Guest Post from Glen Campbell putting up a new web site

A post from my friend Glenn Campbell in Darwin, Australia about selecting photos for his new web site. It really is a great one.

-SA

In putting together a portfolio for the first time in a long while, I have found myself  paying far too much attention to my own pictures of late, so much so that I am frankly, heartily sick and tired of the sight of them and every frame screams at me “You’re kidding aren’t you? Are you really going to put that old junk up? YOU HACK!”

 

Revisiting what could have been; if only I had just moved... waited for the light to change... got in a little closer...Woulda, coulda, shoulda...

I live in the remote far north of Australia, in Darwin and most of the folks that commission photography don’t, so the face to face relationships that can help form a peer group are few and far between. In having a major look back at the last decade (plus) of my life and work, the emotions run from acute shock and disappointment at a picture that I used to feel very positive about to the excitement of discovering a previously unrealised jewel as my own visual literacy matures.

But he who relies only on his own opinion keeps a fool’s counsel.

 The many photographers and editors I consulted came from all around the world - some were old friends, some new friends from blogs and forums, some were cold calls, some were very successful photographers, some just love pictures - some gave useful advice and some gave advice that was pretty hard to swallow; some just didn’t bother.

But after all that, the one thing that everyone who replied agrees on is...

“Oh Man! I just love that jumping dog shot...” Oh Gawd!  It was taken 13 years ago, it could have been so much better... It was taken when (with hindsight) I knew pretty much nothing about everything... there are so many reasons why THAT SHOT drives me crazy!  

It was taken in Urandangi ,  a town that no one’s heard of, of a bloke, Ray, who’s sadly passed away since, taken in a context that I have totally forgotten about (although I think it had something to do with security because he had three other mutts chained to 3 other cars...) around the old bus that he was living in for reasons that totally escape me now.

So, regardless of all I’ve done since and all I’ll do in the future, I’m the jumping dog guy , I’ll be carrying around “The levitating Blue Heeler from Urandangi” , publicly scoffing it , secretly enjoying it, quietly ruminating on its imperfections and wondering how good it could have been. Wanting so much to just leave it behind... Wanting even more to take a better one.

Love it – hate it; like it or lump it; stand for something or you’ll fall for anything, never look a gift horse in the mouth and a thousand and one other well played out clichés. But as with all clichés, there’s a reason why they are clichés... and hey, at the moment it’s my signature tune and isn’t it better to have one than not?

 

-Glen Campbell, Darwin

Comments

[shone city]

have any of yall fools slide through www.shonecity.com, yet?

[Glenn]

Ahh Uncle Dave ,
having annother look at the shot you will see that the dogs tongue is prominently displayed ....but is on the sunny side of the dogs face and the shadow is therefore hidden by the afore mentioned muzzle ...If that's what you call a dogs face!

[david alan harvey]

GLENN...

ok, i have a question...now, we see the dog's tongue quite prominently in the shot..where is the tongue in the shadow???

these are the kinds of questions i ask when it is late at night and i start concentrating on miscellanea instead of doing what i am supposed to be doing....

anyway, good on you mate..helluva shot!!!

and, oh yea, be really nice to my friend Stephen...he is a good good man....

cheers , david

[Glenn]

Thanks Carrie , I feel like doing just that ...... walking away and having a beer , then go out and get me some more of those jumping dogs.
Cheers

[Carrie Roseman]

We all battle our inner demons and beat ourselves up in trying to realize the perfection that exists in our heads. The coulda, woulda, shoulda monster encapsulates our fears and feeds the stirring self-doubt about our abilities to tell our story or someone else's story with our stamp on it. We catch the moments we catch for a reason. And to reflect upon one's experience is a great method to know how to do it better the next time, which, for me, simply means how to put a different twist or take on an image perhaps from a different angle, or maybe with a reflector, or whatever the difference may be. Once in awhile, though, I find that ya just got to grab a beer, walk away for a minute, and know that you're damn good. Let the pictures come as they may cuz you can't manipulate every situation that you are capturing. Bravo, Glenn Campbell. Don't let the familiarity breed discontent. I love this image. You caught the moment and the viewer's eye is taken completely around the picture. Good job, Jumping Dog Guy.