Waiting for inspiration to strike

They say that inspiration is lurking around every corner. But is it? Are such moments of clarity really there for the taking, or do you have to make them appear through the process of your own thoughts and actions?

Whichever way you cut it, inspiration comes in many forms. Whether it hides in the pages of a book or magazine (my current read of the moment is Wired Magazine), or comes from the company you share... Perhaps the places you visit or the journeys you make around the internet super highway - everyone has their own way of coming up with fresh ideas.

For us photographers, we need to be on the constant lookout if we are to stay on our toes and produce interesting images. It is one thing to be set a brief to follow, but when you are commissioned to create a set of images, it is your ability to visualise concepts and bring them to fruition that will keep the client happy - not simply your ability to 'press the button'.

What about personal projects? In previous posts, I have written about the importance of photographers producing work for themselves, as well as producing commissioned work. I have been getting a few ideas of my own together recently - nothing concrete, just a few thoughts and images to test the waters - and the latest developments came about thanks to the postponement of an assignment over the recent Bank Holiday.

Seizing the opportunity to get out of the house, Manda and I headed off for the local ancient woodland - with no real thoughts towards image making in mind. It was a beautiful day and we were just glad to be out in the fresh air. But... Me being me, with my head always buzzing, I began to think about how I could use the location to my photographic advantage; every corner we turned presented the possibility of a would-be backdrop.

Thoughts immediately sprang to mind of Drew Gardner's fantastic work, which I have been following via his blog in recent months, and I soon found myself stopping to take 'location snaps' to place in my sketch book for future reference.

What I have in mind is by no means the same as Drew's concepts. I am drwaing on my own interests and influences, my own love of the outdoors and how I wish to place my subjects there.

I have not set myself a deadline for this personal work - it it not at that stage yet. For now, I'm happy simply to keep on walking, to keep on thinking, to be open to outside influences and the oportunities of what is yet to come.

Fathers Day, Memories, What The Duck

OK, in my last post, I told you about an online cartoon strip called What The Duck. Well, given that today is Fathers Day, I thought I'd share the strip above (hmm... tedious link, I know, but the word 'Dad' is mentioned!). Anyway, take it for what it is, or feel free to read a little deeper...

Show of hands please, anyone who backs up their photographs. And I don't mean simply copying them from your camera to the computer - we're talking proper 'paranoia-driven, second-guess the future' multiple back-ups here.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people still genuinely believe that their computers will last forever. Never corrupting, never slowing to a grinding halt, these machines are clearly invincible. Apparently. Well, drop us an email and tell me where to sign!

As far as photographs are concerned, never forget - these are visual documents, often showing events which are one-off, unrepeatable times in our lives. They allow us to savour moments and preserve them for future generations. Remember photographic prints? You know, actual 'hard copy', 6"x4" bits of paper you could actually hold in your actual hands and look at without straining your eyes at a computer screen! Increasingly, people are not bothering to get prints made, instead entrusting these memories to a birds-nest of wires and circuitry all neatly packaged in an overheated metal box plugged into the wall.

Fact is, and though it pains me to have to tell you like this, computers can and do go wrong. Badly. And when they do... that's when those same people are suddenly consumed with a rush of blind panic, tears, cursing and, once things have calmed down a bit, regret at having not bothered to back up their pictures sooner. The same scenario holds true for business owners who, frankly, should know better.

Now I'm no computer whizz - far from it - but I do know what it feels like to lose important information from a computer. Which is why we perform multiple backups like our lives depend upon it (actually, in a professional sense, they do!). At the very least, you should be making copies onto CDs or DVDs - seriously, these things cost pennies nowadays (far, far, faaar less than the information they can contain) - and you'd be a fool not to go out to your local computer supply shop today and stock up.

By all means, wait for the 'Big Bang' in the corner of your office or spare room before you decide to take action, but just remember to take a deep breath when the repair guy tells you that he 'might' be able to save your data - and at great cost - but that you should probably prepare for the worst. "Well, of course, you have saved a copy of the important stuff, haven't you...?"

So, take heed of what I have to say. Or don't. At the very least have a look at the cartoon at the top of this post. But one thing I can tell you for sure, from bitter experience, is this: if your computer suddenly takes on the appearance of a pile of scrap metal and your precious pictures are only lodged somewhere in the unrecoverable rubble on the carpet, you'll be kicking yourself for not parting with those pennies.

What The Duck

Sometimes, you just need a little relief from the daily grind. I found just such an escape this week in the form of What The Duck - a fantastic online cartoon strip by Aaron Johnson.

Seems I'm not the only one who appreciates what I see; the site has a massive following, which reaches out into the everyday, right down to the highstreet (see if you can spot a WTD t-shirt next time you check out anything published online by any of the guys listed as WTD Friends).

If you are interested in photography, or simply just like a good cartoon strip, I'd encourage you to go take a look straight away. If you like what you see, you can always subscribe using RSS so that you never miss an edition.

Know of any cool/interesting/weird/wonderful sites out there? Why not tell us about them? Be sure to include your website URL if you have one - hey, we might even give you a plug by way of a thank you, too!

And yes - I will be dropping the odd WTD cartoon into the GBP Blog from time to time.