Just curious. Were you creative in another area before discovering photography?

sirch said:
N guage being the work of the Faller
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FTFY ;)

My father ran a model shop, and we had scalextric and train sets, but the N gauge stuff was always the best.
 
What about Z gauge and something I recently discovered, T gauge? So ridiculously small, that I've seen one person with a T gauge loop running around a hat!
 
I went looking for memes about threads that derail and found a LOT of them...

I suspect (as is typical here on TP) the definition of the word creative means many things to different people. At its most base, anyone who has ever had to figure anything out for themselves is probably creative. If you are (or have been) a parent, it's a default setting.

It's been an interesting thread to see all the pies folks have their fingers in other than photography. I also think it's the first post I've made that's gone to 3 pages...

So the question is: Is this common to everyone, or is it the fact that photographers are the only ones replying to the thread and thus are more (or more likely) to be creative? My gut tells me everyone is creative on some level. Apart from maybe flat earthers and religious fanatics... Then again, maybe not...
 
On a train for a couple of hours so got a bit of thinking time and this is currently interesting me...

The Oxford dictionary has
relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something.
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Harlequin565 said:
So the question is: Is this common to everyone, or is it the fact that photographers are the only ones replying to the thread and thus are more (or more likely) to be creative? My gut tells me everyone is creative on some level. Apart from maybe flat earthers and religious fanatics... Then again, maybe not...
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Of course they are. I firmly believe that. People create on all sorts of different levels, but as a society we've become elitist, and encouraged to think it's only the arts. I really think if we could encourage ordinary people to realise that the world would be a better place for it.
 
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Harlequin565 said:
So the question is: Is this common to everyone, or is it the fact that photographers are the only ones replying to the thread and thus are more (or more likely) to be creative? My gut tells me everyone is creative on some level.
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Almost certainly.

However, most people get stuck on the idea that there is some kind of perfection to aim for when making 'stuff' and are afraid that they have failed if they don't achieve it. They also have a misconception about 'inspiration', not realising that ideas come from doing the work.

This is why, in photography, people copy photos they have seen before - they don't need to be 'inspired' and they have a target to aim to and match.

I firmly believe that the creative process is what grown ups do when they are too old to play. :)
 
Ed Sutton said:
Almost certainly.

However, most people get stuck on the idea that there is some kind of perfection to aim for when making 'stuff' and are afraid that they have failed if they don't achieve it. They also have a misconception about 'inspiration', not realising that ideas come from doing the work.

This is why, in photography, people copy photos they have seen before - they don't need to be 'inspired' and they have a target to aim to and match.

I firmly believe that the creative process is what grown ups do when they are too old to play. :)
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With any luck I’ll be dead before I’m too old to play.
 
Ed Sutton said:
This is why, in photography, people copy photos they have seen before - they don't need to be 'inspired' and they have a target to aim to and match.
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I would like to use the word iterative really - it's desperately difficult to be genuinely original, almost everyone building on the ideas and work of others. Iteration is the process of development, which is what we pretty much all do with our pictures (pun not intended).
 
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I have never seen myself as creative, I just document what I see when it comes to photography. I have a very popular blog, which I've written for years, I won't say what it is, but it's work related, so again, would not in any way be described as creative writing, but I do write a lot.
 
TheBigYin said:
10% inspiration and 90% Perspiration...
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You got that right. Certainly in terms of the Landscape photography I do, it's 90% effort, getting up at 4am in the morning, staying out til 4am in the morning, lugging a 20kg camera bag up steep inclines etc, and generally working to put yourself in those situations that few others would be bothered to make the effort.
 
Interesting thread @Harlequin565. In talking to my daughter recently, she was surprised to learn I didn't consider myself creative. I thought I was too technically/scientifically minded, but then at school I made and sold clothes and enamelled jewellery, and my art teacher paid me to make her jeans funky like mine :ROFLMAO: so maybe there was something there.

I've only just checked back in to TP after almost 2 months break... because I've been getting more into art - watercolours and coloured pencils mainly.

Fun to see how many musicians we have here. I also play a few instruments and played bass for many years in bands - only ever covers, so no creativity there.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I would like to use the word iterative really - it's desperately difficult to be genuinely original, almost everyone building on the ideas and work of others. Iteration is the process of development, which is what we pretty much all do with our pictures (pun not intended).
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Standing on the shoulders, etc. Then again, even those who say they don't look at other photographers pics because they want to be original are deluding themselves because they are influenced by every image they see.

TBH I've no interest in being original and have given up trying to make photos that stand alone. I'm more inclined to take photos that form a body of work to document stuff. I do try to make the photos work as pictures in themselves but it's a bonus if one can stand on its own.
 
As a kid I loved drawing and oil painting. Even took a few course's in painting. Problem was I was never much good at it. Seeing photo's of athletes playing always gave me a fix also. Found an SLR I could afford in the mid 1970's and took it from there. Problem with me is, especially with the new computer type camera's is I don't do computer's that well and I don't understand the computer language. Problem there is learning is not a particularly good skill in me.
 
sirch said:
On a train for a couple of hours so got a bit of thinking time and this is currently interesting me...
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I think the phrase "original ideas" is a good one. With my photography, over time, the single image holds less and less interest for me. I've wondered whether this is gravitating back to my "creative" roots of telling a story in whatever way I can. I do feel that a "body of work" around a particular photographic subject holds far more interest to me. The zine exchange we did over lockdown had quite a few ideas based on COVID and the lockdown itself, but each was what I'd call an original idea, even if the overall subject was roughly the same.
 
Harlequin565 said:
I think the phrase "original ideas" is a good one. With my photography, over time, the single image holds less and less interest for me. I've wondered whether this is gravitating back to my "creative" roots of telling a story in whatever way I can. I do feel that a "body of work" around a particular photographic subject holds far more interest to me. The zine exchange we did over lockdown had quite a few ideas based on COVID and the lockdown itself, but each was what I'd call an original idea, even if the overall subject was roughly the same.
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I'm the opposite, I like to try (and usually fail) to tell a story in a single image.
 
Harlequin565 said:
I think the phrase "original ideas" is a good one. With my photography, over time, the single image holds less and less interest for me. I've wondered whether this is gravitating back to my "creative" roots of telling a story in whatever way I can. I do feel that a "body of work" around a particular photographic subject holds far more interest to me. The zine exchange we did over lockdown had quite a few ideas based on COVID and the lockdown itself, but each was what I'd call an original idea, even if the overall subject was roughly the same.
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I agree, a single image might be able to convey a simple or well understood message but has no sense of direction. A body of work can move the dial more, at the very least it indicates intention and it can take one from a familiar place to somewhere unexpected.
 
BIG snip!!!

sirch said:
musicians
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Are you including the rhythm section in with the musicians? :p


And now a quick derailment...

sirch said:
N gauge being the work of the devil
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Dad was only allowed an N gauge layout and decided he wanted all the locos to be DCC controlled. He suffered from a small essential tremor which made it impossible for him to do the conversions, so guess who had to do it all! Not too bad on the larger locos but the shunters were a royal PITA!
lindsay said:
What about Z gauge and something I recently discovered, T gauge? So ridiculously small, that I've seen one person with a T gauge loop running around a hat!
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At a show Dad and I visited, there was one in a CD jewel case.
 
Don Fischer said:
Problem with me is, especially with the new computer type camera's is I don't do computer's that well and I don't understand the computer language. Problem there is learning is not a particularly good skill in me.
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Often the problem you describe is due to poor teaching, rather than being unable to learn, although poor software design can also play a big part. Some software is much more intuitive to use, and it should be a case of move the sliders to see what happens most of the time, rather than battling again some weird interface the designer thought was cool.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Often the problem you describe is due to poor teaching, rather than being unable to learn, although poor software design can also play a big part. Some software is much more intuitive to use, and it should be a case of move the sliders to see what happens most of the time, rather than battling again some weird interface the designer thought was cool.
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You've discovered my Lightroom secret!
 
Rick Waldroup said:
It is the seeing of light- how it plays on the subject. It is the seeing of the composition- how to frame the subject. And it is using the mind to create an image of an everyday object into something that is not "everyday". Street photography is a prime example of this.
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I'd go further. It's anticipating the seeing of light. It's planning how light is going interact with a subject and in my case, creating that light.
 
ShinySideUp said:
Is the photography of 'things' as they are, creative at all? I mean, by taking a picture of something, all you have done is collect some light which is hardly 'creating' anything.
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Other than the obvious discussion about ‘light’ above.

The photographer chooses the viewpoint, the subject in relation to its environment and the light.
This choice will lead to a pleasing composition, 2 photos taken 3 metres apart and with different lenses will be radically different, as well as the same view with different light.

The photographer chooses what where and when to shoot. If you’re not selecting those things, I’d suggest it’s not really deliberate enough to be considered ‘photography’ at all. But that might open a can of worms.
 
Don Fischer said:
As a kid I loved drawing and oil painting. Even took a few course's in painting. Problem was I was never much good at it. Seeing photo's of athletes playing always gave me a fix also. Found an SLR I could afford in the mid 1970's and took it from there. Problem with me is, especially with the new computer type camera's is I don't do computer's that well and I don't understand the computer language. Problem there is learning is not a particularly good skill in me.
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I’d say that a modern camera doesn’t use ‘computer language’. Photography language is the same now that it was when I learned in the 70’s. There’s a point for all human beings when they decide new learning is beyond them. It has nothing to do with ability and is a self imposed disability.

I used to be able to completely strip and rebuild a motor car. I have no idea how electronic engine management systems or CANBUS electrical systems work, but I can still drive modern cars.
 
juggler said:
and in my case, creating that light.
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This is the good news-bad news story of shooting with external light. The good news is that you have complete control over everything. The bad news is that you have complete control over everything and have no excuses :)
 
To answer the original question: I regard myself as someone who records, rather than creates.

My aim is to show things I found interesting and the only "creativity" I employ, is to zero in on the subject and exclude (where I can) irrelevant clutter.
 
I grew up in household of DIY and engineering, dad was an engineer with the RN, on nuclear submarines. Creativity wasn't exactly nurtured, wasn't discouraged either.
I started taking photographs 42 years ago, my dad helped me get my cub scout photographer badge. I developed the 35mm TriX shot with his Pentax SV, and we printed in our blacked out bathroom.
I considered myself technically very able but not creative or imaginitive for years, despite having attened university studying photography, film & TV.
My wife the artsy type. She loves theatre, qualified and worked in textiles, fashion and costume design and production. She can draw and paint, loves reading. Always crafting.
She's encouraged and nurtured me over the years, made me see that actually many of the things I've made in the garage are actually very creative. She models for me, we are are always talking about ideas and projects we can work on together, and visiting exhibitions and galleries.
I play guitar a bit, not as well or as much as I used to. Years of being on the tools has played havoc with my hands. I play around recording music too.
I guess, my point is, I was/am much more a creative individual than I realised or allowed myself to believe in.

Imposter syndrome much?
 
PeteNaples said:
I guess, my point is, I was/am much more a creative individual than I realised or allowed myself to believe in.
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I think this is far more common than a lot of people think.
 
woof woof said:
I used to suffer this in work but the cure was to look around me at the competition and for some reason the imposter syndrome then usually just melted away.
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worked for me when I had a career (now I have a job and i'm just ticking off days till the pension contributions hit the magic number) - never worked worth a damn for the hobbies though.
 
TheBigYin said:
worked for me when I had a career (now I have a job and i'm just ticking off days till the pension contributions hit the magic number) - never worked worth a damn for the hobbies though.
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Luckily I've never really been too bothered how my photography compares to other peoples as theirs is theirs and mine is mine but I can appreciate other peoples skill and vision even if I'm never likely to take similar pictures. All I really want to do is take the sort of pictures I take and it's highly unlikely that someone else is going to take the same picture.
 
I meant more from the music if I'm honest - if nothing else more people liking it meant more people paying on the door...
 
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