I have come up with a new fun photo term, TESTOGRAPHER. A testographer is a person obsessed with the science and not the art of analog photography. They love to test and test and then test some more, never committing to anything or producing an important photographic body of work. They are simply happy playing with the science part of film photography.
When you hang a long time with photographers you realize some do not love the art of photography, you find that some are more into the gadgets (gadgographer?) and others are just fascinated by the science. The never ending playing with chemicals, papers, graphs, meters and films is what they enjoy most. They are not really photographers, so I came up with this new, somewhat cocky term, haha, testographers.
Another reason why many people cannot give up testing I think is because of an insecurity they feel about their photos. If they are continually testing they have a built in excuse. They can say stuff like "This is only a test, I am trying this or that or the other thing. The REALLY GOOD work comes later" Of course with the testographers later never arrives, and they can just use the test excuse over and over. In a way its kind of sad, it's a fear to put yourself on the line, a fear to let your photographs stand on their own merit. You always have a built in excuse, you always have that out. Because of this insecurity, this fear to commit to your work, you never really advance or grow as an artist. It is such a waste of potential. How many great photos were never made because the testographer was afraid to become a photographer?
For those of you out there new to photography or those that have been involved for years, try not to become a testographer. Find what works for you and commit to it, make no excuses, just make great photographs!! Be a photographer not a testographer!
When you hang a long time with photographers you realize some do not love the art of photography, you find that some are more into the gadgets (gadgographer?) and others are just fascinated by the science. The never ending playing with chemicals, papers, graphs, meters and films is what they enjoy most. They are not really photographers, so I came up with this new, somewhat cocky term, haha, testographers.
Another reason why many people cannot give up testing I think is because of an insecurity they feel about their photos. If they are continually testing they have a built in excuse. They can say stuff like "This is only a test, I am trying this or that or the other thing. The REALLY GOOD work comes later" Of course with the testographers later never arrives, and they can just use the test excuse over and over. In a way its kind of sad, it's a fear to put yourself on the line, a fear to let your photographs stand on their own merit. You always have a built in excuse, you always have that out. Because of this insecurity, this fear to commit to your work, you never really advance or grow as an artist. It is such a waste of potential. How many great photos were never made because the testographer was afraid to become a photographer?
For those of you out there new to photography or those that have been involved for years, try not to become a testographer. Find what works for you and commit to it, make no excuses, just make great photographs!! Be a photographer not a testographer!
