Like most people who are into photography, I follow the work of several other photographers. I follow them mostly on social media because that’s the most convenient way to see their ongoing work. If they write a book, or even make a book of photos only, I often purchase those as well. I like to support independent artists whenever I can. For me, this includes musicians and their independently published music, as well as 2D and 3D artists of various kinds, and writers, of course. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that most artists work in more than one media. It shouldn’t be any surprise that most artists can walk and chew gum at the same time. For instance, I’ve been known to write songs and poetry as well as short essays, play music, and be a photographer. I have dabbled in other art forms as well. For me, being an artist is about following your heart. I would say nature is my greatest muse.
Regardless of whether you call yourself an artist who works in the media of photography, or a nature photographer, or a Fine Art photographer, or a landscape photographer, it really doesn’t matter. The thing to me isn’t what you call yourself, but whether you’re doing something that makes your heart sing. Unfortunately, some photographers seem to have a sense of their own superiority and their disdain for other humans and especially other photographers, comes through a little too loudly for me. I hope that my responses don’t have that same tenor. I don’t think they do, but I certainly hope not. After reading what some photographers write, I often have this feeling that they’re putting down other photographers and other people generally. It isn’t that there isn’t a grain of truth to what is said, but it can be off-putting to read it.
There is no reason why anyone should be made to feel “less than” because they don’t have a $10k + camera rig. Some people are making really beautiful art using their cell phone cameras. In fact, many people are foregoing so-called professional level camera equipment altogether. Your ability to afford professional level camera gear doesn’t mean that those who choose not to spend their money in this way are less professional or less talented or have less overall skill. Everyone has their own way of practicing the art of photography.
Some photographers spend days out in the desert or up camping on the highest mountain peaks because that’s what they like to do. They’re likely to get shots I’ll never get because, for one thing, I don’t camp. That doesn’t mean that the roadside photography I mostly do is somehow less artistic. It also doesn’t mean that I’m not in touch with nature while I’m practicing my photography. What I learned early on is that beauty can be found everywhere, even in the heart of the city. It’s a matter of finding it and seeing things anew. I’ve been repeatedly surprised by the number of easily accessible iconic scenes are right off the road. You don’t have to walk or hike for miles to find them, although you can if you want to. There is nothing wrong with finding beautiful scenes inside a national park for instance, and most of them can be found easily. You don’t have to walk into the wilderness and plan to camp out there for a couple of nights to have some great interactions with nature. It’s fun to have a bit of adventure of course, but you don’t need to be told that what you do is nothing in comparison to what someone else is doing.
The truth is, as I have discovered through my own journey as a photographer, that many of the most beautiful images are made right from the side of the road. There are a few photographers who will get images I never will because they’re mountain climbers or spelunkers or something, but to discount the experience of others seems rude to me, which is only one way to describe it. Another truth is that many people, me included, are not able to wander out into the wilderness by themselves for a few days or a week. I honestly don’t even have any desire to do it. Perhaps if you are young and strong, you can feel confident to do that kind of thing, but at nearly 70 years old, I don’t. That doesn’t mean that going to a national park is somehow a cheap imitation of a wild experience. The Colorado Plateau is a wild and rough wilderness area, even if you’re only driving it. But to say that for someone, say in a wheelchair, who is able to experience that wildness at a national park, is not having an authentic experience, is rude, which is the best word I can find right now to describe it.
I’m tired of being told that I can’t make beautiful images because I’m at a local or state park, or a national park. That’s simply not true. Most of the images I see on the internet are pictures taken in parks. Those are one of the best places to get images that don’t include poles, wires, and streets in them. I know for a fact that most people who have not been out in Southern Utah or Northern Arizona probably think that many of the images they see were taken way, way out in the wilderness, but they don’t know how easy it is to get to most of them. I know because I used to think so too. For instance, Dead Horse Point State Park is a place you can walk right up to. So is one of the most iconic views you can see from Canyonlands. It doesn’t make it any less beautiful because it’s been made accessible to everyone. For that matter, the same is true to a certain extent of Antelope Canyon. You still must be able to stumble around inside the canyon, which was difficult for me, but I did it with help. Most people are willing to help an old lady out. They used to have tours specifically for photographers, but they no longer do. Now you’re in the canyon with every kind of tourist there is, people from all over the world and you get the shots you get. End of story. It’s OK. The Navajo got sick and tired of the uppity photographers and they weren’t worth the extra money they paid to get a tour geared specifically for them. I don’t blame them. I’m not that happy with the images I got while there, and I find that disappointing, but it is what it is. But so many of these absolutely iconic photo locations are really right off the road.
What I like about what I’ve done so far is the experiences I’ve had and the exploration I’ve done while in search of these locations. If not for photography, John (my husband and photo roadie) and I wouldn’t have had a lot of the fun experiences we’ve had together. That’s more important to me right now than anything else. No amount of poo pooing and being told that my experiences are not authentic wilderness experiences will change my mind about that, and also I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. I also know that even in the most urban of environments, beauty can be found. I look for that, even in my own backyard and certainly while in town. And yes, I call myself a “nature photographer”, and I use the scare quotes the same way I’ve seen them used by others.
And while I’m on roll, another thing that’s bothering me about photography right now, is the increased use of AI. There is an app that people are using right now to create images using AI. You just write in the kind of image you want to create, and it creates it for you. The images are incredible, but they’re not photography. And this has been true as people have gone further and further into Fine Art Photography with focus stacking and the use of other techniques to create these flawless images. It’s “photo art” but it’s not really photography. I’m torn about this. I use Adobe Lightroom to process my images, but it doesn’t have near the capability that Photoshop and other image processing software has. I’ve been fine with that, and I still am fine with it, but some photo artists make images that don’t exist in reality. Now it’s tipped over the edge completely and has gone into completely computer-generated images, much like a James Cameron movie. Some people are really into this, but it’s not the way I want to go. I realize now more than ever that my driving force is not to make the most beautiful, most flawless photo art, but rather, to have experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise. This doesn’t mean that all my images must be made in wilderness areas either.
You can always find some reason to look down on others. They don’t do things the same way you do. They don’t spend days in the wilderness. They don’t spend hours perfecting an image using Photoshop. They don’t have a $10k camera rig, so they can’t be real photographers. They’re certainly not professionals. I’m tired of all of it and I just don’t care anymore. I just want to have fun with my camera and visit places I might never see otherwise.
Adventures on Earth and Beyond 