Finding Inspiration Close to HomeI've read it and I've heard it. Photographers and teachers I respect say that having a project is the best way to improve our output. Six out of ten artists (or something like that) say their inspiration comes from working on a project. Who am I to argue.
This is what George Barr has to say about projects, in his recently released book, Why Photographs Work: 52 Great Images ... Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why:
Photographic projects can be as short as an afternoon or as long as a lifetime. They can run uninterrupted for months or even years or be revisited occasionally as the opportunity presents. Regardless of how a photographer chooses to approach a project, the power, unity, and worth of a collection of related yet unique images is to be highly recommedned and is a test of the true mettle of a serious photographer. [p. 32]
But I'm basically lazy and a slackard. How can I make my laziness almost irrelevant? What kind of project can I do every day with almost no effort? What doesn't involve any travel? What can I do if I only have 10 minutes? What lets me find something new in the ordinary, something new in the already-done, something new in the been-there-before?
There's a project I've already sunk waist deep into. It started last December before I even know it was a project. But when I found I kept going back to it, and always finding something fresh to photograph when I did, I guess it turned itself into a project. I call it Project 150 because all images are within 150 feet of my front door. Since this is an urban house lot in a development built in the late 1950's, this 150 foot limit brings me to the farthest reaches of my property line, and well beyond.
Here's the first photograph I made for the project's portfolio. As usual, click on the image for a full screen view.
And here are four more images from the project.
As always, I welcome your responses.
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