Sometimes near, sometimes far

[robert blu]

As photographers we are all different, and this is a good thing.

A recent post in a different thread let me think about where we like to take photos.

There are photographers who prefer to take photos in their surroundings, in the area where they live. The benefit is to know the place, how the light changes during the day (or even in different seasons), if shooting architecture it is possible to go to the place with the best light, if a photo does not work (it happens sometimes 🙂) it is not a problem to go back and repeat it, when photographing in the same area people get used to see you with a camera and it is easier to photograph them.

There are other photographers who are more stimulated to photograph in new places with new landscapes and cultures, where the curiosity help them to look for interesting shots. The light can be varu different than the light inthe place where they ilve. People perhaps dress in a different way. Buildings and streets look different.

Than there are photographers who take photos everywhere!

Of course all approaches are good, just curious how do you feel about it: do you prefer near or far away? Or everywhere, and why?

I'll give my preferences later...

 

[charjohncarter]

I'm number 3, I like to take photos everywhere. Recently those options are few, but hopefully that will change. I completely agree with you that photographers seem to find what they like, and that is part of the fun. For me taking images of famous people, I just don't get it. But plenty of famous photographers have made careers out of it. I generally don't like looking at their work but here is one that I from which I receive a 'kick.'

https://www.google.com/search?q=sli...hUinq0KHffqDEEQ_AUoAXoECBsQAw&biw=638&bih=369

 

[PaulDalex]

Everywhere of course.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I'm with Winogrand. He told it doesn't matter where. But preferred crowds in biggest cities.
I do miss crowds and proximity. But I take pictures anywhere.

 

[mccurleyphoto]

Everywhere because sometimes travel is just not possible. I think making photos in your familiar surroundings may be a little more challenging simply because of the familiarity, at least for me. But it hones your skill to see photos. This quote is always in the back of my mind.

"It ever occurred to me that I had to leave home to make art" - Sally Mann

 

[raid]

I try to be satisfied for a while with local surroundings, and I get quite excited and happy during travels. I want then to capture whatever I see as beautiful and interesting. Life dictates what I can do. About 25-30 years ago I asked a local photographer what I could take photos of (locally) as I am only seeing "the same beaches". This wise man told me then "look for small things around us". I am doing this and it keeps me happy.

 

[agentlossing]

Everywhere - but obviously I've had fewer opportunities for "far away" this year. I do like to take street photos in bigger, more populated places (Seattle is a favorite of mine), but I also get a lot out of taking simpler snapshots, and it's almost easier to "see" that way in my own local haunts, especially during the parts of the year with interesting weather (spring and fall/winter).

With the current state of things, I've been taking a lot more street shots in and among tourists in my own little town, since that's all that's really available, and I think they'll have some lasting interest, not only because of the masks, but because there's a little more than the basic, boring breeziness of the typical tourist right now.

 

[Rangefinder 35]

Number 3. I like to shoot in my area, as well in unfamiliar, exotic places.

 

[jsrockit]

I absolutely prefer to photograph where I live... meaning the city I live in. I like photography way too much to only do it on vacations or special occasions. I like to make full bodies of work and I can't do that on vacation.

 

[farlymac]

I never found a time when I could comfortably carry a camera with me at all times due to the nature of my employment at the various jobs I had. I did try to work it into the job at my last place of employment, but those chances came few and far between. So most times I did have a camera I was on a mission to either find somewhere new to photograph, or going to a place I cataloged in my head for a later visit. Other than that, I will photograph anything, just not anytime.


PF

 

[robert blu]

I absolutely prefer to photograph where I live... meaning the city I live in. I like photography way too much to only do it on vacations or special occasions. I like to make full bodies of work and I can't do that on vacation.

Thanks John for your comment, it was a comment from you in another thread which let me think about this point.

If I think at my photographic activity i must say in the beginning, about 50 years ago (sic!) I was mostly photographing in my area, my surroundings, my relatives and friends. Probably one fo the reason is that just started to work and income was not so much therefore not many possibilities to travel.

Later when I could make some trips during holidays I was much influenced by magazines like Nat Geo or similar therefore the reportage style. Different cities and places abroad.

In the last two decades and after a few workshops I took part in , discussing my work with different photographers I realized I'm interested in a more personal photography, something which need to be better expessed in a body of work than in singles images.

This goes along what you say, it is not possible (or it is really very difficult) to do it when on vacation.

This is bringing a different question, probably I should ask not if you prefer to photograph near home or far away but where have been shot your most satisfying images ? Maybe topic for a different thread!

 

[Out to Lunch]

where we like to take photos.

Some people live in one place all their life, and go on trips. Others, keep moving about. During my 30-year professional career, I moved countries every other 3 years, or so. The last ten years of my working life, things slowed down a bit and I moved countries only twice in ten years. This said, this lifestyle blurs the boundaries between 'near' and 'far'. Cheers, OtL

 

[Dogman]

For the past three and a half years I've been limited on going anywhere, first due to health problems and treatment, then due to COVID. Seems like a never ending list of road blocks to everything. Prior to this I took pictures everywhere but I was most stimulated when traveling. Once travel was restricted I started looking closely at my surroundings and became enchanted with the familiar, mundane and everyday. I can walk to the end of the block most any day of the week and come back with a picture or two.

 

[robert blu]

Some people live in one place all their life, and go on trips. Others, keep moving about. During my 30-year professional career, I moved countries every other 3 years, or so. The last ten years of my working life, things slowed down a bit and I moved countries only twice in ten years. This said, this lifestyle blurs the boundaries between 'near' and 'far'. Cheers, OtL

For sure an interesting life full of photo opportunities I imagine! As we can see from your photos!

 

[Godfrey]

I like to make photographs. But what I like to make in photographs is only infrequently something that relies on the subject being a particular place. So whether I make photographs at home, in my neighborhood, or somewhere else is usually not important.

There are the inevitable moments I capture that come from being in some faraway place ... I can't put the San Franciso skyline behind something in Des Moines or Nassau! 🙂 And sometimes when I'm somewhere far from home, I make a few photos to remind myself of where I was. But, in general, that's not really the point of my photos.

I photograph things, scenes, landscapes to evoke a feeling, a juxtaposition of shape, time, shadow and light.

When I make photographs of people, they could be anywhere. Sometimes the surrounding landscape is critical to the image, sometimes not. I make photographs of people to capture their expression, their smile, their joy or otherwise. Sometimes, if I'm at some kind of an event, to capture something about what the event was about that resonated in me.

I don't carry a camera all the time, but most. I carry different cameras that 'see' differently based upon the caprice of what I might want to see at any specific time. Or I carry different cameras at different times to see whether what I see can be captured by what the camera I'm carrying can see.

It's complicated. I don't know which of your categories all this falls into. 🙂

G

 

[Greg Maslak]

I like to make photographs. But what I like to make in photographs is only infrequently something that relies on the subject being a particular place. So whether I make photographs at home, in my neighborhood, or somewhere else is usually not important.

There are the inevitable moments I capture that come from being in some faraway place ... I can't put the San Franciso skyline behind something in Des Moines or Nassau! 🙂 And sometimes when I'm somewhere far from home, I make a few photos to remind myself of where I was. But, in general, that's not really the point of my photos.

I photograph things, scenes, landscapes to evoke a feeling, a juxtaposition of shape, time, shadow and light.

When I make photographs of people, they could be anywhere. Sometimes the surrounding landscape is critical to the image, sometimes not. I make photographs of people to capture their expression, their smile, their joy or otherwise. Sometimes, if I'm at some kind of an event, to capture something about what the event was about that resonated in me.

I don't carry a camera all the time, but most. I carry different cameras that 'see' differently based upon the caprice of what I might want to see at any specific time. Or I carry different cameras at different times to see whether what I see can be captured by what the camera I'm carrying can see.

It's complicated. I don't know which of your categories all this falls into. 🙂

G

I'm with Godfrey on this one. I too like to "make" photographs, whether they are in my backyard or a far away place. While I like to find photographic possiblilties where ever I might be, I purposefully do not carry a camera with me all the time. I might return to a place if possible with a camera, but sometimes an experience in life is just that and not a photographic opportunity. My kids birthday snaps are quite poor really (unless my wife took them). I'd much rather be carrying the cake then taking the picture. When I do take pictures, I set time aside, gather my things and venture out with the purpose of making photographs, for better or worse; near or far.

 

[robert blu]

I like to make photographs. But what I like to make in photographs is only infrequently something that relies on the subject being a particular place. So whether I make photographs at home, in my neighborhood, or somewhere else is usually not important.

There are the inevitable moments I capture that come from being in some faraway place ... I can't put the San Franciso skyline behind something in Des Moines or Nassau! 🙂 And sometimes when I'm somewhere far from home, I make a few photos to remind myself of where I was. But, in general, that's not really the point of my photos.

I photograph things, scenes, landscapes to evoke a feeling, a juxtaposition of shape, time, shadow and light.

When I make photographs of people, they could be anywhere. Sometimes the surrounding landscape is critical to the image, sometimes not. I make photographs of people to capture their expression, their smile, their joy or otherwise. Sometimes, if I'm at some kind of an event, to capture something about what the event was about that resonated in me.

I don't carry a camera all the time, but most. I carry different cameras that 'see' differently based upon the caprice of what I might want to see at any specific time. Or I carry different cameras at different times to see whether what I see can be captured by what the camera I'm carrying can see.

It's complicated. I don't know which of your categories all this falls into. 🙂

G

I'm with Godfrey on this one. I too like to "make" photographs, whether they are in my backyard or a far away place. While I like to find photographic possiblilties where ever I might be, I purposefully do not carry a camera with me all the time. I might return to a place if possible with a camera, but sometimes an experience in life is just that and not a photographic opportunity. My kids birthday snaps are quite poor really (unless my wife took them). I'd much rather be carrying the cake then taking the picture. When I do take pictures, I set time aside, gather my things and venture out with the purpose of making photographs, for better or worse; near or far.

I do not carry a camera with me all the time as well, but I'm learning to carry it more frequently than usual,

I get your point about "making" a photo, this is what gives more satisfaction.

Looking back at my archive, specifically the last ten years I find that I "made" more photos when near home and there are more photos simply "taken" when traveling far away.

In this second case it's more a documentation where I was, people I was with or I met, places etc.

I feel I need to be "connected" to a place to be able to make a good work.

And if you are not connected to what you are photographing you can get photos well framed, well exposed but without soul.

Or not?

 

[Godfrey]

I do not carry a camera with me all the time as well, but I'm learning to carry it more frequently than usual,

I get your point about "making" a photo, this is what gives more satisfaction.

Looking back at my archive, specifically the last ten years I find that I "made" more photos when near home and there are more photos simply "taken" when traveling far away.

In this second case it's more a documentation where I was, people I was with or I met, places etc.

I feel I need to be "connected" to a place to be able to make a good work.

And if you are not connected to what you are photographing you can get photos well framed, well exposed but without soul.

Or not?

What I find is that there's a cycle.

1. When I first get to a new place, I see things that strike me as different from my norms and make photographs of them. This is ultimately pretty documentarian.
2. When I'm shooting in one location for a while, I see things and how they connect differently. That's when I start to make photographs that are more what I like to do, more abstractive and intensional.
3. After some time doing that, I get a little tired of shooting in that locale, my eyes get jaded and I don't see much new. That's when things get very documentarian and somewhat boring, to me. I often stop shooting for a time.
4. Then, after a rest like that, I'll start to see new things in the same place. And I look back through all the photos I made in the locale and it inspires me to look deeper.

The cycle is made easier the easier my access to the location is, so it tends to happen most clearly in areas near to where I live. When I travel a lot but only get to the same places once in a great while, or once only, it's quite a struggle to get to the fourth part—I have to work hard to power past the first three parts of the cycle fast. When I go to a distant place regularly but with a good bit of time separating visits, I can spend the time in between reviewing what I've already done and use that to work through the cycle faster, but it's a bit easier to get to step 4 and be successful at it.

I tend to get bored with the documentarian portions of the cycle and don't do a very good job of them. So there are many places from which I've made my most satisfying photographs but I have no "overview" photos to describe what the place is overall, just my more abstractive, intensional stuff. I don't feel much of a lack myself because I remember the places well, but it sure gets in the way when I'm trying to show photographs of "how I spent my trip to the UK" to others who have no context of the places I've been. 🙂

Fun stuff.

G

 

[valdas]

Faraway, So Close...

 

[nikon_sam]

#3...If I can frame it the way I like best I will shoot it...
We don't have a lot of open fields with old barns on them...when I traveled for work I'd take a camera with me and look for them...it didn't matter if the light wasn't perfect...I got what I could...many times I was able to return and shoot more...many times I would return in different seasons...totally different view...I love that...