The "Why" Behind Image Creation
A photograph is nothing more than the freezing of time for that split second the shutter is open. What happens in front of that lens while that shutter is open, what is burned into the image sensor and is output as a photograph, that moment will never happen again. The feelings and emotions, the gaze of the eyes, the joy of the moment... There is simply no way to accurately recreate these things after the fact.
When thinking about designing an image, I want to be non-intrusive, almost completely out of sight. Knowing that at some point, those images will be edited into fine pieces of art and presented to the client, anticipating that reaction when they seem them and re-live the moment, often incredulous that it was able to be captured in time, that's what motivates me.
5 People Who Motivate Me
We all take our inspiration from somewhere. We all have the people we revere and seek to learn from. Some who keep me thinking....
- Andy Frisella: A business mogul, self-made from nothing, founder of 1st Phorm supplements and host of an AMAZING podcast called RealAF which is about personal development, current events, and how to level up your own life and breakthrough challenges. Andy doesn't advertise on the show even though he could make a boat load of money doing that. Every episode is gold, filled with REAL lessons we can each apply to our own lives. It all comes back down to, there is no replacement for hard work and discipline. Implement the lessons in this podcast into your life, and you WILL see results. He recently put out a mic-drop of a quote, which once I fully processed inspired me to reach for my own next level: "Personal excellence is the ultimate act of rebellion."
- Ed Mylett: Another titan of the podcast world, Ed hosts the Ed Mylett Show. Focused more on interviews with high achieving people who share their lessons with those of us on our own journeys. Ed recently came out with a new book, The Power of One More. Ed really opens up his own life with the rest of the world and goes super deep into what motivates him to achieve his own greatness. Though I haven't met him, Ed seems like the nicest most genuine person you could ever hope to meet. He possesses incredible personal wealth and has no need to be in the public sphere the way he is, but he chooses to do it in order to motivate others to reach new heights for themselves. I highly recommend the book and subscribing to this podcast.
- Steve Vai: OK, so I'm a total metalhead. That arena rock of the 1980's, glam bands with long hair standing in front of walls of amplifiers and a stadium full of people holding cigarette lighters in the air... Gives me goosebumps every time! Of all the great guitar players throughout history, and there are many, and their rankings of greatness are the topic of endless debate... None leave me in awe the way Steve Vai does. He seems to have done it all, from a solo career to playing with some of the greats like Whitesnake, and on the G3 tour with Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen (a show I was super lucky to see in my younger years) and back again to a solo career. His level of artistry with his music is incomparable. It's not just about playing fast and technical, it's about taking the expression of the guitar up into the stratosphere, doing things nobody else has done in the experimental realm. Steve Vai has so much street cred in the music scene, that he can pretty much do whatever he wants as far as the kind of music he puts out, and he will sell out every seat on every stop of his tour. I listen to his music and read the titles of his songs and wonder what actually goes on inside of his brain that he can come up with this stuff.
- Sam Nguyen: OK I'm a photographer, so I should probably have at least ONE person on this list who inspires me with their art. Sam Nguyen is a photographer and conceptual artist from Vietnam. He creates epic and dramatic almost fantasy-like images featuring long flowing dresses. The images are created with a lot of thought of how the photograph from the camera will be transformed into the final image in post-processing computer software. These images are truly a work of the imagination and I haven't seen anybody who can match this style. His work is simply stunning and represents a level of artistic heights to which I aspire.
- Rachel Hollis: Back to the personal development world, and I wanted to highlight a woman for this list who inspires me, and that is Rachel Hollis. Rachel is the author of the super popular book Girl, Wash Your Face and yes, her content is catered towards the female audience but there are so many takeaways for those of us not of that persuasion. Anybody who writes a book with the opening line "I peed my pants" is worthy of a further read, in my opinion. Rachel is all about empowering the individual to take control of their own destiny, own their awesomeness and realize what a badass you are.
That's my 5 for now. But I want to know, who motivates you? Make your own list and see where your mind takes you. Share some of your insights with me, I'd love to hear them!!!!
