We went up to the Central Coast to join some friends on a sunset shoot at the Gosford Waterfront on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, the light wasn’t great and I didn’t capture any images worth sharing. But then we decided to go further north toward Norah Heads and sleep over, so we could shoot a sunrise in the morning before heading back home today. It wasn’t a great sunrise either and I was walking back to the car, when I noticed these fabulous clouds in the west and the light spilling across. I shot this handheld but wished I had setup my tripod and done a proper long exposure to capture the reflections of the rocks clearly. I was so focussed on a fabulous shoot I had done here last year, that I forgot to pack my lens of patience and perseverance in my camera bag today. I’ll file that lesson for next time.
On the way back home, we stopped at Ken Duncan’s Gallery because I was keen to see his Wild Life exhibition close up. He was in the gallery and we chatted for more than half an hour when he realised I was a photographer. He asked me a lot of questions about my art and why I pursue it but we also spoke about 'what art is’ and who decides the narrative. We discussed the difference between capturing an image as it is found, versus ‘fine art’ photography. It made me reflect on the challenges I have grappled with in terms of my own work not being ‘arty’ enough.
I came away realising that while photo competitions and other people’s opinions were important in my journey toward improving my craft, it is imperative for my art that I remain authentic to my own personal story, rather than fitting in to what someone else’s vision of what art might be. Not everyone will connect with your story but if you tap in to your own inspiration, it will ring true with those it resonates.
Canon 6D, 16-25mm @16mm, f/8.0, 1/125sec and ISO 100.