Unsatisfactory decisions

According to a study in the Harvard Mental Health Letter the correlation between conscious thought and a satisfactory decision doesn’t always go hand in hand. Researchers in Amsterdam concluded after doing a series of experiments that when participants were given a complex situation and a long period of time they found their decision unsatisfactory. As oppose to participants that were given a time limit with less information who were often satisfied with the outcome of their decision. Hypothetical examples consisted of renting apartments and purchasing cars along with decisions on recent purchases such as shampoo. Simple products equated to buyers being more satisfied as oppose to purchasing a more complex product such as a camera where buyers were less satisfied. Interestingly enough I find this to be the case when I’m taking photos or drawing. I’m never happy with the outcome if I over think a shot.

A different point of view

I’m in the process of going through my photo archive and reevaluating my photography. I came across some photos I shot many years ago. At the time I was working on putting together a fashion portfolio but ultimately wasn’t happy with results because I could not capture the fake perfection that I was aiming for. I never actually took the time to question why I wanted to shoot fashion. What I didn’t see at the time is how the images work as portraits. I was able to capture the authenticity and the subtle moods of the models. My point of view at the time was skewed by what I wanted to capture which was the essence of the manufactured fashion world. I find it interesting that after so many years I can look at the same photos and see a different purpose and actually appreciate the images.