Most wannabe togs out there will claim they want to be published in Nat Geo. And who doesn’t? I developed a relationship with the Magazine when I was a little kid, around 5 or 6, my grandfather started a Collection that my dad kept on growing.
The pivoting point for me was when I asked “how does it exist?” “well, National Geographic magazine in DC where your grandmother lives and I worked as a secretary [my mother said) sends people to these amazing places to take pictures…” The Pictures were Only an extra… The ability to be there was what in a sense launched my imagination. Being a military brat the idea of moving from one country to another even for short periods of time seemed so logical to me that this profession was for my kind.
My mother gave me the first photography advice: “No Mater what your picture is about, look at the details, they affect the whole picture” so I took it to heart…
I played the “I shoot” game. I point and a shoot, no matter if there is film in the camera. I Could spend hrs looking through the lens and its glimpse of light each time I would push the trigger. Another two hrs framing and compensating the with a simple point and shoot camera my older brother got from his first communion. An Indiana Jones camera. Which in my childish mind was logical, and probably the camera I miss the most.
At around the age of 10 there was an opening in a photography club in my school, here I got my second advice that lead me to the same. Having my first SLR camera, a Russian Zenit 122, affordable usable. But with the worst buttons ever. My teacher told me to click away, loosen up the button and build up some muscle on mi right index finger to avoid shaking the image.
Two simple things to learn about the balance between technical aspects and transmitting the main idea in the most efficient way.
St Thomas Aquinas. Said; “Beauty is in Integrity” and integrity is something that has to be well developed. Build upon good foundations. This being the reason to invest in yourself.
Now in photography we need to understand that chance is part of the foundation. Life is circumstantial as is photography. And if you cant accept that, then your in for a tough ride.
The decisive moment was always a pain in the ass to over analyze. I kept on waiting for the best moment, but there is no such thing. Each time you pull the trigger is the decisive moment. There are reasons why you chose that moment, technically analytical and purely emotional instances. All this comes together to create an image that is part of who you are. A picture of pride or shame, social acceptance or rejections. This is what a tog needs to accept.
The last four years Iv dedicated myself to two simultaneous projects that will be finished and hopefully published before the year is over.
One is “perpetuidad” a book Ill present in the 7th International Mummy Congress, San Diego in June. Iv met fantastic people who dedicate their lives to the study of mummies. The remains of people who have been loved more than hated.
And the other project is a looser subject. Accepting the influence of sleep walking and night terrors has had on my esthetically vision, a collection of odd and uncomfortable characters have become a dictionary of fantastic creatures that have been documented in real life. Im most grateful for thoughts who know its not supposed to be a flattering image and still support my cause.
It’s not easy to work on uncomfortable projects in a society that expects you to warship the trendy or the flattering.
Michael James Wright
BA, Graphic Design, Universidad de Guanajuato Mexico
MBA, Production of Artistic Projects in Photography, Universidad Europea de Madrid
Links:
www.michaeljameswright.tumblr.com
www.michaeljameswright.com
forgot to say. Follow me on twitter @unbrokenfalls