Seems to be a slower time of year for me at the moment, not that my photography ever really takes a break it is a vital part of my everyday life but there are times that the flow seems to move much slower than other times. I always feel the need to be producing or creating, it’s the constant burning embers that keeps the kettle warm.

I haven’t produce much in the way of new work over the last few weeks but this has given me time to think about the things I do want to produce. Types of images and offerings that could be relevant to not only myself but to others as well. Our world is full of information that I don’t want to simply add to the confusion but be specific in a message or process that has at least some value beyond the typical “here’s whats going on today” thing. My last post was the wallpaper offering that I hope many of you have gotten a chance to enjoy. I enjoy being able to make these available to everyone, which leads me to the point of value.

Photography has always been that “thing” that adds value to my life, whether out in nature creating new work or back in the office going over what I have captured. It has become increasingly obvious that one must have their “thing” that adds that value to their life, an intimate closeness with the inner desire that puts a smile on ones face and cuts through the confusion of everyday life. A time to relax and let it all in type of thing. I hope we all can increasingly take time to do just that.

I have contemplated a few new types of work the last couple of weeks, one if not a couple focusing on the lands close to my home, the Flint Hills. It is in these places I feel the closes to nature. I have also noticed looking over my images of the last few years from the Flint Hills that there seems to something missing or not apparent enough. I feel I haven’t been able to convey the experience of being there when photographing them. It’s nothing that I can specifically put into words but more of an emotion that I experience but don’t seem to see when I view my images. Yeah this may be a somewhat psycho semantic observation on my behalf but a realistic on none the less. This is a struggle, one that has begun to build a new desire to take on. How will I do this? At the moment I don’t know but that doesn’t bother me and actually at the moment that doesn’t matter. I’ve shared before how I like to have a very open mind when going out to photograph nature. There may be specific places and items that I will look for but for the most part I want to allow nature to direct my vision. Having said that this new desire does have a direction, that direction can be summed up in the word intimate. Intimate imagery of big spaces. There are photos I have made of the vast prairies that begin to convey the emotions of being there, some are of simply that, the vast open lands and big distant views and I will continue to create such work when the time specifies such, but when looking at these I seem to always want more, not more scenery but more intimacy. It is within the big pictures that the intimacy resides each in it’s own way that contributes to the the big picture.

Could I be going down a road that is non achievable? Maybe, but what is the goal here, it’s not to end up at a stopping point but to learn along the way and enjoy the opportunities to not only succeeding but failing as well. Yes to enjoy being able to fail what a strange thing to say, who would  ever want failure as part of the process? Maybe I should put it this way, who has ever succeeded in an endeavor of meaningful consequence  and not had failures along the way. Is it not a vital part of the process?

Sorry for the longer stretch between posts, I’m going to work on that as well.

© Brad Mangas