More thoughts on photographic creativity...

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's funny... When I wrote last part of the trilogy regarding creativity
and determination I had not read the last digest with John Ohrt's comments
about "Bob":

>But when the "Bobs" of this world give me guidelines on composition and I
>acquire more experience, I expect the quality of my work to improve
>dramatically.  And that is what I am looking for!

I know in the past I had a few arguments with John Ohrt but this time I
completely agree with what he says and I tried to make similar points from
a different perspective (the one of the engineer/scientist who has tried
some "artistic" 3D photography)

I am not sure if my ideas about creativity were well understood... In
short, I believe "creativity" is something that can be taught or improved
with practice (just like John says).  Maybe instead of creativity I should
have said "sensitivity to certain photographic qualities".  I am sure John
can acquire this sensitivity fairly quickly *if he cares to*.

"Creativity" is important but without technical support the result can fall
short.  I mentioned how impressed I was with Dennis' "Sign here Mr.
Hancock" tabletop.  A great part of the success was due to the lighting,
exposure and other technical aspects.  Others can have the same idea but
fail to execute it well.  That's where "hard work" comes in.

In the same competition there was another creative idea.  Someone had a
picture of some animals (pigs?) with their behinds towards the camera and a
title (in one of the two chips in the picture) something like "Congress in
Session" (sorry, I forget the exact details).  We all had a good laugh, but
the animals were far away, the picture was a bit overexposed and the title
in only one chip was causing retinal rivalry.   (The fact that I don't
remember the details speaks regarding the visual impact the picture had on
me.)  Clearly, the idea (disrespect for the US government - popular these
days) was expressed rather humorously and creatively, but the judges
"killed" the picture in the absence of technical merit.  

Creativity alone, just won't get you there.  Plain and simple, IMO. 
Technical qualities alone are not enough.  Both "creativity" and technical
competence can be learned and improved and the combination could get you
somewhere with the right amount of determination.

That sums it up for me.

George Themelis, 

semi-creative photographer who works as a scientist/engineer  

(or is it the other way around? :-)

PS.  I have proof that "Bob"'s friend, Mark, is both creative and
technically competent.  I am glad to have him a member of our club -
that is the CLEVELAND club - (he drives from Pittsburgh to attend
our meetings - that speaks for his determination)  I look forward 
to seeing - and judging! - his excellent work.


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