Back in the 1940's Ansel Adams, arguably one of America's greatest photographers, was commissioned to photograph the National Parks of North America. Certainly it was an enormous undertaking, but one he was up to. It took him several years to complete the project and was interrupted by WWII, but eventually he was able to follow through with the project and in the process produced some of his most amazing works. As a model to follow on how to accomplish a project, his would be the cornerstone example to follow. For most of us, projects tend to follow a less difficult path. Even so, every photographer can benefit by becoming involved in a personal photographic project.
I've started, floated through, and in some cases completed many projects. Most of them were short term examples focusing more on an event, or time of year, or just a whim of an idea I wanted to try just because I could. One of my more extensive projects was to spend the better part of a year photographing Shanty Hollow Lake here in Kentucky. It is a wonderful conveniently close location where as a photographer one can discover a myriad of opportunities, from waterfalls, wild flowers, dramatic sunrises and sunsets, to large amphitheater rock and cliff formations, along with all the seasonal changes.
Probably the most important thing I have learned by doing that project was how to plan my time afield. Even though the lake was close by, I was not always able to simply take off and start shooting. Sometimes I only had an hour or two, or maybe a morning or an evening in which to shoot. Many times the weather did not co-operate, and sometimes I had to scurry about grabbing my gear to rush over there to catch what I hoped was to be some great lighting. It did not always work out.
Most of the time I had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish on any given trip over there. I knew I wanted to capture some short video clips and so I planned around how I was going to accomplish that by myself. On other occasions I wanted some specific still shots from the lake before or just after sunrise while I sat inside my canoe. Shots like that one required that I get up several hours before sunrise, drive over, offload the canoe and camera gear, paddle all the way to the upper end of the lake to be on site well ahead of when the sun was to rise. It turned out to be a great project and produced some of the best photographs I've ever taken.
Some projects involved shooting a specific portrait or capturing a specific image, the kind of shot where you are wanting to capture a single image using unique and interesting lighting setups. Even though the project may only be for a single shoot, the planning of how to do the shoot took several days of diagramming and making experimental shots to see if the concept was even possible. Even so, once on location I had to work quickly to catch the background light at just the right moment and then setup all the lights, testing the exposures, then making the shot.
I even have one project that has been ongoing for several years. It's an almost never ending project often disrupted by distance and available time, yet a project that is special in many ways. That project is to photograph Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. I started the project a good number of years ago and often get frustrated by the lack of time I have to get over there. Years have slipped by between shooting opportunities, and even when I do get over there the weather often interferes with my desired shooting opportunities. Even so, it is a project I will continue to pursue as time allows and has evolved over time. My current plans are to shoot a series of videos in the area to combine them with still images and create a documentary style program.
Much is still to do, still to prepare for, but it is a project that will challenge my ability as a photographer and thrust me into another world, the fascinating realm of videography. Preparing for such an adventure will require more than just taking pictures. It will require physical conditioning, becoming more adept at shooting video, learning about editing and blending of photographic styles and techniques, writing and story telling, and yes capturing images that stir the imagination.
Projects will do that for you, force you to challenge yourself, to improve your technique, and encourage you to try new things. It will force you to accept failure as a learning event, and then propel you forward with a renewed vigor and enthusiasm for the art of photography.
Projects are a great way to employ your photographic skills. There are few if any better ways to lift yourself to a new level of accomplishment.
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