There’s Nothing New Under the Strobe

This is a chapter from the book A Lesser Photographer.

The greatest revelations in photography every year are generally repeated revelations. They’re made every year in countless books and blogs.

There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s necessary.

Discovery is a problem.

It’s a problem in music, since unlimited access to unlimited music means TV and radio don’t have the influence they once had to tell us who to follow.

It’s a problem in news, since the three networks are now millions, and they all have a hard time agreeing on the facts, let alone an agenda.

The problem of discovery is a problem of recovery, as well.

Our notebooks are now infinite. We can collect everything, so we spend precious little time reviewing anything.

Photography truths have remained unchanged for a hundred years, but that doesn’t mean any of us can recall them at a moment’s notice or apply them to our current projects.

I’m grateful for those who spend the time to remix information and serve it to us in new ways. It’s helpful. But I’m aware there’s nothing new there.

Collecting information is easy. Reviewing and applying information is hard.