Journey to Simplicity: Evolution and Rebirth in Photography
Ever experienced that peculiar mix of accomplishment and embarrassment when you realize your current progress makes your previous efforts seem inadequate? I'm currently in the midst of such a phase, and here's why.
Reflecting on the past decade, I've been immersed in capturing photos – for myself, clients, and events. This journey has been an incredible ride, filled with valuable lessons. Yet, as learning often goes, the more I explored, the deeper the rabbit holes of specialization I went down. Editing nuances, organizational strategies, the intricacies of color theory, the dynamics of composition, studying the masters, chasing the elusive "film-like look," debating the virtues of JPEG versus RAW, and the list goes on. Over time, I gained a comprehensive perspective and a certain level of mastery, but in retrospect, it's tough to discern a consistent voice, theme, or style. It's been an evolving canvas; cohesion has been a challenge.
Fast forward a few months ago – my frustration reached a boiling point. My perpetual quest has been to synthesize and refine my acquired skills, aiming for mastery. Yet, I found myself surrounded by a flurry of concepts that refused to coalesce seamlessly. As I said, it was frustrating.
How could I streamline my workflow? Enhance my mastery of composition? Seamlessly infuse color theory into my work? Minimize post-production by refining in-camera choices? Cultivate the confidence to abandon the RAW safety net in favor of JPEG?
And so, the snowball started rolling.
During a captivating trip to Iceland, I made a bold choice – shoot exclusively in JPEG. This decision compelled me to focus intently on my in-camera decisions, consciously curtailing post-production interventions. This shift was nerve-wracking yet unexpectedly liberating. It offered answers to some of my pressing questions:
Color Theory, to a certain extent, was dictated by the Fuji Film Simulation I selected during shooting, coupled with deliberate White Balance adjustments.
In post-processing, I found myself honing my edits to complement my in-camera selections, forsaking the wide-ranging possibilities that RAW provides.
Puffin or:
How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the JPEG
Coincidentally, my MacBook Pro was grappling with it's storage space. This spurred me to confront a task that had been looming – evaluating my decade's worth of photos, redefining their ratings and filters, and overhauling my organization system. This overhaul felt long overdue, as if each new addition was piling on top of a foundation that had grown obsolete.
Simplicity became my guiding principle:
I devised a new categorization for my photos: "REJECTED" (for deletion), "PICKS" (flagged in Lightroom), and "SELECTS" (given a 5-star rating in Lightroom).
The remaining trove of photos, with sentimental value but not destined for the spotlight, I deemed "UNPICKED."
I put this method to the test, meticulously categorizing a decade's worth of images:
Reject or Pick.
Review Picks for Selects.
Delete Rejects.
Move forward.
This process bore out – all my photos were now effectively labeled as unpicked, pick, or select, facilitating the creation of Smart Collections based on this data. For instance, an "All Picks" Collection consolidated flagged images from various years, streamlining my culling process and making it so much easier to find what I need.
So, let's circle back for a moment. At this juncture, I had refined my approach to fieldwork, addressing concerns regarding color theory, composition, and the art of restraint for superior visual outcomes. Simultaneously, my photo library boasted greater coherence, navigability, and searchability. The remaining task was to bridge these two spheres.
Drawing inspiration from these dual threads, I reconfigured the organization of my library to align with my editing process. All presets were relocated to an Archive folder, leaving room for two preferred looks: "Signature Color" and "Signature Monochrome." These presets became my exclusive toolkit for a period, forming the basis for every image imported into Lightroom. Further adjustments were confined to localized enhancements. This emphasis on simplicity reinforced its significance.
If you've stayed with me thus far, we now possess:
Refined Shooting (informed in-camera choices)
Streamlined and Enhanced Organization (enhanced ratings, expulsion of rejects, effortless retrieval)
Distinctive Style (2 presets, bolstered by localized edits)
The final lingering question pertains to compositional improvement.
The solution is the same it always has been: practice. Mastery requires time, effort, and practice. By discarding the baggage accumulated over a decade, I feel unburdened and reinvigorated to rediscover my initial passion: crafting captivating compositions.
Months of deconstruction and reconstruction have led me here – a juncture where these ideas coalesce into a cohesive structure. I stand on the brink of inaugurating a new decade. Admittedly, reflecting on the past ten years exposes the stages of growth, learning, and missteps. It's humbling. However, there's no express route to mastery, and my commitment remains steadfast, reenergized, and unwavering.
Epilogue :)
Will I continue shooting RAW? Likely for client assignments. Yet, I'm inclined to explore the interplay between JPEG and RAW, testing their outcomes. Given the nature of my commissioned work, I doubt anyone would discern or mind the distinction, as long as the end result is impeccable. My confidence in this approach, particularly in the domain of JPEG, is steadily soaring.
Are you interested in learning more about any of these topics? Let me know in the comments
A few JPEGs from Iceland (more to come soon)
