Arranging thougts

2012, Photography

Sometimes thoughts move up and down, and bounce from one side to the other. A friend said that even when you’re not actually making photographs, you still see them. For me though, connecting to these photographs, even if I only see them, is what truly matters to me. Even if I don’t like them, which often happens, the connection with my feelings made it worth the effort.

Last month I hardly took any photographs, physically or mentally. While what I see doesn’t connect, it is certainly not that photography is on my mind. I am working on a photobook, though the progress is slow. I participated in another photography related project, but more on that later (not this post). Currently though time is my biggest enemy.

I try to refocus om new stuff and try to get rid of the distracting bits. I stop with the local photography club. For some the internet is shallow, but I witnessed great friends, good photography, and good discussions. Sure there is a lot of crap out there, but you can skip it easily. While I appreciated the conversations on a photography club, the regularity was difficult to combine with family life and work (reason why the average age is rather high). The costs participating in a club are relatively high with printing and traveling. And I never witnessed a personal progress.

Upcoming Tuesday I will be visiting Photokina, but not so much for the gear. Sure the new stuff will be interesting, just check all the excitement on photography forums, but I feel absolutely no need to change it.

Photograph by Wouter Brandsma

Amsterdam waiting

2011, Photography

The weekend before I went with a friend to Amsterdam with two objectives. First to see a W. Eugene Smith exhibition and secondly to do some street photography. The exhibition was amazing and it proved so well why Eugene Smith is the master of the photography essays. But for street photography it was even better. We come from the province so Amsterdam is full of action and good opportunities. The process of observing, understanding, to see intimacy, and learning to find the moment, is fantastic and one of the great charms of street photography to me.

When reviewing my photographs from Amsterdam I again noticed how often we wait. And the waiting moments can be very interesting.