more "kibbutz"

everyone is telling me to keep shooting "at home".....but, i am still just "playing" and not totally committed ...yet....it could just be that the "kibbutz" pictures end up as part of the "off for a family drive" book...

many of you have asked for more stories on how to create a book, how to publish a book , etc etc..

well, the first thing is the idea or the concept...this is the hardest part (and where i am now on this one)....the second thing, is the actual shooting....this is the hardest part...and the third thing is editing your work down to something that works...this is the hardest part....and the fourth  thing is the securing of a publisher and the control over the layout....this is the hardest part.....and the fifth  thing is the distribution, the creating of exhibitions and the pr "selling" of the book...this is the hardest part (because by this time you are totally tired of these pictures and are moving on to something else)...

i am in two of the five steps right now.....the idea realization of one book("family drive")  and the final layout of another("living proof")......i will keep you updated so that you may learn....and learn from my mistakes....

please do not make the fourth  step into the first step...this is the most common error i see  among emerging photogs......securing the publisher is the least of your worries....just go make those great photographs based on a significant idea....publishers need new work.....

in a subsequent post i will  explain the different ways to get this work done.....

Comments

[Aga Luczakowska]

David... I am sure you will start to shoot seriously, when you will feel to do it... the worst thing which can happened is when everybody push you to do it...

[Andrew Sullivan]

David,

Can you talk a little about the "significant idea?" When you've got a lot of different ideas floating around, how do you edit them down to the one you actually decide to shoot?

Looking forward to meeting you in VA. I'm fortunate to have gotten a spot in your class.

Andrew

[David]

aga...

interesting point...sometimes all of us need a little "nudge" to get going...get out the door...actually, assignments do that...on every assignment, you can always get something for yourself...i think i said in an earlier post, elliott erwitt got most of his "personal work" while on advertising shoots!!!

but, yes, too much pressure from others is not good..i guess it depends on the individual..some need a push, others must just feel it...i did push you a bit on the Mormons, but only because i thought you were really interested anyway....

i have many many projects that i started and then stopped....like sketches....or little transitions...i think this is ok as long as you finally finish something...finishing something is always difficult...like relationships!!! easy to start, hard to finish!!!

david

[David]

andrew...

no easy answer here...but, i do know one thing..it should not be based on any thought of commercial success for the book...do not think what other people might want...the chances of financial success are almost nil anyway, so go with your gut...

when i see your work in charlottesville, i should be able to lead you to your "next step"...that is why i will be there...

see you soonest...

[Aga Luczakowska]

David.. you are right.. EASY TO START, HARD TO FINISH!
When i started shooting Mormons i had 3 nice pictures from one day... and today i spent with them half day and i feel i dont have any picture... every next day is harder to do something new...

Today i was complaining to my boyfriend that i spent boring 3 hours in Mormon's church and i feel tired... and he said - "so, stop doing this story if you feel uncomfortable there".. and i realized "hmm... wait a minute... i love this story, i want to do this story, they already like me a lot and are natural... why should i stop?... work is not always easy, sometimes boring" :-)

Good to know that you also have unfinished storys... but also.. where is the point when you know the story is finished?

[David]

aga..

good points...particularly the boring part...i am not a man who likes to be bored....i need action or energy or excitement or maybe even some kind of danger all the time....

but, to finish shooting a project and see it all the way through means sometimes so sad, yes...boring..

you must fight through "boring"....it is easy to fight when out shooting...you just have to be smart and brave and resourceful and "see"...but, fighting "boring" is tough....

as i said starting a project is just like starting a relationship...it is easy to get excited at beginning....but, to see it all the way through you must learn to get "excited" another way....

and, for me, this "next level" of excitement and energy is just as amazing as the first, but you gotta get there first...

[David]

oh aga..

sorry , i forgot to answer your other question...."when do you know the story is finished?"

this is a good question for out in the blog because i do not know if many read what i say in this "comments" section....so, i will write an "outside" story on that too...remind me..

but, you can only tell when a story is done because just one day you "know it"...not number of pictures, not number subjects, not "points made"...you just know it...and you also know that it is "incomplete"...not finished....but you are finished...that is it...that is all

[Aga Luczakowska]

I never get bored then i am shooting (it makes a head very busy - to see everything, to check if exposure is good ect..),talking with people (from your story) is also interesting... there are only small exceptions when is boring (like Mormon's mess ;-)).. but definately this exceptions are much better than any other work.. and it's the reason we love this job! :-)

[Nick Yoon]

"i do not know if many read what i say in this "comments" section"

david, maybe this is a feature you can add to the blog, where visitors can see what the latest comments are. it's not easy to see if a post has received a new comment unless you go through every post.

[Ana Yturralde]

David, you forgot one more hardest part: editing :-D

Seriously, I totally agry with you on this: "just go get those great
photographs based on a significant idea....publishers need
pictures...they need new work.....you should just do your part
first...."

And I also think that everybody needs some pressure. The dose will be
different in any case, some people need more than others, but
everybody needs something "alive" going on inside, otherwise laziness
will kill us. It doesn't matter if we start several sketches... the
important thing is to keep on trying. Then, the big one will come.

Ana

[David]

nick...

yes, i am not sure i can do that here...i am considering a customized blog and did not think of these things until i was already into this one..

for sure , all the writing in the comments from readers is the best..and even things i say in comments in reaction to a question is better than anything i would normally think about..

also, still considering the one blog concept instead of four...but resisting that one so far...what you think??

[David]

aga...

well, when i am shooting, as in actually taking pictures, i am never bored...finger on the button, eye in the viewfinder time, is in its best moments, some kind of ecstasy....

the hours and days of waiting to be in the place where the picture can be made is what i was talking about...

ana...

yes, editing....i will just add that right now...in my mind it was part of the post-production, but i will be very specific....thanks

[Nick Yoon]

david, i don't read that many blogs - mainly those relating to photography - so i'm not sure if one rather than four blogs would work better.

what i've seen with prolific bloggers is that they have blog "categories" which link to their past posts by key words or concepts. so you could have "student work/workshops" as a category rather than a separate blog.

here's an example of using categories:
http://2point8.whileseated.org/

maybe you could collect more ideas on how to upgrade the blog from your readers?

[Aga Luczakowska]

yes, David.. it's what i was talking about, too :-)

[J. Sinclair]

David... wow you have pulled together a great online roundtable. This has the soul of your workshops! Congrats! I just found out about your blog from the Charlottesville workshop handout. Glad to find it.

Your blog and this topic is so right on for me. I am really tired of shooting for the North Carolina project I've been working on for the last couple of years... yet I know it isn't complete. I don't want to let go yet but I feel I've lost my passion for the project...tired of looking at all of the images! I'm sure I am not the only one struggling with this. I think I should put it aside... may come back to it but to continue to pursue right now would drain energy and passion and those are too critical to the artistic process.

Look forward to seeing you in C'ville!

Jay

[Martin]

David

You have answered on Aga’s question about "when do you know the story is finished?".
I have a question about books but from other side.
I have returned to home and I will not leave my city a few month. My friend said me “I know how to get money for issue a books from Department of Art and office of city. You have interesting pictures. You should publish a book.”
I must confess I think about book since half year but Publishing houses in my country rarely giving money for photography books because this is expensive and sold with difficulty.
But with help of department of art? No problem. Only pictures should be “artist”, “intellectual”. No problem.
Well, first step for me is hope that it could happen.
Of course I have my “idea” for my book.

And my question:
I’m not a person who will go out and making my pictures because “book or something” I just go outside meet people, walk on the streets and shooting.
Well, when do you know the book is just start?
When you have thousands photos and you just choose pictures? Or perhaps better is thinking about book like when you think about story for the magazines?
One picture beginning book or one hundred?

Martin

sorry for English like always

[David]

martin..

i just read your question and it is a good one..but i just noticed it is 3am and i must sleep...tomorrow i cannot blog i do not think...so wait until thursday and i will give you a good answer...

david

[Martin]

I thought that your new post is answer for my question.
Obviously I will wait for it. It is good theme for me.