The Art of Vision

The ordinary becomes extraordinary only with a creative vision.

{Disclaimer} – This post was written with my photographer friends in mind.  To the Brides and other non-photographers who visit our blog- we’ll be back on track with more eye candy shortly, lots of new material to blog!

Documenting events has always been natural for me.  I’m a spectator by nature- far more comfortable when the attention is on someone else besides me.  I’m the guy that likes to watch and observe at a party while everyone else works the room.  In High School, I played football for one year-  only to realize that I was much more in my element in the stands watching and soaking in the action rather than creating it. One day in practice, I simply watched as the starting fullback ran straight at me- cramming the face mask into my nose in a bloody fury.  Yeah- I’m a great spectator.   If only I had the vision to look within myself in High School to realize where my natural talents were,  I could have avoided many years banging my head against the wall working in the corporate world.   Fortunately, my vision became clear after realizing that chasing a carrot in the banking world would never make me happy.

As John Maxwell puts it, “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position”.  After doing some soul searching- I realized that my passion was in photography.  Climbing the corporate ladder didn’t make me happy, even after I achieved my goals.  Apart from spending time with my family, the only thing that I am truly passionate about is spending time behind the camera (not in front of it!).  A clear vision of where my talents are helped me finally discover the career that brings contentment to my life.

The past few years, I’ve made a conscious attempt to develop my creative vision.  It’s easy for me to capture emotions, that’s what I do naturally.  My creative vision, however, has been a work in progress.  Creative vision rarely just happens.  It takes nurturing.  It takes disciplined attention to detail and technical skills.  It takes inspiration.  Most importantly, it takes a willingness to question the ordinary.

4 ways to kindle a Creative Vision

These 4 areas help me stay fresh with my  creative vision.  I hope this post encourages those who feel stuck in a creative rut to evaluate their personal creative vision as well.

1.  Nurture the vision-

What do you feed your mind?  Who are you following?  Are you only following others within your industry, or do you branch out into other areas of visual art?  Do you look for inspiration in books, magazines, and paintings?  Are you inspired by the artists that you follow?   If not, why are you following them?  Artists often have the biggest egos in the world, but we also have some of the lowest self esteem.  We often follow others only to measure our own work by what they are producing.  When we do, we are selling ourselves short.   Copying the work of others will only lead to discouragement (for you and your clients).  However, you can learn from the vision of others.  As you study their work,  ask yourself:  “What was their vision behind this image?”,  “Why did they convey this mood?”,  “Why did they light it this way”,  “How did they light it” , “Why did they choose this location?”.   If possible, talk to the artist in person-  hearing the vision of others always ignites a fire within me regarding my own creative vision.

2.  Pay attention to detail and technical skills

Think about your final product.  See it in your mind before you shoot it.  Draw it out on paper if you can (obviously this isn’t done for every wedding image- but it helps with portraits!).  What do you want the work to convey?  What equipment will you need to produce the best work possible?   As an artist, are you producing glorified snapshots, or the visionary passionate artwork of a skilled professional?

3.  Find Inspiration

You know a great source of inspiration?…Your Clients!   Find out what they are wanting to achieve with the artwork.  What will they do with it?  Who else will see it?  What mood do they want to convey?  How can you incorporate their personalities into the artwork?  If you are working on a project for yourself,  then ask yourself the same questions.  Begin with the end in mind.  Either the final product will be a random piece of chance,  or it will be a conceived piece of art, you decide.

4.  Question the Ordinary

Is the vision true to you, or are you simply copying something that’s been done by others?  What are you doing different to bring your style and personality into the artwork?  Clients hire you for a reason.  If they wanted a copy- they could go to Kinko’s. What is your vision, and how are you incorporating it into the final piece?

Discovering your creative vision can be an art form in itself.   Your canvas is blank, waiting to be painted with the creative vision that only you can produce.