Uninspired and challenged.

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

I wrote recently about something I have mentioned to other photographers I am helping learn about growing their skill.  What they expressed that is afflicting them is now impacting me.

I said in a recent post that I was uninspired to take pictures.  That is not the whole truth.  As I have tried to mentor a few photographers (many who don’t listen) I have told them all there is ALWAYS something to shoot.  For me, I am struggling with that message now.  It is not because I don’t have the passion or desire, but more than my subject(s) of choice don’t lend themselves to easy access.

I am a nature and a minor street photographer, but what is holding me back is the heat.  At the time of this writing, the temperature is 92 degrees with a heat index of 104+.  Anyone who knows me, knows I hate the heat.  I hate it because I suffered a heat-related episode in my 20’s and any heat stress on my body the muscle memory kicks in and I begin to suffer.  I avoid the heat like a beat hibernates in the winter.  So because of this I cannot hike, nor hit the city streets to shoot and document what I love.  Indeed, there are always things to shoot, but I aspire to be inspired, and not just shoot to be shooting.  I want to look back and enjoy my shots later, not just see snapshots that have little to no meaning to me.  If there are breaks in this heat I may head out, but my Instagram will suffer until then.

A true challenge has faced me recently due to an assignment or at least a suggestion from someone.  I was challenged to print my shots, frame them, and put them up for sale in the lobby of my doctor’s office.  This week I will be facing that challenge.

There are four main issues with this challenge that has stressed me out.  First, which photos to pick?  I finally chose two, but never know what people might like or even want to buy.  Next, deciding on the size of the prints.  Too small it might not grab attention, too big it gets costly.  I finally decided on a size I think will fit the photo and frame size I want.  Then there is the framing.  Do I frame, or not frame, and if I frame what type?  I decided on a black frame with a white mat.  Finally the price.  Photography like any other art is subjective.  To the viewer my work can go from pure garbage to so beautiful and how do you put a price on that?  There is the obvious cost of the print and frame, but then the factors of processing cost to go to the location, time to assemble everything and deliver it to the location, and finally to price my artistic value.  I have asked various people their opinions on the questions above, both photographers and non-photographers, and got no definitive answer.  Because opinions solicited do not equal ones freely given.   I was forced to decide much of this on my own.

I will be taking these to my appointment this Friday and hopefully will be able to sell them.  If they do, I will print and frame more, if they don’t I will have two pictures gathering dust in my house.  More to come.  The two pictures on this post are the ones I have decided to print and sell.

Until next time,

Tim