Photo Lucida aftermath

I am back from Photo Lucida. It is the most successful review event I have attended in my decade of putting myself through these meat grinder critique marathons. I have a commitment for a show, and, probably, a photo editor for the book project. Here is what I learned about my work:

The contra dance project has legs. But I need to cast my net wider to give it more context. Whether I throw the net into my archive, or back out in the field, I have yet to determine.

It is useful to be working in an arena untrodden by others. Nobody’s looking at what I’m looking at, subject-wise. Even though I am shooting in a style not unfamiliar to any decent editorial photographer, I would not have gotten this degree of attention if I had continued to show my brushy landscapes or my European panoramic silver prints.

Other opinions count. But they shouldn’t account for everything. No decision I make based on this intense look at my work should be considered firm until it has settled in my thinking for a few weeks.

Comments

[Jeff Henderson]

Doug,

Congratulations on your successful reviews! Things sound very promising for your contra dance project. Isn't it funny how sometimes we begin projects that interest us, without much thought to their value down the road, or how the project might evolve, only to wake up one day and realize that we have accomplished something significant. It certainly helps to receive constructive input to provide the guidance we often need to see our projects mature into the final structured product.

Jeff H

P.S. I think your wife posted some very interesting suggestions on how to expand the scope of your project. She sounds like a very wise woman.

[Jeff Carlson]

Congrats! And thanks for blogging about it while it happened. It's been entertaining reading, and very cool to watch the progress unfold. Much better than just a post saying, "Well, I went, and it was great, and here's why."

Jeff C

[Mike C.]

Great outcome and a splendid spectator sport for us blog lurkers. Can't help thinking that your mauling last time, though unpleasant, may have been more instructive than you realised.

Isn't it interesting, though, that despite the insistence of photographic educators that subject matter is secondary, in the end a good, fresh subject is what really grabs the attention of galleries and publishers. (And a heartfelt engagement with that subject matter does somehow always shine through).

The question is, are you ready for your 15 minutes??