I don't often like my work when I'm editing it. Something about the process of working on the images makes me see all their faults, and none of the art. Every photo I look at suddenly seems boring, flat, and pointless, and I get tempted to dump the whole lot and take up staring at grass or some other non-creative pastime. (Much like my blog posts, really - they always sound so dull when I'm writing them!)
Tokyo - Shinjuku crowds
Even the images for Newtown by Night didn't impress me at first look. They grew on me over time - I suspect I had to let go of how I thought they should look before I could appreciate how they did look. It was a good lesson to try and see things as they are, rather than what I think they are, and something I would like to be better at.
I've learned over the years, though, to let the pictures sit for a while after I've edited them, then come back to see what I have. Another thing I learned from the very dedicated & talented Lisa Hogben is to group the images and watch them through as a slideshow a few times, to get more of a feel for how they look, and how they flow together.
Breakfast in Asakasa
So that's what I'll be doing over the next few weeks - getting comfortable with the images, and working out what to do with them, and where they'll go. I've also arranged to swap some curation with Xole - I'll be looking through a group of her recent work, and in return she's kindly agreed to sort through my Japan photos. I don't think I'm the best person to curate work, as my taste is a little individual, but since she was kind enough to agree to look at my stuff, how could I refuse?
How do you approach your creative projects? Do you like the outcomes? I think most of us are harder on ourselves than anyone else would be - how do you deal with that?
Harajuku Hip
