Welcome To Winter

Notes from a fair weather photographer

Small table-top still-life subjects are a great creative outlet for fair-weather photographers like myself.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the notion of productivity in the context of inspiration and art. I wanted to follow that up today with a meager example of how I must force myself to ”do the work”, especially during the winter months.

While I certainly acknowledge beautiful and inspiring outdoor winter scenes exist. I also am not the one to go out and find them. Yes, I’m a fair-weather photographer. I’ve never enjoyed the winter season. I don’t think I am capable of enjoying it. All I can see is desolation. The winter affects me deeply, not in a positive way. I might even suffer from seasonal depression.

I do my best to have a lot going on regarding my photography during the winter months. Most of those things are more practical photography and illustration with a purpose that’s not “artistic” in nature. That doesn’t mean I cannot bring some notion of art and aesthetics to those more practical illustration or documentation endeavors. I certainly try to bring those things into whatever I point my camera at, for whatever reason. This winter I’ve been working regularly on a project for my church. This project is more that of a librarian and cataloger than one of “an artist”.