Are Photographer's Inherently Unsociable?
I think it is generally accepted that photography is a pretty solitary activity. It's not that photographers don't have community; the interweb has put paid to that, hooking all photographers of all standards, tastes and philosophies from all over the world. Anyone can now find their peers and an audience, of some size, on the web. We are no longer alone but the actual photographic activity seems to be a solitary one.
I was reminded of this this weekend when my wife and I went on a photo stroll with fellow flickrites at a local decommissioned Navy base. We met in the parking lot at the allotted time and all uncomfortably introduced ourselves and weighed each other up. It was a good sized group - twenty or so - but once we got passed those awkward introductions and got down to the business in hand, exploring and taking photos, it was conducted in relative silence. We walked around together in that the last person in the group could usually see the front person in the group but in general each person, even those who arrived together, went about their business without consulting anyone else. Occasionally, someone would point out something cool they'd seen or people would chimp over each other's shoulders to see how someone else was getting on. There was a little photography small talk; equipment consultations and comments on how beautiful the weather was - but most of the time the sound of shutters firing was louder than the sound of conversation.
With twenty relative strangers I'm sure there was an element of competition and suspicion involved. We all knew that we'd have to post our images over the next couple of days on flickr and there was a little performance anxiety as we each wondered how we would measure up. Is my photography to obvious? Is it technically competent? Can I produce something good and different from the other 19? For me, the most interesting part of these activities is comparing notes afterwards. Some subjects are obvious as they were on Saturday; a military jet on a pole at the gate, two small boats stacked on a trailer, a rusty nissan hut. What is interesting is seeing all the different interpretations and then comparing them to your own, not to see whose is 'best' but to see the different points of view and approaches and to consider if you still like your own afterwards.
But even with that competition removed and that "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" posturing removed, I don't think the atmosphere would have been any more gregarious. I've gone out shooting many times with real world friends or my wife. We always talk a bit, especially as I am trying to teach my wife a little at the moment, but there comes a time when you just leave each other to it and go your own way. I've started out walking from the same spot with a friend and we've ended up calling each other a mile apart to meet back up. We talk far more in the coffee shop afterwards or even comparing prints a week later than we ever do on location.
Going to a place to explore, see what photographic opportunities present themselves, and bring back pictures is sort of like day dreaming or mulling over your thoughts. Something visually interesting pulls you one way until the photographic potential of something else pulls you in another direction. Everyone has their own pace and their own tolerance for feeling like they have spent a specific subject. Trying to stay joined at the hip with another photographer is like trying to run with someone much faster or slower than yourself; exhausting.
Don't get me wrong; I do enjoy going
out to shoot with others. It gives you more purpose and makes it feel
much more of an event. I enjoy comparing pictures afterwards and
photographic chit-chat over coffee. What I am saying is, when that
viewfinder goes to your eye you have to be inside yourself with no
other distractions. The blinkers are the edge of the frame. Only you
can sort out the visual puzzle and assemble it into something you can
be proud of. For me, one of the beauties of photography is that two
photographers can stand in the same spot and point their cameras at the
same thing and, if they dig down, they will each bring home something
different. But, if they're standing side by side taking pictures, you can almost bet it will be in silence.
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