Photos of significance

Ever since I’ve been taking photographs, I’ve wanted to take photos that are of some significance. Be it the street photos that people want to put up on their walls, like Henri Cartier Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, really telling a story, like Steve McCurry and Don McCullin, or iconic portraits like Helmut Newton or Annie Leibovitz.

Why? 

I wanted to be famous

I always had the drive to be seen. This probably stems from my childhood. As a young kid, I wanted to be famous. A rock star. A celebrity. Whatever it was, it had to be famous. This probably was my young brain’s answer to being bullied and let down by people. Yes, I was the skinny, red-haired, smarter-than-thou kid everybody loved to hate. Maybe not hate, but, well, I didn’t fit in very well with the popular kids. 

Don’t get me wrong, I had some friends, but I felt the stares and the stings of people calling me names on more than one occasion. I even got turned down at the door after being invited to a swimming party with the popular kids once. Not nice, but hey, they were kids, they didn’t know any better.

The upside of all this was, that I had a vivid imagination, and could be alone, with myself, very well from a young age. A fact that has helped me through life in my adulthood on more than one occasion as well!

But, still, something manifested in me. I wanted to show the world that I was worth the attention and love. And my way there was, I wanted to be famous! And how to achieve that? Well, here’s what I tried:

Music

During my adolescent years, and way into my twenties, I played in several bands, some with moderate success, and some with no success at all. But I kept trying. I played several gigs a year all over Europe, and we had a blast doing so. But it was at times also strenuous, and draining. Being in a band is give and take, and with my self-pertained individualistic view on life, that wasn’t always easy.

Photography

So I decided to quit my music career and pick up a camera again. I mean, that’s something you can do on your own, right? It was perfect for me. Being all by myself, and shooting, doing whatever I want. But, there’s a catch!

I soon found out that there were many cool people that have the same individualist hobby as me. Really cool people. I wouldn’t need to meet with people if I didn’t want to, but on most occasions, I decided to do so. It was an individualist bubble kind of thing. People I could relate to, who could relate to me, heck, some of my best friends came from my individualist hobby. So in a way, photography became a big part of my life, and of the people around me. Talk about significance!

So what does this have to do with taking significant photos like Bresson, Newton, McCullin, and the like? Well, the “struggle” for fame was still there. For a while. Now, I see things differently.

Real Significance

Last year, I had the pleasure of shooting some people photography. Portraits. Family portraits. Not exactly what you’d think an aspiring art/street/documentary photographer would like to do. Still, I did it. And I found that I can make people happy. With photos of themselves and their families, loved ones, or even cars. 

In the last year, my photos have been put up on walls, where families see them every day, one of my photos made it onto a wedding invitation, and one even onto an obituary card. The latter is of course a sad story, but my photo being used in such a way, as a memory, is really an honor for me, just as all the other occasions.

So, have I reached fame? Fortune? No, I haven’t. But I made photos that are significant memories for people who want them. Which is fine by me. Boy have I matured.

P.S.: I started this article with the intention of writing a bit more about Ansel Adams’ Quote “Twelve significant photos in any one year is a good crop”, which I’ve mentioned before in some articles. This one turned out differently again. My thankful heart for how my life has turned made me do it. Sorry, not sorry.