I recently came across this video by excellent Atlanta, GA photog Zack Arias. As I said in a previous post I am a true fan of black and white and when I saw this video there were so many things that just clicked for me. The video is awesome and has a message that resonates through all of us who are willing to honestly assess where we are in our lives. The music is performed by Zack’s wife Meghan Coffee and fits the mood of the video perfectly. Meghan is a wonderful artist and you can download her stuff from iTunes. Meghan’s website is http://www.meghancoffee.com/
What drew me more into the video was Zack’s explanation of his view of his photography. A view that grew more dim as he made more and more comparisons of himself and his work to that of others. Zack describes numerous distractions in life and describes his need, his desire to push past, push through these barriers to achieve success. I use these hindrances, these roadblocks, these barriers to my advantage. When someone tells me something can’t be done I do it. I don’t accept mediocrity or failure. I live my photography the same way; to experiment, to push the limits, to become better.
I, like Zack also realize life is short. I have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out who I am and not liking the definition because I felt it wouldn’t measure up to those who I looked up to. I thought I needed to create a body of work that would impress everyone when in reality it needs to impress me and me alone. My grandmother and my parents taught me the importance of inner strength and of the need to persevere.
As I accompany my wife to the nursing home to visit her ailing father, I see a man in a chair who wears a blank, expressionless face. There is little response and even less recognition of what goes on around him. This is a man who accomplished much in his 88-years but you would never know it in the end. In the end we are all reduced to the same. Figure out what you want in life and go after it. It won’t come to you. You’ll have to go after it and when it still feels out of reach, drive harder. Make it happen. I have a lot to say and want to allow my photography to speak for me and for itself.
In the recent past I found myself comparing my body of work with those photographers who I truly admire. Then I realized that despite the fact they had a lot to teach and I had a lot to learn, it remained up to me to define myself and my style. My work needs to be just that; my work. It has to be my style. When I meet with prospective clients and they ask me to describe my style, my response is “it’s my style. It’s a combination of different things” I don’t have a particular style that I can or want to pigeonhole. I want people to look at my work and smile and say “I like that.” I want people to look at my work in 50-years and smile as they recall the exact moment that photo was taken.
I love photography. I love making photographs and I love capturing moments in time that cause people to smile about years later. I’m young in my photography years but I have a burning desire to learn and to become better with each day.
I hope you enjoy Zack’s video as much as I did.
Namaste.
Christopher
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