In my last post, I spoke of formulas and how they can be detrimental to photography. The line of logic behind that was that photography created via a “formula” is in real danger of becoming bland and, well—formulaic. Here, I feel the need to underscore the difference between a formula and a strategy. My reasoning is that I think it could be easy for people to mistake the difference between a formula and a strategy because depending on the definitions you’re using, they could be the same thing. Moreover, where a formula can lead to formulaic photographs, a strategy can help you produce better art.

So what is a formula in photography?

There is something to be said for living with a photograph. Sometimes, I’ll take a recently completed image and set it as my desktop background. Why? Because it’s both impermanent, and it’s a place where I will get to see that image every single day.

This is important because displaying an image like that, to me, serves a two-fold purpose. Not only does it give me an image to enjoy every day, but it stands as a thorough test of that image’s staying power. Sometimes, I find myself changing my desktop background every week. Other times, I land on a particular image and it stays put for weeks or even months. Not because I forgot about it, but because I’m still enjoying seeing that image each and every day...