The Bar Has Been Raised

.

Photo by L. A. Vogel From the Paris Color Series

Song writers can no longer write lyrics like:

“Love, Love Me Do” (The Beatles)

“I Got You Babe” (Sonny & Cher)

The Bar Has Been Raised

“It feels like lightning running through my veins every time I look at you.”

With lyrics like that from David Gray…

The Bar Has Been Raised

As photographers, we can no longer stand in front of an object, click the shutter and present a simple image:

The Bar Has Been Raised!

With the advent of digital photography we have a whole new set of tools. These new digital tools gives us the ability to participate in the creation of photographic imagery like no other tools previously available to photographers. To not use them would be to deny yourself the ability to take control of your creative potential.

For many years photography has struggled to become more than a mechanical medium. And now, more than ever, we have to show that digital photography is more than just a button pushing medium. Ansel Adams said,

“I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term -- meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching -- there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster.”

Well guess what, it has become infinitely easier to make a photograph! Now the potential to “produce a superficial image” is more likely than before.

With digital technology, we have the ability to do so much more; a chance to show the expression of the artist. However, if we are to call ourselves Fine Art Photographers we must first understand what that means. John Ruskin says, “Fine Art is that in which the hands, heart and mind all come together.”

It is easy to do the hands part, just pick up your camera and get to work. The mind part is perhaps a little more difficult. This requires some training and education, know your medium, know its potential. The heart part; Ruskin was very wise to add this to the list. This is what separates the arts from the crafts, kitsch from the masterpiece and makes the ordinary extraordinary. However, this heart part can be the most elusive part of Ruskin’s formula. It is something that must be actively pursued.

Betty Edwards, author of Drawing From The Right Side of The Brain, says, “Perhaps we can take a step in the direction of gaining access to that part which knows...more than it knows it knows - the same part of the brain that asks the beautiful question, ponders the unsolved problem, takes the initial step in the creative process: First Insight” Betty Edwards is identifying the first of five steps known as The Five Stages of Creativity.

As Artists, we spend so much of our lives trying to tap into that place deep inside. This is the secret to making a deeper connection with your art and a deeper connection to the viewer.

Think about being able to unlock that viewer response……the one that goes beyond Ooh and Ah, and making the AHA moment happen!

The bar has been raised.

.