Qi (pronounced “chee”) is a funny little word that has great
value in life.  Having a mental
understanding of qi is one thing, but having a deeper understanding can truly
impact your photographic abilities if applied appropriately.  Qi also holds great value on a Scrabble board
so if nothing else I have given you some useful advice on game day.

 

What is qi?  In Chinese
philosophy there two types of qi – Living Qi and Killing Qi.  The Chinese believe that everything has an equal
opposite, and this keeps things in balance.  For every yin there is a yang.  Think of it in terms of a magnet.  Every permanent magnet has both a positive and
a negative side or opposing poles.  Where
there is a north pole there must be a south pole.  If a magnet has a North Pole side and a South
Pole side what happens if you slice the magnet in half?  Do you get one half that is a North Pole
magnet and one South?  No.  You now have two magnets with both north and
south poles.

 

The Chinese described a place with a lot of Living Qi would be a place
with a much fauna and a place void of life has a great deal of Killing Qi.

 

As a photographer you have your own individual photographic qi.  There is a natural area that you are drawn to
shooting where your truest and purest of talents can grow.  It may be glamour, fashion, nature, athletics,
or absolutely anything.  It is not just
what may be initially fun.  Look deeper.  Somewhere inside there is a particular area
within you where an almost spiritual sense of rightness lies when you are shooting.  The true measure is not the question “Is
this the most fun to shoot?”  The
truest judge is the question “Is this where the purest creative energy in me
flows?”

 

The reality is that making a living has very little to do with qi many
times. I am often referred to as a glamour photographer because of success with
so many swimwear catalogs or calendars or with my images of Brittany Lee and
Maxim.  Shooting glamour is fine with me,
but standing in Joshua Tree National Park I know I am where everything in me
belongs. When I am there I experience some kind of “rightness” with
things.  It is as impossible to explain
as the color orange is to a person blind since birth.  It is where the creative center of me resides.

 

I shoot glamour well.  I enjoy
fashion and beauty images even more.  Shooting
“pretty” has always been something I have found pleasure in and I
have been able to make a good living doing it.  Photographing models in dresses and gowns in
beautiful locations or any shots showing a clean beauty make me happy. Still there
is an intangible something triggered inside when I am in Joshua Tree National
Park or in some areas of Death Valley.  It
is where my qi truly lies.  My creative
waters run deepest in that dry and desolate environment.  For me the colors are more vivid there and the
smells and sounds pull me like a magnet.

 

Where does your qi lie?  If you
don’t know then I suggest that you take a journey within you to find it. Clear
the daily clutter in your mind when possible and explore different areas of
photography and challenge yourself to stop thinking and start feeling something
deep inside while you shoot.

 

I believe that since everything has an opposite to create balance
within every photographer there must also be a killing qi.  There is something that sucks the creative
life from you and leaves you spiritually and creatively desolate. There is a
certain something photographically that destroys that positive energy you find
in your creative center and has a devastating effect. Something inside you seemingly
dies when you shoot this.  Avoiding that
is as important as experiencing your own Living Qi.

 

Many glamour and fashion shooters get confused that the feeling they
may be feeling in their trousers is some sort of spiritual tickle saying “This
is where your qi lies.”  Perhaps
glamour or fashion are your purest life calling. In that case it won’t be your
blue jeans that are tugging at you to keep shooting.

 

Life is full of noise, both audible and visual. This static can kill
that little voice inside. That voice does not necessarily loudly call to you.  It may not be screaming at you that you simply
must shoot what ever it is. It is simply there in the moment. You will be able
to feel that energy.

 

It is a rewarding thing to find your creative center.  Qi is as wonderful in life as well as on a
Scrabble board.