It has been 6+ weeks since I last tripped the shutter on my camera, the longest drought I've had for some time. The reasons are varied: time of year, work, the holidays, etc. Over the last few years I've noticed that my mood largely hinges on one of two things happening, and those are either making great pics or selling them. And as wonderful a feeling it is to sell a photo, there is nothing quite like the satisfaction and fulfillment I get from making a great image. It's been a long time since that has happened. Yes, I have had success lately selling photos, and that's all well and good, but the creative side of me is starving. Surliness is settling in. The fall colors are long gone, but the snow has yet to fly. The outside world is varying shades of brown and gray. Ugh. I'm beginning to feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. The cats are getting worried. They should be. And the forecast for the next week holds little promise for snow. What is a landscape photographer to do? The answer, of course, is to have patience. In the meantime I will continue to focus my efforts on the marketing side and wait patiently for the snow. And try not to kill the cats.
Moving on. Over the years I have sold a fair number of photos, either to individuals or in the publishing world. From a sales standpoint, this photo of Calumet Island has without a doubt been my most successful image ever. Had I known this when I made the image I would have been incredulous. This is an image I came very close to not even making, but since I was there and had some time to kill I thought why not. To my eye at the time it was nothing special. And yet a few years later it has sold repeatedly and continues to garner attention. At my exhibits this photo has always been a standout. Weird. It is ironic that an image that I put little effort into and almost didn't even bother to make has become my most popular. The obvious lesson here is that as a photographer one has no idea what photo will resonate with people. I actually don't make all that many images when I'm out in the field, not bothering to trip the shutter unless I feel it's a scene truly worth
capturing. And I can be very lazy when it comes to photography, or anything else for that matter. Quite often when I'm out in the field I will have, thinking I am done with a location, collapsed my tripod and put the camera away, only to find another scene that catches my eye. Out of sheer laziness I have at times eschewed capturing the scene because that would require re-setting up the tripod (takes all of ten seconds) and getting the camera out. Heaven forbid! This image is a reminder to just take the damn photo, one never knows.
