Jay Scott Photography

Lull? Peak? Crossroad? Milestone?

Winter is on its way out and I can definitely feel the spring fever beginning to build. Since today was my last post of the zoo photographs from last season, and the snow is melting outside, I’m starting to get anxious for clear sidewalks and pathways so I can get back to the zoo and down by the river with ease. To my pleasure, I have not felt restricted as much as some winters about getting out this year. I felt as though I have kept fairly busy working on projects that included some photography, photography technology, endless reading of photography education and photographers’ websites, a few geeky projects and miscellaneous other work. However, I am not sure, beyond exercise and photography based outings, where I should direct the majority of my efforts at this point.

A few years ago I taught some photography lessons to a student and enjoy the experience very much. I had begun to revamp the lessons to be less camera specific and revised into something I would be more willing to call my work. It was not that it was of poor quality but I wrote them as though I were speaking directly to the student, slang and all. I would not do that if it were something to be distributed amongst larger numbers. Since I am self-taught in photography I honestly felt as though my writings could very likely be incomplete and I would not even know it. I know that there is obviously good information in what I wrote but I fear there are unknown omissions.

Knowing that there are endless, quality, free, websites with information from photographers far more experienced than I, I would not be so bold as to try to publish, or make money from, what I wrote. There is the possibility that I could use it as a framework to teach in a more one on one, personalized manner. This is where I begin to need your help.

Do you think this would be feasible and if so where and in what form could I do this that would be effective, appreciated and worth the effort?

That was option one. Option two is something far grander in scale. In a past series of conversations with Courtney Milne I was encouraged to speak about patience because of the things that I’ve experienced in my life and the times where I required a high level of patience. He expressed to me that it was a virtue he valued greatly and used the example of how many times a scene can change just by the changing of light from the moving of the sun or clouds from one minute to the next. He told me that whenever he would speak to groups he would express the importance of patience and how it influenced his photography but nobody quite seem to grasp what he meant. He thought that through my life experiences I may have greater effectiveness conveying the importance and value of patience to people.

The skeleton of such a book in a semi-biography form is written. I do not doubt my writing ability, and would greatly appreciate a skilled editor should I finish such a book, but I’m not entirely certain that I could make something that would be effective all on its own. (No hints or signs of fear or hesitation as to which way to go in this rambling collection of thoughts, is there?) What I would like to do is to supplement my writings with my photographs. There are a number of snapshots and pictures that came perfect the first time but I would never consider those my best work. The piece I am most fond of took days to plan and a few hours to execute. I am talking about Midnight Rose. From purchasing the roses at just the right time so they would open perfectly before the full moon, to setting up the four different light sources on stands, resting on lawn chairs and clamped to the deck railing, gelled appropriately and ready to go exactly when the moon was in the right position so that I can get the angle I needed from my limited height variability in this wheelchair it will take a lot of effort for something to bump this photograph out of first place of my work in my mind. This is the situation for most of my favorite pieces simply because of the effort I knew went into it to make it perfect without correcting flaws later on in Photoshop.

My question is simply this: Would a book of this nature be interesting to you? Would you value one page with a photograph and the opposite with a portion of my story as it pertains to my life, with a subtle focus on the patience required in specified situations I have been through? Do you have any other suggestions or thoughts for option number two?

I am not certain what option number three is but it may take the shape of actively seeking people or groups in the need of some professional photographs. Most likely these would be not for profit or an organization of that nature. After seeing the screening of Invisible Children at the University of Saskatchewan Wednesday evening I began to wonder if they needed photographs of local group members for any purpose. Perhaps there are athletes or members of the Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association in need of unique photographs to promote themselves. These are the ideas I have so far but would welcome your suggestions and feedback.

I know that comments on my website are quite rare but I know that you, my readers, are out there. Over 7000 of you visit every month and I appreciate it. I would also be really thankful if you could give me your brief feedback on this post. I know that it was long despite my efforts to not be long-winded but I encourage you, anonymously or not, to drop me your thoughts.

Thank you!

Jay

Tags: book, direction, goals, opinion wanted, purposes