7. Cars with personality
...embracing projects was the easy part
As I mentioned in Backside and the power of projects I really liked the idea of photo projects and wanted to give them a try. But, embracing projects was the easy part. Figuring out my projects was a bit harder.
The easy ones
First, I figured out that I had already been working on two projects: Seeing Light and Where the Phones Were (I will write about this in a future article). Those were easy for me to put on my new projects list. Unfortunately, one was done/published and the other is very long-term.
A long list of non-projects
There were so many subjects I was returning to again: utility poles, monochrome scenes, my wife’s beautiful cooking, unique door buzzers, handmade no-parking signs, and more. Surely some of these must be projects, right? I started to add them to the projects list (it quickly got long). But the longer the list got the more I realized how many of the groupings did not fit my definition of projects—they were fun to shoot, post, etc. but they weren’t projects.
To me, a project is more than a set of photos on a common theme—a project has to include the photographer’s perspective or point-of-view. It had to have something to say. e.g. My Mostly Monochrome series is fun to search for, but it doesn’t express a viewpoint.
With some collections, like Art of the Sign, I know there is something to be said—I just have not yet figured out what, I will keep working on it—but right now it is not yet a project.
A project at last
This past summer summer I finally found a project that excites me—but it also really frustrates me. I even have a vision for what it looks like when done... the only problem is, it's pretty rare to find the right subject in an environment that fits what I see in my mind.
Cars with personality
What is the Cars with Personality project? It’s an admiration of particular cars of a previous vintage. They are not classic cars. They are not usually restored cars. They are not fancy cars. They are not tricked-out modern cars. The thing that defines them and ties them together is that they are unassuming cars that could have been tossed aside but someone cares about them—maybe even loves them.
I’m not sure this definition is perfect but once you see one or two you will know them. But, you only see them if you look for them—most of the time these cares are not noticed and not given a 2nd look.
I know what the project looks like
Successful images from this project let the cars proudly show off and enjoy the rare warmth of the spotlight—even if only for a moment.
The challenge
To let these cars show off they usually have to be isolated from other cars and have a background that compliments them or at a minimum does not detract.
The challenge is finding the right car in the right location—it does not happen often. Searching for the car itself is a bit of a treasure hunt but once I started to look they now come along often enough. Unfortunately, the environment usually does not cooperate. I’ll find a great car and it will be helmed in with other cars. Or the background be ugly.
Sometimes I’m lucky and I’ll find a car on one of my photo walk routes and I can come back to it over and over again till I manage to capture it in the right light, isolated from other cars, and with the right background.
But more often than not I stumble upon a car while I am out somewhere and while the car is great the rest doesn’t work. And most of the time the car is not in a place I will be back to again soon. I’ve got a whole collection of these.
So where from here?
So what do I do? Do I create the images I want with Photoshop or AI1? Do I ease up on my self-imposed criteria? Or, do I just admit to myself that this project may take a long (long) time?
For the moment I’m taking the final option and sticking with this for the long term.
Maybe I’ll edit out the garbage cans from the cream Mini and place it and the ‘53 Ford Victoria into the Cars with Personality keeper folder and continue my treasure hunt.
If you spy a good car near San Francisco let me know.
Warmly,
josh
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Even if you don’t consider images created with AI ‘photography’ there is some amazing artwork being done with AI. Check out the incredible work being done by orangeglasses.
“Nothing wrong with that” is key! I still work on lots of non-projects.
Also key is how you define projects for yourself.
And when I say “has to include the photographer’s perspective or point-of-view. It had to have something to say." I don’t mean it needed to say something big or something obvious. Beyond Focus seems to fit.
So your description of this process of defining a project is interesting and a challenge I have wrestled with. Arno Minkkinen (https://www.arnorafaelminkkinen.com/ ) wrote a piece a while back titled, "Stay on the Bus". The idea is select a project, start (get on the bus), and see it through to the destination. Then recently I read Sasha Wolf's wonderful book, "PhotoWork: 40 Photographers on Process and Practice" and encountered other ways to transfer onto another bus. Or just get the hell off. So many times I have discovered that embarking on a project will suddenly clue me into one that is more resonant, creates a more fulfilling experience. Stay open, feel your way into it.
Cars with personalities! So cool, so cultural. So related to the human who owns it. Here in Iowa you have a different kind of personality associated with cars. It's most about function and what-can-I-afford-to-maintain-or-not. It's super interesting.