LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process Brooks Jensen

One of the hardest things to do is to let go of our previous successes. The antidote from repeating ourselves is to realize that every day is unique and will never be repeated. Our challenge is to go with the flow and be aware of today's moments.

This is the title of Minor White's terrific 1982 monograph. It's also a way to think about our own photographs. Some of our photographs are mirrors, some messages, some manifestations. Each type of image has something to teach us.

Artmaking is largely a matter of pushing the limits. But, which limits? The limits of gear? The limits of processing? The limits of our endurance? What about pushing the limits of our abilities to feel and to communicate?

I'm often asked why I shoot with Panasonic cameras when they are such a tiny percentage of the camera marketplace. It's not "brand loyalty" but rather brand familiarity. I want to use a camera without having to think about it. That way, my total attention is on the subject and the content I'm trying to capture.

When art becomes predictable, it ceases to interest us. In fact, the more predictable art becomes, the more it pushes us away. In perceptual psychology, this is known as a "scotoma." Because our consciousness is geared to perceive changes and threats, those things that are predictably consistent are ok to ignore because they are not a threat nor a reward.

I happened to notice that a recent project I published in Kokoro included pictures shot from six different cameras over 8 years. What struck me as curious was that I could not tell that by looking at the images!