[Leica] RE: LUG Digest, Vol 33, Issue 249

[ricc at mindspring.com (Ric Carter)]

Thanks for showing yourself.

Very stimulating albums.

I enjoyed them very much.

Photography is meditation for me.

Ric Carter
http://gallery.leica-users.org/f/Passing-Fancies


On Nov 13, 2006, at 4:06 PM, Irving Greines wrote:

> I read Larry's and Ted's comments with great interest:  Why do people
> choose to  make photographs?  The answers are obvious for a pro on
> assignment and those who are amateurs.
>
> For most of my life, I took pictures because I loved doing it and it
> mattered not whether anyone saw them.  There was no net then and, if
> there had been, I don't think I would have posted my work or sought
> input.  The pleasure was purely internal.
>
> After years of shooting, I changed my focus.  Rather than shooting
> randomly, I became project oriented.  For me that was the key.  If a
> photographer chooses a project about which he/she feels passion, it  
> can
> lead down a long and rewarding road---since the exploration changes  
> and
> deepens constantly over time.
>
> It was a single project that changed my life from amateur to
> professional photographer.  The project started because I loved the
> subject matter; it grew because, as I explored the project, the  
> subject
> matter took on new dimensions and my insights into the subject matter
> grew deeper.  In the end, the project, which started for totally  
> amateur
> purposes, grew into a professional livelihood, with shows and gallery
> representation.  For me, going out and simply shooting randomly turned
> into shooting for a project purpose, then into a fine art career.
>
> The project, shot with a Hasselblad over a 10 year period and covering
> the blighted streets of lower Manhattan (between Houston and Canal,
> bounded by the rivers), changed my life.  So, there is reason to  
> random
> wanderings; I simply suggest that the wanderings may be more  
> productive
> if they are initially focused on a particular project.
>
> If you're curious about the project that turned me from amateur to  
> fine
> arts pro, you can see it at one of my gallery sites, Verve/Fine/Art in
> Santa Fe, under my name (Irving Greines):
> http://www.santafephotogallery.com/verve.php
>
> This series, called "Urban Wilderness---Chaos Transformed," changed by
> life, and it all started from random wanderings, on a weekend when  
> I had
> nothing to do.  In the beginning, it didn't matter to me that anyone
> view the images; it was purely for me and my own satisfaction or
> dissatisfaction; however, as I got more and more into it, I started to
> feel the project might have broader merit, and I started showing it.
> One thing led to another, and . . . .  And, the initial project led to
> others and, ultimately, to a web site (www.greinesfineartphot.com.)
>
> So, go out and wander and shoot.  From my perspective, having a  
> project
> and exploring it deeply adds to the reward.
>
> Happy shooting.
>
> Irving
>
>
>
>
>
>
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