the silo (great acoustics!), in the barn, anywhere but where I was supposed to be playing. (I think it was my form of orchestra rebellion...) I had found something I was passionate about working on. I think that's the same thing with photography. Find a subject that lights a spark under your butt and doesn't let you sit down.


Various photographs that have inspired me throughout my journey.

On Style-
Throughout my career at the University of Missouri, I have noticed a few of my colleagues' personal photographic style. There are many photographs at the University that I could immediately be recognized as being a certain photographer's (Mito's style being the most obvious! There are more!), but not many. Those people who have already found a style and an eye, I am envious! I feel a lot of people are still striving and struggling to find their personal style, and often times with that comes work that doesn't reflect the true identity of the photographer. I find myself doing that often. I get into ruts with my own photography, and often find inspiration from other photographers. Often times I am inspired by a photographer and I will often make photographers through what I believe to be that photographer's eye. I know it never is, and my photographs will never be like Henri Cartier-Bresson's or Diane Arbus', but they will end up being through my own eyes, and focused through my lens, in my time. Photograpers from all over the world inspire me. From postmodern photographs and news photographs, to wedding photographs, diaries and my Grandfather's old slides (which is the inspiration for my logo). I am inspired by it all! Joel Meyerowitz, Douglas Gayeton and , Michael B, Dan Eldon. (Dan Eldon, Finding a Style) Have been especially big influences on my photography. Neither one of the photographers have anything to do with the other, but different parts of their photographs and styles inspire and shape the photographs I create. I often asked myself if it was right to emulate somebody else's style, but after awhile I realized that I am creating my own style from all of the influences around me. (How postmodern! Are we really ever original?!)

Bill Jay says, "When I walk through the forest at night, the track emerges from the darkness by not looking for it. A unique style emerges in photography by ignoring it, concentrating on the subject, and allowing care, passion and knowledge to bubble to the surface through a lot of hard work over a long period of time."

I find that to be completely true. I am not striving or forcing myself to have a 'style', I think it's better to learn, grow, educate yourself and be passionate about photography, then your style will follow. I'm excited to see what my style will one day be!

Journeys always have a beginning-
I can still remember the moment I realized that I wanted to be a photographer, and the photograph that pushed me to follow this crazy obsessive path.

After visiting Alamosa Colorado with my church group, one of the leaders who was also a photographer, looked at one of my photographs and told me that he thought I had an eye for photography. He pointed to a specific photograph, and told me how it reminded him of Steve McCurry's style. I knew I loved photography, but didn't think I was any good! As a 10th grader in High School, I was so lucky to find something I had a passion about, and I have been following it from that day on, thanks to Hans Muessig's kind words!


The photograph that got me started.

The journey is a continual cycle of self discovery and curiosity about the world-
Jay also asks young photographers, "what are you interested in, what excites, intrigues, moves, fascinates and energizes you? What could cause you to wake up with a sense of excitement about the coming day?"

We, as the next generation, need to answer those questions and get sucked into our photography. As Rita say, "as if our hair was on fire."

That is my goal for the semester. Find something that energizes, excites me, and connects my photography with my life, and vise versa. The road to photojournalism is bumpy, but oh so exciting.