The Troemel Train
| October 16th, 2007
If you haven’t done it yet, check out Brad Troemel’s work and blog at Very Young Millionaire. He’s doing some great things right now with the way he’s herding up and rallying troves of young photographers who share a similar aesthetic. He’s showing some great work, and writing some nice posts that have started some good dialog. In his most recent post, I’m Boring Myself, Brad talks about shooting in a safer style that results in a more bullet proof crit. In doing so, he came to the realization that in shooting this way, his work has become boring and soulless. But what is it to shoot less safe? what makes work safe, and what makes work risky? or groundbreaking? I think photographers are constantly asking themselves this, to see how their work stacks up. I know I have. I do think my work is safe. Sometimes. Okay, a lot of the times. But why is this so? Shoot in the moment! Really, shoot in the moment.
The camera is an extension of yourself, like a finger, or your dick. Think less, shoot more? I’m not sure, but I think a big reason that some of my work is so safe is because maybe I’m using the camera as more of a tool than an appendage. It needs to be more personal. In all my years of shooting, I have never really shared my shots of my family, or my lovers. I mean really shared. Like the gritty, the sexual, the ultra-personal. Is it too personal? Probably not- but it’s my way of keeping something for myself. Something that no one else sees, something that’s mine only. One of my favorite comments from this post was the following:
really interesting. i didn’t know we were the same age. your desire to want to shoot “mid-laughter, mid-awe, mid-shock, mid-boner” is exactly what i’m afraid of. to publicize too many private moments in my life via a camera is my version of slaughtering a “sacred cow”.
I think it’s time to get over it and just slaughter the sacred cow already, or at least break it’s leg. What do you think?
*All images on this post © Brad Troemel