“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi
I like this quote from Vince Lombardi. Its pertains to a lot more than football, it can be applied to the current election, to life in general and certainly to photography.
Too many photographers have the wrong idea about perfection in their work. Perfection is not about standing in front of a boring subject and getting a perfect focus and perfect exposure.
Perfection is art is bring forth your personal vision. Capturing the essence of what you wanted to communicate to your audience. Like in the birding world, its not about having the longest life list of birds, its about enjoying the pursuit, being outside and being alive.
Real photography as an artistic medium isn’t collecting a closet full of gear and walking around with the newest, most sought after camera body or showing off the longest lens. Its about collecting images the show how you see the world. Your individual unique perspective on life.
Perfection
My artwork of the old football with the Vince Lombardi quote is very popular on Fine Art America, probably with football fans. That’s my father’s football from his high school days. He was one of the captains of the Middletown, CT football time back in 1950s.
He was a short guy and not the biggest kids on the team yet he was selected as captain. To me that is the pursue of perfection. Not the perfect specimen of an athlete, not perfection in stats and measurements but perfection where it counts as someone who can be a leader.
In photography the best camera is the camera you have with you. You might not have the biggest sensor, the sharpest lens, the latest camera body, but none of that matters in your pursuit of your idea of perfection. Your goal should not be to own perfect equipment or achieve perfect exposure but to capture that perfect smile on your daughter’s face or to capture the essence of a place that resonates with everyone who has been there.
Now go out and capture some excellence!
“A photographer’s work is given shape and style by his personal vision. It is not simply technique, but the way he looks at life and the world around him.” – Pete Turner