A wise sage shared with me early in my career, "Let the limits inspire your creativity instead of hindering your freedom." He was speaking of an illness to which every photographer succumbs, gear acquisition syndrome. His advice taught me two specific things:
#1 ⌁ The limits imposed on us (or that we impose on ourselves) often expose the true value of our creative idea.
The constraints we face, whether circumstantially insurmountable or personally prescribed, force us to see the potential in any creative endeavor. Creative inspiration can be distilled down to creative vision paired with strategic implementation. As Simon Sinek would say, "it starts with why". Limits often forces us to sift from our minds the valuable core of our inspiration. What can I say that hasn't been said? What can this project produce? Why do I want to do it? Inevitably, if the answers to these questions hold up under scrutiny, we will ask:
How can I do this differently? Or put another way, how can I make this happen within my budget? I have sat through countless meetings where incredible ideas have met an inevitable demise when considering money, or lack thereof. Like joy riding a Ferrari in a school zone, these constraints bring creativity to a screeching halt.
#2 ⌁ These limits often lead to greater creativity.
I used to chase every shadow and avoid any overcast sky; a challenging task living in Monterey, California. At the time, I didn't know the value of light and the few coins in my pocket would not afford me strobes or modifiers. So, out of pure necessity, I was forced to adapt. At the times, I shot weddings. Talk about tough lighting. Brides don't pick venues based on the needs of their photographer. Overhead lighting or the direction of the sun during their processional is not even an afterthought.
For years I fought the light and the challenges it cast upon me. Eventually though, I learned that light was not a problem waiting to be solved. Light was actually what I needed. It's transience and ever-changing intensity could not be avoided. A truce was formed. I made countless mistakes, resulting in hours spent editing very uneditable photos. Over time, I found solutions learning to work with the light. I chose to let it become my ally instead of enemy. The available light became an integral character in the visual narratives I was crafting. In fact today, I enjoy shooting in noonday sun, playing with the lines the shadows create, the vibrant colors that come from the luminance of the sun at its peak and the mood this gives each shot.
"The enemy of art is the absence of limitations." ⌁ Orson Welles
So, bring on the budgets! 😜 The boundaries we are given are simply like the size of canvas we are given or the type of material we have been instructed to use. Creativity is not stifled, just directed.
Practical application ⌁
You can do a lot with stills in motion. Films and videos are simply a series of still images played in rapid succession. Slow this down even further and you reduce the file size and craft a new way to engage your customer. Enter the GIF. While videos weigh down invaluable load times on site pages and are too big to add to an email newsletter, GIFs provide a perfect blend of motion at a deliverable size. From Reels, to TikTok, to landing pages, these palatable bite-sized animated graphics can stop a scroll for much less than most video productions.
Each medium has it's place. Each artistic expression it's time. At the end of the day, it's all about what we want to say. It's the story that matters most. Limitations simply help us articulate that narrative with more authenticity.