flowers, jodi + spring oreos, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.
this may come off as a bit of a rant, but hear me out:
i am an editor. i edit by nature, but it’s also my job, both literally and figuratively. literally, in the sense that i actually edit photographic content for a small, stock photo agency in nyc; figuratively, in the sense that as a photographer, or an artist, or a musician, or even as a human being, it’s important that we all present to the world only the best and most pertinent material that we are capable of producing! i edit tightly (whenever possible). editing your own work can be difficult, but i can’t stress how important it is.
not everyone uses sites like flickr or facebook or myspace or twitter to post or link to “photography” or “art”, and that’s okay! not everyone produces creative work, and not everyone takes all of this nonsense as seriously as some of us do… but all too often i come across internet users who upload every single photo they’ve ever taken, straight from the camera. or maybe it’s every single song they’ve ever written and recorded. or maybe it’s every single thought they have in their head at the time.
in the words of vocalist/lyricist, Sean Nelson:
“some people will surprise you with a real depth of feeling / others still may shock you with all that they’re revealing / but one thing’s for sure: there’s always more information than you ask for”
he goes on to sing:
“some things are personal (at least they should be) / or is it too much to ask you just to maintain a little… radio silence.”
thanks, sean. i can’t imagine how people expect their friends, family and “fans” to dig through all the dirt to find the gold. i certainly wouldn’t want to, and i wouldn’t want others to do so when looking at or listening to my work.
that said, i don’t mean to say that all of my uploads consist of high art, great photography, or perfect songwriting, but i try really hard to put my best stuff out there, and keep everything else locked away. i write or post or tweet when i have something to say, and not just because i brushed my teeth.
with photography, i try to post only images that i think are worth a closer look. it’s rare that more than 10% of the shots i take see the light of day, and even then, i spend a good amount of time on each image, processing the files, correcting for color and exposure (as best i can), and retouching out nasty little bits and pieces that take away from the clarity of the subject of the image.
if an image is really good, but needs to be rotated 4 degrees to make it really great, i will take the time to make that happen.
consider this a prompt to everyone out there uploading artistic or creative content to the wondrous world wide web. take that extra step! take the extra five minutes to edit through and find the best of what you have. retouch out that piece of dust, or that thing in the corner that doesn’t add–but rather detracts–from an image! make it beautiful! make it count!
upload only that which is best, and let people have some breathing [and thinking] room between updates, and cool it with the nonsense!
i say all of this with love, and i welcome your comments, especially if you disagree with me. we’re here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
(above photos from jodi’s birthday. we visited the brooklyn botanic garden for the cherry blossom festival last weekend. more on that soon… but not too much more–only the best.)
