Hornecker for Sheriff. Home On the Range (Jeffrey City), Wyoming, 2014
Yes, this is related to the idea of “critique”. In today’s case, sort of a personal, introspective critique…
At one time or other, we all wonder where we might be on that long, seemingly endless spectrum that is OUR ARTISTIC PROGRESS (yep, it likely is endless!). Are we getting any closer to realizing the art we really want to make? Just exactly where are we on this creative journey?
I just ran into an interesting article on the Luminous Landscape website (LuLa, as some say) by the noted landscape photographer, Alain Briot, that might give us all some needed personal perspective. The article, Critiquing Photographs, is worth the read just for that specific topic, but what nabbed my eye was Briot’s diagram which he calls The Alain Briot Photographic Skills Pyramid (scroll down to paragraph 18 on that previous link). If you recall Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from your college sociology and psychology classes, then you have an idea of the Khufu-like format.
[If you want to follow along, you’ll have to open a separate window to the LuLa link cited above. For copyright reasons, I don’t want to post Briot’s actual diagram here.]
I find that I actually move up and down Briot’s Pyramid, depending on the subject matter I am working on and where my head might be on any particular day. For example, if I am trying to do a portrait of a friend–just a headshot–in a jury-rigged studio in my home, I will definitely find myself on the first two steps of the climb–those pertaining to using equipment properly and developing basic technical skills. This is because such photography is out of my comfort zone.
On the other hand, if I am working on my 14er landscapes, my monochrome nature abstracts, my rural Americana portfolio, or my Barcelona street photography, I may find myself somewhere in-between the middle and top steps of the pyramid–that is, designing and completing projects and creating a unique body of work.
Ideally, within a few more years, I will have focused in even more sharply on specific genres and a defining personal style, and the bulk of my effort will go into individual projects that reflect more completely my unique vision.
So, take a look at Briot’s Hierarchy. Where are you on the steps of the pyramid? Have you progressed? Where is it you want to go? The view from the top might be quite rewarding!
[Alain Briot is a fine art landscape photographer, and teacher currently living in Arizona with his wife, Natalie. Both Natalie and Alain offer seminars, print reviews, and personalized instruction. You can visit his website at Beautiful-Landscape.com.]
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