The process … fences and gates
Since editing and compiling The Ship Escaped, I’ve continued to shoot in the same style, while really evaluating and determining the works’ meaning. In so doing I’ve realized that all of these images are self-portraits and there’s really a lot to be said for that. In describing the entire body of work I would say the images are as I perceive myself; easily accessible, not too lofty, usually channel a dry sense of humor, and convey a curious investigation into the specific and an enthusiasm for life. That isn’t to say that there aren’t a lot more intricacies to be discovered if one were to spend a little more time delving beneath the surface. A fellow artist noticed the repetition of fences in a lot of the images, a subtle barrier designed to keep the viewer from getting too close, which mirrors my own internal defense mechanisms. Truly. Aquarians are know for being friends to many but not letting any one person get too intimate.
There is a very fine line between the repetition in finding some consistency through a narrowed field of exploration… and a gimmick. It’s something most photographers have to deal with at some point when making work. “How much of my style is a way of making work that’s comfortable for me, and how much of it is an old standby or fall-back?” Too much consistency equals not enough exploration. The bait is all around – it’s much easier to have work accepted if it falls into a series. A great deal of current photography books are shot in the style of the series; “I shoot flight attendants, here is a book full of photos of flight attendants.” When one evaluates the work however, maybe two of the photos are memorable and the rest are there as filler to support the idea of the series. The modern day handling of shooting serially can lack the time and effort needed for proper exploration. And the reward given for the effort is won too easily. (See previous post.)
I don’t feel that I’ve hit that problem yet while working in this series. For me, I have been defining the series more in a past tense sense, by what was shot and why rather than consistent subject matter. However I’m very aware of the potential to run into the same problem and no one is more critical of my work than me. As I move forward, shooting more consciously within the series, I run the risk of simply “adding to what’s already there.”
The image above, shot about a month ago, is the last photograph containing a fence that I will ever be able to shoot unselfconsciously and naively.