Crazy About Your Craft

I am probably late to the party, but I have recently discovered the blog of Natsumi Hayashi, よわよわカメラウーマン日記 (Yowayowa Camera).

Hayashi, a Japanese photographer from Tokyo, mainly takes pictures of herself “levitating”. Of course, she makes no claims that she has any supernatural powers, and she explains in English her process for capturing herself suspended in mid-air.

What I admire about Hayashi is her dedication to her craft. What might appear gimmicky to some, she is developing into her own art. A less dedicated photographer might create an image or set of images they really like, say, “Well, I’ve mastered that.” and move on to something new. Hayashi, however, continues to shoot herself levitating, pushing the envelope of what’s been done and at times, moving into the truly innovative. One of my favorites is this image of her levitating off a train. I love how the composition includes other people who seem so non-chalant about what she is doing, as if normal people levitated off trains.

Beyond the fact that I am now interested in taking my own levitation shot (though I defer to her as the artist who will be famous for the medium), what I learn from Hayashi is that to become truly great at something, you need to have a healthy obsession with your subject matter. I’m not talking about photography in general, but perhaps different types of photography. If you want to be a great portrait photographer, you need to be taking portraits as often as possible (without driving friends and loved ones away). If you want to be a great floral macro photographer, you should be out in your garden or buying your spouse a bouquet of flowers every day (which really makes both of you happy).

When people start thinking you’re a little crazy about your craft, you’ve probably hit the sweet spot.