Your Photographs Don’t Need to be Spectacular
Dan Ginn
I often see photographs described as "spectacular," "otherworldly," or "captivating" – words that suggest the image has transported us somewhere beyond our everyday experience. And while there's nothing wrong with these descriptors, I've started to wonder if we've created a one dimensional standard for ourselves and our work.
The truth is, spectacular images aren't always the gold standard of photography. In fact, everyday images – ones that might seem somewhat mundane in comparison to those otherworldly photographs – still have meaning, still have power, and can still grip a viewer in profound ways.
Take Vivian Maier, for example. Her street photography wasn't discovered until after her death, when two men purchased her negatives at an auction. What makes her work so compelling isn't that it shows us impossible vistas or technically perfect compositions…
Rather, it's her honest documentation of ordinary life in mid-century America – reflections in store windows, children playing on sidewalks, workers heading home after a long day. There's a quiet dignity in her work that speaks volumes without shouting.
Or consider Robert Frank's seminal work "The Americans." When first published, many critics panned it for being too gritty, too ordinary, too unpolished. Yet today, it's considered one of the most influential photography books ever created. Frank wasn't chasing spectacular; he was chasing truth in the everyday moments most people overlooked.
This isn't to diminish the work of photographers who capture those jaw-dropping moments. When I see Brian Minear's incredible landscapes, or Jovana Rikalo's conceptual creations, I'm truly moved by their mastery and vision.
Bryan Minear.
But here's something worth considering: if everything was spectacular, the spectacular would not exist…
We need simplicity and the mundane as much as we need the otherworldly. Both ends of this spectrum have immense value. The quiet photo of your grandmother's hands tells a story just as powerful as the most dramatic sunset over Monument Valley – just a different one.
I speak with many photographers who feel discouraged because they can't seem to reach the standards they think they should be held to. They scroll through Instagram seeing one breathtaking image after another, and their own work feels inadequate in comparison.
But photography isn't a competitive sport. It's a form of expression, a way of seeing, a method of connecting with the world around us. Your unique perspective matters precisely because it is yours – not because it looks like someone else's definition of spectacular.
Dan Ginn
Of course, there's nothing wrong with setting goals and pushing yourself creatively. Aspiring to create work that moves people or captures something extraordinary is admirable.
But everything short of that isn't failure. Making images is the best thing to do, regardless of the outcome. I believe the act itself connects you to the world in ways nothing else can.
So the next time you pick up your camera, release yourself from the burden of having to create something out of the ordinary or never seen before.
Instead, focus on creating something honest. Something that reflects what you see, how you feel, what moves you.
I'm reminded of something a mentor once told me: "make photos how you see the world, not photos of a world you think others want to see…”
The resulting photographs may not break the internet – but they might just break open something meaningful within yourself or someone who views them.
And ultimately, isn't that what photography is really about?
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