Create your first SweetClarity Publication

I have written to numerous photographers who are in the process of joining SweetClarity some suggestions about how to go about creating their first publication. I thought it might be useful to share it here on the blog and maybe give some additional background about it.

What I would like to suggest is a basic structure for an exercise - in improvisation (which is where most of my photography takes place) this is sometimes called a Score. A score is a simple collection of guides/rules. They really should be kept simple otherwise they create confusion and distraction. They are used as a mechanism to approach an unknown performance - or in this case an unknown SweetClarity publication. The first rule is that the score can be changed on the fly. The score is there as a support - you don’t need to adhere to it strictly. If you feel you don’t need it you can leave behind and maybe come back to it at a later time. I find that in improvisation a good score usually changes quickly - yet having one is a key that opens a magical door.

The following score is a suggestion on how to transform a collection of images into a SweetClarity publication:

1. Choosing a first image. I like to think that if you give it space - an images will choose you instead of you having to search for it. Simply hold the wish to create a publication with you until an image in your collection comes to mind.
2. Let the choice sink in. Spend some time with the first image - look at it. This can be anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 years. Trust your instincts. The image will speak to you. You may see it in a different way - it may touch you differently.
3. Scan for additional images. When the first image has spoken - scan your images lightly. Let additional images call to you. You may not understand where this is going or what is guiding your choice. But rest assured - something is at work. You may want to do this numerous times until you get a feeling that you have completed this part. This can also happen in anywhere between 2 minutes to 2 years. Trust your instincts.
4. View your new collection of images. If possible play the images as a slide-show. See what you see. You may feel that a story is unfolding before you - again you may not understand it - but you can feel it. You may then want to play around with the order of the images to support the emerging story.
5. Happy? Do you feel good with the selection you have created it? If you do - then you are ready to move to the technical part. This is detailed in our artists space (available to registered artists - to register contact us). If you are not happy set the collection aside, take a break (as long as you need) and start over.

Remember - this is just a sample exercise. You can use it, change it or create your own exercises (just remember to keep them simple). The idea is to create a ‘mechanical’ process from which you will depart. You can make specific rules such as ‘pick one image every day’, ’sit with the laptop on the porch’,'look at the 1st image once a day’… do whatever supports you and remember - you don’t need to stick to the rules - you probably won’t. If you made up a rule to ’select one image every day’ and on a given day find 4 images - that is not just OK - that is exactly the point. Listen to what comes. The score (rules) are there to help you free you and remind you to listen.

Keep it simple, be playful & enjoy yourself. If you find yourself blocked and lost - then you are probably trying to hard - stop. If it doesn’t seem to come together - play around with your score, move to another collection of images, do something arbitrary to change the score - see what happens. You will experience and learn more by staying in motion then being stubborn with some concept of how things should be.

If you have Adobe Lightroom installed I invite you to use it. It is very easy to create, modify & work with collections (there is actually an object in Lightroom called ‘collection’). It is also a comfortable tool for the additional technical preparations and final export of images.

If you’ve been playing around with this and have some insights, your ate invited to comment on this post and share your experience with us and other curious artists.