End of a year of photography

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December_0042
In the morning at St George the sun skids into the terminal and skews the grid of the day, reminding us of our shadows and our momentary passing.

An open letter to everyone who worked with me these last four months:

Congratulations on finishing (and beginning) your study of photography! I know the learning curve can be stressful and perhaps even overwhelming at times. But you’re on the way now…

In closing the year on our work together I’d like to briefly repeat something I’ve said several times, beginning from the first day we met: these are exciting times to be working in the visual arts. We’re entering an uncharted world of picture-making, and you are at the threshold of these new days.

From my perspective, having watched these changes over these last twenty years, from the pre-digital, non-digital, what-is-digital??, into the current thrill-ride rollercoaster of new possibilities and challenges, it feels momentous and extraordinary.

Last week at a holiday party with photographers and art directors we talked about these new challenges and opportunities from different and contradictory perspectives, but everyone agreed that this is the most exciting time we’ve ever seen in our industry. And we each talked about how lucky we are to be participating in it.

I suspect that, at this moment, actually, you’re too tired and busy with traveling and holiday stuff to feel much excitement…but soon enough you’ll be rested and ready to get going again. As I’ve said throughout the fall, the main thing is that you keep learning about how to learn.

‘Photography’ as a word and idea is changing (and it might not much resemble what you once thought it was), but picture-making remains a fundamental human activity, with incredible importance to our society and to our individual lives.

Until our paths cross again…keep walking the map of your life and watching for moments when the grid skews and becomes new. One more time: I want to encourage you to keep paying attention to the moments of your visual evolution, both the large and small; keep listening; keep watching; and keep making pictures.

From here on out, everything starts with simply doing it.

Thanks a great experience in 2009!

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