Photography Thoughts

So I was sitting at my desk (doing something important I’m sure) and I was looking at the pictures that were on my screensaver. I started thinking about photography. I was thinking about the types of pictures I take. I have a lot of pictures of friends and family but most are not posed and different than your typical photo. Then I started to think about what I love to take pictures of.

I love photographing people, but not in a studio or formal setting (like at Kiddie Kandids… which I found out pretty quick). I like taking pictures of people, and just pictures in general, that tell a story or capture their personality. I avoid typical picture of people in front of buildings or with something they like. While those are sometimes essential and they can be done creatively or tell a story, I like taking photos that show the details and tell the story with little or no written/verbal explanation needed.

The other day I also realized that I don’t like having other people take pictures for me. While it is good to have pictures of myself so people know I am alive and remember what I look like, I sometimes get frustrated because usually these pictures end up being snapshots and typical. I know that may sound really vain and somewhat rude, but some days I wish I had a second me that could take pictures of me. However, I realize that I can get picky when it comes to photos and I really do appreciate the people who are willing to take photos of me.

It makes sense to talk about capturing people’s personality and emotion with photos, but it may sound weird that I try to do the same thing with places, buildings, and nature. Maybe it’s not so much that I try to capture personality as much as I try to tell a story with the picture. I try to avoid the typical “postcard” picture, but rather take a photo that would make a great postcard because it really captures the mood or feeling of the place. I try to get photos at angles or of different details that most people don’t notice.

That is what I really love about photography though is that it is so versatile. I can take typical photos, or as my favorite photography title indicates, extraordinary photos. I have started to look at the world in terms of a photograph. I cannot tell you how many times I look at something and then analyze it and try to determine how I would photograph it or what I would try to capture in a photo. I have seen so many gorgeous sunsets and sunrises that are very unique and I always wish I had my camera with me. But, whenever I think that I start looking at it as if I was going to take a photo and then I enjoy the beauty of it so much more.

One of my favorite photography quotes is:

“My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.” ~Richard Avedon

This is so true! While I feel like it is good and somewhat essential to have photos of myself, I feel like all of my photos have a part of me in them. A lot of my personality comes out in my photographs. The subjects of my photos, the angles I use, how I place things in the photo, what stands out the most, and the focus of the photo all tell something about me, or by piecing them all together you would be able to see what is important to me and what I love.

So there you have a few of my thoughts and feelings about photography. Basically that is just a taste of what really goes on in my head when I think about photography, but maybe more will come out later…

“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” ~Ansel Adams