Perfect Goodbye

Published on April 20, 2021

I have a love-hate relationship with perfection in my photography. Perfection as defined by the Oxford Languages dictionary is the “condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.” It is the “action or process of improving something until it is faultless or as faultless as possible.” During my time on Instagram, I have often received comments from people saying my photographs are perfect. For a long time, I thought those comments were reassuring and markers of progress in the quality of my work. As I look back, I now wonder whether the perfect comments were a nice way of saying “there is nothing to explore or digest here.” I now think a “perfect photo” leaves the viewer with little to interpret, little to be immersed in, and little to connect with on a deeper level.

Perfection is not intriguing.

Perfection is not thought provoking.

I have not tried to make perfect images. I have, however, always wanted my images to be very clean, orderly, and free of distractions. This goal has led me to produce photographs with a visual esthetic showcasing clean lines, strong graphical elements, crisp colors, and in some cases, an illustrative quality. My pursuit of consistency and a distinct style has allowed me to be noticed within specific photography niches on Instagram. My portfolio has caught the attention of other photographers including those with the ability to share my work with larger audiences and companies in the creative industry.

So, I’m not saying that I’ve made a bad decision to pursue my style of photography and to present a consistent gallery of images online. I do wonder, however, if my style has left the viewer with very little to feel about my work. I’ve created photographs that may be technically perfect in some people’s opinion but now I want to pursue something different. Does that make my images imperfect? Does that make my images flawed? 

Perfection is unsustainable.

Perfection is a flawed destination.

Perfection has an expiration date.

I do wonder if I will be able to embrace imperfections, known flaws, and technical errors in my work. I have strongly entrenched habits when it comes to the details in my compositions, my post processing, and, frankly, in many other parts of my life. My visual style is a byproduct of dozens of choices made before I took the photograph.  Whether it is my choice to do photowalks almost exclusively on sunny, cloud free days.  Or my affinity for hard light so that my scenes are well defined and effective in hiding imperfections and distractions deep in the shadows.  In line with the definition of perfection, my approach to photography has matured through 4 years worth of repetition and deliberate practice.

Perfection provides the answer, rather than posing new questions.

Perfection limits artistic commentary.

Perfection ends conversations rather than starts them.

I have reached a plateau in my narrow photography niche. When someone on Instagram says that my images are perfect or that I’m a master of light and shadows, I now see this as the biggest impediment to my growth as a photographer. I want to pursue something new without fully abandoning the old. I want to shield my work from perfection’s attentive gaze. I am so ready to be creative and explore new ground. It is my hope that I can leave the comments of “Perfect!” -- “Wow, so perfect” -- “Perfect as always” behind in exchange for comments like “Different”, “A real progression of your style”, “unique”, “I spent some time with this one”, and “thought provoking.” I’m excited to push myself beyond my comfort zone and my artistic habits. I am ready to say goodbye to perfection one new photograph at a time.