No-effort photography places

[Steve M.]

You're a brave man to sun bathe in San Francisco. I was always freezing when I lived there.

For me, junk yards, classic car meets, and most any big public event (where people are not concerned about being photographed and seldom even notice you) are good fishin opportunities. If I can drag myself out of bed early enough, the beautiful light gives everyday objects a special look, at least for a brief period of time. 4 PM and a little after are good too. You get that side lighting, and there's still enough sun to get good contrast. Boats and their reflections in the water usually work, and lately I've been shooting B&W stuff at the beach where it's really difficult to get something worthwhile. When you do it's pretty neat. I always have a camera w/ me when I step outside. Always. There's a bad memory of a once in a lifetime shot that wasn't taken due to having no camera. My philosophy is not just for cameras....it's better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

For what it's worth, galleries seldom seem to want journalistic shots, or portraits of people who are not famous. They don't sell. I'll still include a portrait or two if it's truly exceptional when approaching new opportunities to show, but I've slowly learned to go after more of an "art" look, whatever that is, when approaching art galleries, which is really why I shoot. They like experimental stuff too. B&W photos are a tough sell to most galleries anyway. No matter how good the work, when placed next to a painting w/ juicy colors it goes pretty much unnoticed. The photo usually involves going slower, and getting up close to see what's going on. The painting gets your attention w/ just a short look from afar, and you can process all the information very quickly. Which is why I go for a more painterly look now. Simple composition, large print size, dark blacks, lots of contrast. A Leica lens usually solves all that nicely :] Of course, unlike the painting, I need the right subject in front of me first, which is not that easy. B&W photography is harder than I ever imagined it would be, compared to painting anyway.

 

[Sparrow]

The more unfamiliar, the easier for me.

Its only difficult to shoot the environment which you see every single day.

Dear Harry,

Same here. Well, unless you're somewhere REALLY dull.

Cheers,

R.

... David Bailey said the same the other month on the wireless ... I find I use progressively fewer films in places that I return to regularly, but I like to think the quality of the photos improve as the quantity decreases.

 

[Rodchenko]

The Yorkshire Dales lend themselves easily to my eye.

The more unfamiliar, the easier for me.

Its only difficult to shoot the environment which you see every single day.

I find it difficult to find much more to say photographically about the desperately dull London suburb I live in, but I still try. Similarly, the walk to work is boring, and hard to extract anything of interest. I often find myself taking photos I've taken before.

 

[Sparrow]

The Yorkshire Dales lend themselves easily to my eye.



I find it difficult to find much more to say photographically about the desperately dull London suburb I live in, but I still try. Similarly, the walk to work is boring, and hard to extract anything of interest. I often find myself taking photos I've taken before.

... however if one lives there they pass unnoticed much of the time

 

[Rodchenko]

I lived there for a portion of my life. But not as a photographer, sadly.

 

[David Hughes]

Back on topic: the north west coast of Scotland.

Regards, David

PS Re: boring walks to work. Mundane shots are never taken and then years later you realise it's all changed and you can't show a picture of it. People think you're daft as a brush when you take them but they gain in value over the years.

 

[noisycheese]

What are the places you've been to that provided such easy-pickings photographic opportunities?

Mongolia; ho-lee crap, talk about a target rich environment for your camera!! 😀

You are very fortunate having had the opportunity to travel to Cuba. It is on my top five "must see" list.

 

[semi-ambivalent]

Back on topic: the north west coast of Scotland.

Regards, David

PS Re: boring walks to work. Mundane shots are never taken and then years later you realise it's all changed and you can't show a picture of it. People think you're daft as a brush when you take them but they gain in value over the years.

This, more than almost anything else in the thread.

s-a

 

[Sparrow]

I lived there for a portion of my life. But not as a photographer, sadly.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

Mundane shots are never taken and then years later you realise it's all changed and you can't show a picture of it.

Absolutely! For example, a boring mundane picture of a railway platform...

...but put it together with a boring mundane picture of the same platform, a few years later...

...and you have history!

:angel:

 

[David_Manning]

Great shot list, Roger. Now, where was that passport...

 

[David Hughes]

Absolutely! For example, a boring mundane picture of a railway platform...

...but put it together with a boring mundane picture of the same platform, a few years later...

...and you have history!

:angel:

Yup. Exactly why it should be done. You'll miss the fire in the waiting room too...

Regards, David

 

[fotomeow]

Yes, Cuba is a living library. And I also find this to be the case with any other country that has a strong cultural history mixed with colonial influences which has been preserved to some degree: the mix of the really old-school and unique cultures with that of the "newer" cultures of the west. Not just Havana/Cuba, but Burma (Rangoon in particular), Mumbai - Laos -and the Hill Tribes there are fascinating. I think Buenes Aires would be fascinating too, but haven't been there yet (yet!).

 

[Paul Jenkin]

I'm not sure I subscribe to the belief that there are guaranteed, sure-fire, point-and-shoot photographic destinations. I can only speak for myself but, for me, it takes a while to get my "eye" focused when I'm somewhere new. I'll agree that there are some places which lend themselves to being photographed more than others but there's the risk If you can call it such) that what you're photographing has been shot a thousand times before and usually better (certainly in my case).

Nothing wrong with shooting the odd clicheed scene but I try (not always successfully) to look for the off-beat and quirky. The things that are less obvious. That's probably why most of my photography only really has much meaning to my wife and myself as we were the only ones there at the time.

 

[jsrockit]

The more unfamiliar, the easier for me.

Its only difficult to shoot the environment which you see every single day.

It's funny, but I'm the opposite. I only get better as I get more familiar with an area.

 

[Roger Hicks]

It's funny, but I'm the opposite. I only get better as I get more familiar with an area.

I am increasingly convinced that there are two major groups of photographers: those like me who prefer novelty and those like you who prefer familiarity. I wish I could feel the way you do, but I can't. The trouble is that surprisingly many on each side feel the need to put the other side down. Odd, that.

Cheers,

R.

 

[gns]

I am increasingly convinced that there are two major groups of photographers: those like me who prefer novelty and those like you who prefer familiarity. I wish I could feel the way you do, but I can't. The trouble is that surprisingly many on each side feel the need to put the other side down. Odd, that.

Cheers,

R.

I guess there is a third group that prefers neither. Those that do not avoid the novel or dramatic scene, but also happily photograph the banal as well. They accept that a good photograph could happen just about anywhere.

Gary

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I guess there is a third group that prefers neither. Those that do not avoid the novel or dramatic scene, but also happily photograph the banal as well. They accept that a good photograph could happen just about anywhere.

Indeed. There's always something I can find to photograph 🙂

 

[Sparrow]

I guess there is a third group that prefers neither. Those that do not avoid the novel or dramatic scene, but also happily photograph the banal as well. They accept that a good photograph could happen just about anywhere.

Gary

... or that, in fact the latter are just a subgroup of the former?

 

[Roger Hicks]

I guess there is a third group that prefers neither. Those that do not avoid the novel or dramatic scene, but also happily photograph the banal as well. They accept that a good photograph could happen just about anywhere.

Gary

Dear Gary,

Of course a good photograph can happen just about anywhere. That was not how I understood the discussion though. I understood it as a matter of which you find more stimulating, the familiar or the unfamiliar. This is why I'm not sure there's a "third group".

Also, "banal" and "familiar" are not quite the same.

Cheers,

R.