As a photographer, what’s the raw material that you work with?
For example:
A potter works with clay as their raw material.
A carpenter works with wood as their raw material.
A chef works with food as their raw material.
The question is: A photographer works with___?__ as their raw material.
Fill in the blank by leaving a reply below as your answer.
I’ll post a follow up shortly.
Light!
Perhaps a “subject” is a better answer, but I may be over thinking. 🙂
Your “subject” is light.
Light is right, Cassie!
light, absence of light and time
interesting question , thanks
You’re welcome, Darren.
vision/imagination
Hi Doug,
Thank you for your comment.
While vision/imagination are absolutely important, I don’t see this as being our “raw material”.
Just as a potter uses their vision/imagination to visualize the piece that they want to create, they use clay as their raw material to create a tangible piece of work.
Hi Sam,
I thought about this for a little bit. Light is clearly one of the most critical components in creating a photograph. And I can see your argument, as light it was my initial thought too.
But what I think that is different for us as photographers is that we use available/ambient light, we can create it w/ strobes, we can shape it, limit it, increase it.
So it is a raw material, but it also is a tool. As my photography skill and eye develop, how I see or imagine the scene becomes my raw material. I can shape the image based on these two components and I can either use light or not use light by removing light from a subject or scene. Granted- w/out any light we could not expose so I would concede this point. But is one’s vision that I believe is truly the raw material in the creation of a photograph.
Your latest photo of the subway w/ the escalator- I thought was quite good-
doug
Hi Doug,
Thank you for the conversation.
I appreciate your view.
I see a raw material as what we have in common as craftspeople.
I see our vision as what separates us.
Sam