By Wayne Cosshall

The common image of the lone photographer out with a camera working in isolation isn’t always accurate.

My wife, a painter, recently became involved with art groups that provide highly social and creatively rewarding, collaborative working environments. Her experiences with these groups got me thinking about photography.

On the surface, my photographic life seems to have been mainly solitary. I haven’t run a studio with assistants around. Nor have I worked in wedding or portrait photography, which are inherently people-oriented disciplines. When I shoot, I do so mainly for myself or to illustrate articles I am working on, so I mainly shoot alone. Yet this is only on the surface.

I actually do not always shoot alone. My 11-year old daughter is often with me, because I am teaching her photography. This is rewarding, not only in terms of strengthening family bonds, but also to my own photography because I get to see things through new eyes.

Occasionally, I shoot with other photographers who I have met online. I am very active online in photography discussions and discussions with my own readers, here and on my own site www.dimagemaker.com. Some of my online relationships with other photographers and digital artists go back many years. Many of these relationships are quite rich and deep, with ongoing discussions of our work, methods and aesthetics in general. I also teach photography, now mainly through workshops, and enjoy rich interactions with my students.

And I interact with other photographers more distantly by seeing their work at exhibitions, in books and magazines, and online. Not only is this type of relationship more remote, but it is really a three-way relationship between me, the other photographer and his or her work.

Plus, I talk to other photographers at various meetings, exhibitions (both mine and others’) and conferences.

There are definitely great rewards in working alone. For example, you get to develop uninfluenced by others and more easily gain the meditative benefits of photography. But there are many benefits from social interactions, too. Some of these benefits include:

·         Exposure to new ideas, ways of working, and interpretations;

·         The ability to work through photographic problems by asking others for suggestions;

·         Relaxation and stress release;

·         The discovery of new shooting locations;

·         The ability to try out equipment before buying it;

·         The opportunity to give and receive criticism of photographs;

·         Training;

·         Introductions to other people who can help;

·         The opportunity to learn through teaching and assisting others;

·         Multiple opportunities to join exhibitions, publication, and new work.

The number of ways to broaden your photographic social network is huge. Some of these are:

·         Posting online portfolios and discussing the images on sites such as flickr;

·         Participating in online discussion groups and forums;

·         Joining camera clubs;

·         Attending or teaching workshops and courses;

·         Interacting with fellow attendees at exhibitions;

·         Exhibiting your own work and getting feedback from viewers;

·         Using networking sites such as meetup.com to find and join face-to-face get-togethers of photographers;

·         Getting  acquainted with painters and other visual artists;

·         Joining professional associations, either general photography groups, or those that specialize in your area of photography;

·         Attending conferences and trade shows.

People are fundamentally social creatures, so it’s not surprising that there are myriad ways to interact socially even in what seems to be a solitary avocation.

We all can become staid and stagnant sometimes. Thus, it can be beneficial to shake up the status quo from time and time and try doing something new.

Even if you already have an extensive network of photographic contacts, keep in mind that those contacts can also become stagnant. Just as a trip to a new country can stimulate the creative juices, so can bringing new people into your life.

Why don’t you reach out tomorrow?