creative – Page 5 – Journeys of a Hybrid

October 13, 2010October 13, 2010

The Thin Line Between Work and Pleasure

I’ve always been lucky because there’s a very thin line between my work and my personal life. That’s because I’ve never looked at what I do for a living as work, or at least if one defines work in negative terms.

I became a photographer and later a filmmaker because I’m a born storyteller and the camera is a means to that end for me. I come from a long line of storytellers, as evidenced by boxes of old letters telling the tales of family long gone. While they may have told their tales by pen, through their words, I have chosen the camera as my tool to tell the stories that I have to tell. So how could I possibly equate the word work with the professional life that I’ve built – telling the stories of people and companies around the world? It’s in my blood.

Sure, there have been jobs through the years that seem a lot more like work than others, especially when a client hasn’t trusted their instincts in why they hired me by allowing me to trust mine. But there have been so many other jobs where I’ve had to pinch myself to believe that they’re real.

I’m also a firm believer in following my instincts and that has led to many rewarding opportunities in my life. I’ve been doing that a lot lately and the universe is opening up for me. I’ve stopped waiting for someone else to validate me in order for me to pursue a project that I’m passionate about. I’ve stopped telling myself all the reasons that I shouldn’t do something and I’ve replaced them with all the reasons that I should. I think about the pros and don’t dwell on the cons. And that’s because I’ve blurred the lines between work and pleasure.

I’ve just completed a 99-day journey shooting a documentary on change makers – people who were making a positive difference in the world. Over the weekend I got an email, inviting me to show my ten-minute tease at the opening of the European Summit For Global Transformation in Amsterdam, this weekend. I immediately started to discount it, telling myself that I didn’t have enough notice etc. etc. Then I saw it differently – I saw it as an incredible opportunity to not only show the tease of my film but to network with like minded people. So, this evening I’m headed to Amsterdam.

Years ago when I was traveling a lot, shooting for magazines like Travel & Leisure and National Geographic Traveler, as I departed for my trips, my mother always used to say – “have a nice vacation”. I used to get annoyed because I thought that she didn’t recognize the fact that I was working and not going on vacation. But, as I reflect back on the “work dynamic” that I’ve set up for myself, I think – maybe she was the one that had it right. It’s been one long pleasure trip.

October 4, 2010

Re-Charging and Seeing

A friend reminded me recently that I needed to take some time for myself and “recharge my batteries”. This past month has sailed by – I’ve been out of town 25 % of the time and the rest of the time, deeply focused on editing my documentary. I needed a break from technology, airports and work. So I took his advice and with my husband, headed down to the NJ Shore for a weekend getaway.

A friend of ours had invited us to her beach house in Ocean Grove, NJ, a shore town where time seems to have stood still – especially in the month of October. Ocean Grove is an old bible town just down the boardwalk from Asbury Park, the town where Springsteen had gotten his start at the Stone Pony decades ago.

Asbury Park is a town that’s slowly coming back from a state of decay and dilapidation over the last 40 years and vastly different from its religious neighbor to the south.

It was typical October weather – sunny and brilliant one moment –

then changing to moody and melancholy, the next. Sunday, I woke up early, got my bike and headed to the boardwalk for a ride. I didn’t have a camera with me because I thought that I needed a break from technology. But as I rode down the boardwalk – I started “seeing”. I was observing everything – noticing the mundane – the ordinary

– the old and the new – not the exotic that I had become accustomed to on my recent 99-day journey around the world.

I immediately thought back to when my husband and I had just moved back to the East Coast after living in Santa Barbara, CA. Our first summer back on the East Coast, we headed “down the shore” every weekend, taking our cameras and our bikes, going to different parts of the shore each time. We’d hop on our bikes and just ride the boardwalks – shooting and documenting things and people that we observed. It was a wonderful summer –biking, shooting and at night, sometimes getting a room at a rooming house if we felt like splurging, or most times, sleeping in our van, awakening the next morning to explore again.

As I bicycled down the boardwalk this weekend, I realized that I had a camera in my Blackberry, which I rarely used.

I pulled it out and started taking photos of my observations – just like I had done so many years earlier – and I was having the time of my life doing it. I was “seeing” and documenting what I saw- no preconceived notions or plans – just letting serendipity happen. Ironically, because of technology and the fact that my cell phone can capture images – I had simplified the process and gotten down to the basics of just “seeing”.

My batteries are sufficiently recharged with fresh air, solid sleep and getting back to the basics. Perhaps, this weekend has even triggered a new project idea – or at least has planted the seed. We’ll see.

August 23, 2010

Behind the Scenes DVD – or Not?

In a little more than a week, my 99-day journey trekking around the world with my daughter shooting a documentary, Opening Our Eyes will be over. Or will it? My work is really just beginning as I contemplate all we’ve done, people we’ve met and interviewed and how I will put this all together in an edited, finished film.

There are hundreds of ways I can edit this documentary and quite honestly, beginning the process and deciding the direction is always the most difficult. But there will be a moment when the light bulb goes off and the vision will be clear as to how to make sense of it all. Then it becomes easy as the story unfolds – as it should from my heart. It’s the story that can only be told by me and this case, me and my daughter.

My daughter and others have urged me to do a behind-the-scenes DVD

Gail Mooney showing kids her video shot at Kopila Valley Childre — Gail at the Kopila Valley Primary School, Surkhet, Nepal

– she tells me “that’s what people want”, to know more about the making of the film – more about the people behind the film. As much as I agree with her and understand this interest on the part of the viewer, there is also a resistance to make myself part of the documentary. With that said, a separate “behind-the-scenes” chapter could be the solution – to provide more information, without inserting the two of us into the film itself.

One thought does keep popping into my head that motivates me to provide a commentary on the why’s and how’s of this journey and the making of this film. Too many times when I’ve visited museums, I’ve been taken aback by some of the things that I over hear docents talking about in relation to the paintings. They analyze and interpret what the artist meant by his choice of color, brush stroke and placement of objects within the art and how that related to what was going on in his life at that point in time. I often wonder how they know that or even how can they be so sure? Is it documented or is it really just someone’s interpretation that has become fact over the years?

My daughter and I do plan to sit down this week and attempt to do on-camera interviews – while we are still in the moment and before we get back to our normal lives. Here’s where we need your help – tell us what you want to know. Maybe you’re curious about how we survived the dynamic of a mother/daughter team for three plus months. Maybe you want to know why we did this – or how we funded it. Or maybe the questions are even more basic – what did we like? – what was difficult?– any surprises? etc. etc. Perhaps you want to know more about the craft of shooting the doc– and how I went about that. And maybe you don’t really want to know anything at all and just want to know about the subjects of our film.

But please tell me what you’re curious about – as far as the behind-the-scenes making of this film. All questions are welcome – from the seemingly obvious to the more provocative.

August 18, 2010August 18, 2010

What Makes a Successful Photographer?

I woke up this morning before dawn, not able to sleep anymore and my mind spinning with random thoughts about where I’ve been and where I’m going. I’m in Iquitos, Peru right now, the last major outpost before the real jungle begins along the Amazon River.

Gail_MG_1137 — Gail on the Amazon River, Peru

I had just spent a week visiting the jungle villages along the river as part of my documentary, Opening Our Eyes.

As I lay in bed, I thought about a recent conversation I had with someone about what it means to be a success. This person had made a comment to me that I must be a very successful photographer. This is not the first time that someone has made that remark and it always takes me by surprise and makes me think about the meaning of that word “success”.

I think that in this lukewarm economy and with the incredible changes that have affected the profession of photography (and print), I would have to say that a successful photographer is one who doesn’t need another job to support themselves. That they are able to make a living shooting photographs (or video).
But how does one achieve that, if that defines success?

Personally, I think that with any creative and competitive field, you have to be passionate about it and have the desire to pursue it no matter what. In other words you have to want to pick up a camera and take photographs without someone paying you or “validating” you in some way to do it. If you think about it from a buyer’s standpoint – why would they want to hire someone who isn’t passionate about it? So shoot and shoot for yourself – always have a personal project you’re doing.

So the question – how do you find the passion or keep it begs to be asked. There isn’t one answer to this question because it’s different for each of us but for me I need to be involved with other things besides photography to keep my interest in photography alive. I need to get beyond the science of photography and even the art. I’m interested in music, cooking, sewing, film, looking at impressionist paintings, taking walks in the woods and even people watching in New York City. I do all of these things and more to recharge myself and keep my passion alive for what I’m doing.

Photography is a visual means of communication. If you don’t have anything to say because you’ve just consumed yourself with the technical aspects of photography, then how will you be able to deliver a visual message – whether it be for a magazine or an annual report or even an advertisement.

Lastly, photography is something that you have to “do” to get better at it. You can’t just read about it in a book – you have to shoot – practice – perform. That is why shooting for yourself is imperative. If it’s been two months since you’ve picked up a camera and you head out to shoot a job – you do a disservice to your client. I don’t care how long you’ve been in business.

Here is how others have defined success:

“Successful people are simply those with successful habits”
Brian Tracy

“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones”
Benjamin Franklin

“Practice means to perform over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”
Martha Graham

So, am I a successful photographer? Perhaps – but there are photographers way more successful than me. But I am determined and I definitely have the desire and there is always something that I still want to achieve.

July 26, 2010July 25, 2010

True Convergence With the DSLR Cameras

I read today that mega publishing company Conde Nast “names a new president as company seeks new business model”. http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=145071

“The historical priorities that have served our company so well — great content, best-in-class magazines, key client relationships – remain the cornerstone of what we do, but we need to move beyond the magazine,” said Mr. Townsend, who remains CEO, in the statement.”

Wow – so one of the biggest publishing companies is realizing that electronic delivery and the internet isn’t an afterthought or an add on to their print pubs. That would have been unheard of just 2 years ago, but with the proliferation of mobile devices, including the iphone, ipad and other “i” devices, we really are seeing a shift in the way we communicate.

Photographers should definitely take notice of this and understand that they need to think differently themselves. Imagery and workflow that worked in the print world just isn’t going to fly in the world of “i” devices. You need to think and see differently when creating for electronic devices that are capable of showcasing still images, video and sound. And it’s no longer sufficient to just regurgitate still imagery for the web or pick up a hybrid camera and switch into live mode and shoot video that will adequately convey a message in motion. It goes beyond the tool – it’s thinking, seeing and anticipating in motion. After 11 years of shooting motion and over 30 years of shooting still images, my mind seamlessly makes the switch a hundred times a day between thinking and seeing in “moments in time” or “time in motion”. It’s a bit analogous to being fluent in a foreign language when you find yourself thinking in the language rather than needing to do the translations anymore in your head.

Many still shooters who are just beginning to shoot video are so consumed with the technical aspects of the tool, they forget that they need to think and shoot differently when shooting video. I see a lot of people moving the camera, rather than letting movement take place in front of the camera. And I see a lot of independent clips shot and then put together in a video timeline, but with no connection to one another or unity in a sequence. Basically, a slide show of video clips – but not a story sequence.

It takes time to get to the point where you think in motion, especially if you’ve been a still shooter for many years. My instincts are now that I know when to pick up the right tool – a video camera or a still camera, rather than choose the tool without meaning to the subject that I will be shooting. I choose the tool that will best communicate the message.

The best advice I can give to still shooters who want to move into video is for them to stop compartmentalizing the two mediums. Don’t define yourself as a videographer or a still shooter that does sports or weddings or commercial work. As print gives way to electronic delivery, our clients need to communicate in a different way and we need to be creative in delivering their message and choose the best tool that will do that. If we can think like that then there is true convergence – not only with our tools but the way we think.

It’s no wonder that publishing houses are hiring shooters with skills entrenched in both mediums. They need creative’s who think differently – not just in moments in time or time in motion, but a true blend that only a hybrid shooter can deliver. That’s my best advice that I can offer to people just starting out as photographers or videographers – don’t separate the two – become a hybrid and learn to communicate creatively with the right tool at the right time.

July 23, 2010

Living in the Now

The last couple days have been eye opening as well as reminders as to why I have embarked on this project www.openingoureyes.net. Maybe I needed a reminder at this point in my life that you only go around once and to make the most of it. And after spending a couple days with Ronni Kahn, CEO of Oz Harvest, I got that reminder and it affirmed in my mind why I took a risk, took on a personal project and took off for 3 months on a journey with my daughter around the world.

But Ronni reminded me how important it is that you really only have the “now” in your life because you don’t know what tomorrow may bring. I remember when I first embraced the notion of living in the “now”. I was 19 years old and hitchhiking around the world. I remember a consistent remark from people who stopped to pick me up and bring me a bit further along on my journey. Many of them said, “I wish I had done what you’re doing when I was your age”. I never lost sight of that and have always lived my life with the thought that if I don’t do “it“ now, I may never get the chance again.

No one really knows what tomorrow will bring – that’s the mystery of life. The best-laid plans are never givens and the surprises and unexpected moments are many times the most rewarding.

Tonight, I had a simple yet memorable dinner with my 23-year-old daughter Erin. As we ate our pizza and had a lovely, inexpensive bottle of wine – we took notice that here we were in Sydney, Australia, overlooking the Sydney Opera House and it all seemed so surreal. But it was real, it a moment in time that we made happen, that we didn’t postpone until the “perfect” time in the future and a time that we will always have and always remember. We were living in the “now” moment.

July 16, 2010July 15, 2010

I Don’t Believe in Re-Inventing Myself

I hear an awful lot of people these days saying they are re-inventing themselves. I always take pause when I hear that because I think to myself that I don’t want to re-invent myself.

Gail Mooney in northern hill tribe town, Thailand — Gail in bamboo hut in hill tribe village, northern Thailand

I like who I am and what I do – so why change it? It doesn’t really matter to me if I’m in vogue or doing what everyone else is. What matters is that I’m true to myself.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not stuck in the 1970’s and wishing for the good old days. It’s just that I’ve always kind of done what moves me – what I just have to do. So in that sense I suppose one would say that I re-invent myself on a daily basis. But in fact I’ve always lived my life and pursued my career based on what that little voice or “inner self” is telling me to do.

Has that inner voice always been right? Many times when things don’t have the kind of outcome that I expected, I’d probably say that my inner voice led me astray. But in fact, the outcome was what it was meant to be – even though it wasn’t what I wanted. Things happen for a reason and things happen when they are meant to happen.

There have been times when I’m in such a hurry – in pursuit of my dream – that I don’t stop and realize that my dream is happening right then and there. On those days when I feel that I’m just a day away from where I want to be – I try to remind myself that maybe I’m already there.

In my 99-day journey around the world, I try to remind myself on a daily basis – not to look ahead to my next destination but to relish the one I’m in. A powerful thought and an even more powerful action.

So as I continue on following what that inner voice is telling me, I realize this is what I’m meant to do and this is the time that I’m meant to do it. I believe that and know that this is all happening for a reason. This is my path and where it will lead, I’m not certain. But I’ll follow along with faith and good judgment and never feel forced to re-invent myself.

July 7, 2010July 6, 2010

Beyond the HDSLR and the G4 iPhone

Everyone these days seem obsessed with the tools. The blogosphere is full of tech talk but few mention the art of storytelling. Without that, we are left with technique with no apparent message – or one that is weak at best.

When I think about it, the videos and photographs

KopilaValley-5904 copy — School girl in Surkhet, Nepal

that really resonate with me and stay with me for any length of time are not examples of shifting depth of field or low light marvel, but rather pieces that have touched me because of the story that they tell.

The story that we have to tell is also one facet of video making where we can stand out as being truly unique. Our stories are our songs where we reveal a part of ourselves. If our films are solely portfolios of technique and examples of what our tools can achieve, then we do not separate ourselves from our competition. We can all buy the same gear, gadgets and gizmos and with that run the risk of being button pushers.

I suggest that we all work backwards. That we define the message that we want to communicate and then choose the right tool that will appropriately fill that need. In order to do that, we need to step back and experience life itself. See what the world has to offer, discover our passions and have something worth talking about before we even begin to pick up a camera – whatever camera that may be.

June 10, 2010

Having Fun with the GoPro Hero Helmet Cam

One of the great gadgets I saw at NAB this year was the HD Hero camera from GoPro. It’s intended to be an adventure sports camera that can be mounted on anything from a surfboard to a helmet to the side of a vehicle but we’ve been having fun with it on our Opening Our Eyes journey going through markets and bazaars.

We had a fabulous day in Istanbul today before heading to our next subject in Warsaw, Poland. After seeing some of the great landmarks in the city, we spent a couple of hours walking through the Grand Bazaar wearing this amazing little camera strapped to our head. Depending on how fluid your stride is, you can get some stunning hi res imagery that gives a viewer the feeling that they are having the experience themselves.

You cannot preview the image you’ll get as there is no eyepiece, but the lens is a wide angle lens with auto exposure and auto focus so shooting blind isn’t such a crap shoot. You have to do a bit of testing to determine how it reacts to various light conditions but the exposure compensates nicely as the lighting situation changes and it’s pretty much right on target. The audio is also pretty good quality, at least for any b-roll shooting.

For the price and the ease of use, the imagery this camera shoots is spectacular and it’s a lot of fun shooting in situations where you might not be able to use a larger camera. I’m suitably impressed and I haven’t even really tested all the capabilities.

We had a lot of fun today with it in the Grand Bazaar and got a lot of funny looks and comments. Check out our walk through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and see for yourself.

June 9, 2010

Back to My Beginnings

I became a visual artist , not as a photographer, not as a filmmaker, but as a storyteller using images and later video to tell the tales of other cultures, lands and people through my eyes and my journeys. My camera was my tool – it was a means to an end. The end being the story that needed to be told.

I’ve spent the last 30 some years documenting the world through my lens, whether it be for magazines like the National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian or Travel & Leisure or for major corporations. I’ve been blessed and have truly lived a charmed life. But there have been times when I’ve started to go off kilter – or stray from the essence of my being. It’s easy to do, especially in a culture that is obsessed with the drive to succeed – the definition of success being to make a lot of money and have a lot of “things”. Don’t get me wrong – I also enjoy the rewards that money brings – but for me that means having the resources that help me to live a full life.

A few years back I was shooting a documentary on the Delta Blues Musicians and I spent a memorable afternoon with blues drummer Sam Carr. As we were winding up our conversation under the shade of old tree he sat back and said “I’ve lived a rich man’s life in a poor man’s shoes”. That comment has stayed with me over time and when Sam died last year, I was told that his family was grateful for the interview that I captured that day and used his comment as his epitaph. I was humbled and honored, but mostly felt richly rewarded that my personal project had touched the lives of others.

As we wind up our first stop in Africa on our round-the-world trip, some of the fears and trepidations I had that came with taking a risk, and heading out to the unknown for 3 months, have vanished. In their place is the calming realization that this was what I needed to do at this point in my life and I was grateful I had the means to do it and the stamina to travel on a shoestring budget. Africa puts things into perspective – this vast continent is so wild, colorful, rich, poor, exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. Africa has taken its hold on me and has sparked my true spirit.

My daughter and I decided to take some time to get out of the city and go to Murchison Falls National Park, after shooting the first part of our documentary about people making a positive difference in the world. We saw

Murchison-1772 copy — Elephants along the Nile

elephants, hippos,

giraffes,

Murchison-1311 copy — Giraffe, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda

antelope, cape buffalo, baboons,

Murchison-1607 copy — Baboon, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda

slept in a tent and sat by a fire in the evenings under a canopy of stars that stretched from horizon to horizon. We chatted with people from countries all over the globe – all of us different yet with a common cause – the love of the journey.

Of course I shot still photos

Murchison-1161 copy — Cape Buffalo, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda

as well as some VIDEO but more importantly I absorbed this rich experience and it energized my spirit and my soul. This is the “fire” that I need every now and then. I think we all need a spark every once in awhile and to get past the science of the photographic craft and back to the essence of the art and the story. That is what ultimately leads us to create the kind of visuals that will resonate with others. That spark is different for all of us but nevertheless an essential ingredient for the creative process. It’s not the tools, nor the techniques that define the message or create the images that strike a lasting chord with those who see them. I was fortunate that I learned that years ago and now I’m reminded of those lessons as I get back to my beginnings.

We leave Africa today and continue our journey – next stop Istanbul, Turkey and then on to Poland where our next subject awaits.

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