Creativity: Turn 180 degrees
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“In response to people who say, well you can’t go back – What happens when you get to the cliff and you take one step forward, or you do a 180 degree turn and take one step forward? Which way are you going? Which is progress?”
– Doug Tompkins, founder of The North Face[/infobox] 
This is not a review of the movie 180º South that recently popped up on my Netflix recommendation list. I'm a sucker for these kind of surfer/travel movies so did enjoy it from that perspective. The movie was light on the conservation aspect which it could have easily spent more time pushing. There is a lot to be said about simplifying modern society, to not take the big step "forward" but rather come up with a balance between consumption and conservation. By not making a big deal about "selling" the conservation agenda it let my mind wander and think of how it's ideas could be applied to my passion, photography. The following are definitely stream of consciousness ideas that my mind put together while watching, and I thought that was the real beauty of this particular movie. Taken literally, turn 180º can be great advice when out photographing. The first thing I look for when out and about is that little something that catches my eye. That something can vary from an interesting shadow to a great piece of machinery. I know I want to photograph it, but the next step is to come up with something that will be appealing in a 2D photograph, not a 3D experience. I like to do a 180 and look around and see if what first caught my eye is actually the most effective view for the image I imagine. Sometimes it even works to setup the camera and look through the viewfinder while panning the camera. I am often surprised at interesting juxtapositions that I hadn't noticed at first. I remember one photographer (whose name escapes me at the moment) who photographed the back of famous icons, genius! I even had one occasion where a group of photographers were focused on a sunset while a bear meandered behind them, no doubt wondering why all the humans weren't interested in photographing HIM! Taking it a step farther, doing the opposite of what other photographers are doing will definitely lead you to unique images. If everyone is shooting when the weather is good, shoot when it's bad. If everyone is shooting the bridge at Zion, get off the beaten track and hike some of the lesser used trails. I'm particularly interested lately in exploring areas outside of the national parks, and have been rewarded with some great adventures and images. Moving forward by doing a 180 degree turn is very applicable to my thinking about photographic technology. While digital photography is likely a great step forward for the majority of people who want to take a photograph, for my art making it is a huge step backward. The way forward, for me, is to do a 180 and explore the past, not in a nostalgic way, but to inspire me to move forward. I have been experimenting with making my own film and cameras. Getting closer to my materials is another way to express myself, a story is built around the photograph. I'm not afraid to admire and pursue the "craft" of photography, which in and of itself is opposite of the modernist view of photographs as "concepts".