A daily photo definitely helps develop technique. But to what end? So that I can take photos that look like everyone else's? The proliferation of images in our digital world leaves me wondering whether it's all been done. There's no room for a fresh image now.
Perhaps there are some limited exceptions: subjects which are unique. In my world, my children are unique and so capable of making an image which excites and delights me. But I'm well aware that, beyond a small circle of friends and relatives, it's "just another kid" in a pose seen many times before. Photos of your kids are an extension of the selfie genre taken by parents.
Places and communities are unique, so reportage/documentary photography can have a fresh impact if it tells an important story rooted in time and place. But even then it seems hard to avoid a generic style and (well worn) themes.
So photography that brings a truly unique, original, personal vision to bear... Is that possible? Are there contemporary photographers, on 365 or elsewhere, you admire who achieve this? And how do you master that most challenging of techniques: true creativity?
I just do it for fun, motivates me to see things differently and go places I might not otherwise get around to. For me it's not about trying to get a unique or creative photo as it has all been done before, for me it's just about the fun.
Otherwise I wouldn't bother, I've been interested in photography fo many years, but never actually spent much time on it until joining this site, and what you described has been what kept me from bothering to try all those years ago.
If you can't find new subject matter, try shooting the same subject differently. One idea, step in close, and I mean very close, and shoot only a "piece" of the subject. Advice, I think from Scott Kelby, "Step in, frame your shot, and then step in some more." From Ben Long "Small detail is better than the whole thing. Look for detail and not the big picture."
And see what a good editor can do for you. Along this line, Black and White conversion, with a custom Grey Scale mapping, Highlights and Blues way down for dramatic skies, and greens and yellows way up for interesting vegetation/foliage. Try shooting wide gamut shots, things that might have once required HDR to render, and recover the shadow detail, shooting so as not to blow the highlights. Your D5100 can do this quite nicely for a "smaller" DSLR.
And many other ideas others will probably chime in with.
@jasperc Great topic. Yes, everything has been shot but that is not a problem. I went to a photography class a number of years ago and the teacher (who was a superbly talented photographer), told us something I have never forgotten: "It is not about the subject. You must make your photography about what is uniquely you, not about the subject.. Develop a picture style that you personally like, that fits your unique personality. And us that all the time." My photography made an enormous change for the better after I attended that class.
I guess if you haven't done it before it is new for you. If you are looking to take the next great photo that goes down in the books with the world renowned photographers then I guess you aspire to that. Everyone's got a different take on it, and those opinions, I would dare say like everything else, vary daily.
Good point sir! I wondered something similar a few years back when I was desperately trying to get on the PP. Haha. I was about to give up like some of my contemporary 365-friends when I realized it isn't about the perfect photograph at all, or even the techniques used to achieve that result. It's about a story I believe. Your story, with all that's part of it. Creating that story in pictures will trigger you to use known, and unknown techniques. It will make you think about that creative process you're taking about to see things different and make things somehow worth while. And it will also keep you going during the hard times, like this one. Good luck with that!
@hermann Your comment made me smile.
Jasper, generally, to me, if you are happy when engaged in photography, you'll figure out a way to make what you do special for you. Your question (when I thought about it) speaks to what your personal goal is for engaging in photography in the first place. Creating a totally original image is an interesting goal and immediately raises more questions about what will 'count' -- an original construction from existing realistic images? an original take on an iconic image (e.g., Sydney Opera, Eiffel Tower, John Hancock Building, Empire State) or an animal (squirrel, bird, butterfly) etc? portraits (already each person is unique each day/hour/minute)? seascapes? landscapes? storytelling?
Or is it about fine-tuning your skills, your eye for composition, ability to edit, ability (on 365) to critique in a supportive way?
Or about connecting to others with similar interests?
An original image for me would be too narrow a goal to set when photography opens up such an amazing world on so many levels.
I have another take on it.... Its the whole process its not just the result of the image for me. It's the being out in the fresh air with my camera, it's the slowing down to look and think at things around me. I enjoy the mental challenge of understanding the techniques learning about a subject, I chose photography others chose a whole host of subjects. I have probably one of my best images hanging on my living room wall. Yes it may just be my family who look at it and see it as special as its my two kids. I spoke to my grandmother today who lives a distance away, hasn't seen the kids for 18 months, lives alone as a widow and she has the same image on her kitchen wall. She says she loves it and it keeps her company and she spends hours when she is alone looking at it and pondering the stories she can create from it. I know my limits I will never be a photographer with any recognition, I will never sell my work,or win awards or anything but the tingles down my spine to hear my childhood inspiration to take up photography (her and my grandfather were very into their photography) describe how my work made her feel was amazing and that is more than enough for me. Sorry for ramble! And I totally agree with @taffy has to say too!
Photography for me =
1 The thrill of the 'chase'
2 Seeing exactly what I've got when I upload
3 Deciding what to do with what I've got & doing it
4 Photographic 'intercourse' with friends & followers on 365
5 Being in touch outside of 365 with friends made on 365
6 Sometimes meeting up with friends I've 'met' on 365
7 My diary on 365: a marriage of images and words
8 A terrific learning experience starting with a p&s
9 A focus to my day
10 A big addition to my self-management plan for keeping well
I'll stop there as 10 seems like a nice round figure!
what @hermann@taffy@newbank@quietpurplehaze@dibzgreasley
what Sally,Taffy Ruth, Hazel and Debs said - I do not take photos to make money - to become a famous photographer or to end up on the TT PP or TP's - I take photos because I find it interesting to connect with the world - with nature and with people but also to find a way to capture the world in the way I see it - with my emotions and with my insight
@mastermek I agree. The pictures that inspire or move me the most are the ones that tell a story, make me ask questions or move me to feel something.
Photography to me is a challenge to pay attention to my world. How much beauty do we overlook on a regular basis?
@jasperc Thought-provoking question and one that I have also thought about in my photography journey. My answer came when I understood that true creativity begins when one starts making images from the perspective of the subject, rather than the perspective of a photographer.
Interesting topic, but personally I wonder if you're thinking too narrowly. If you think of photography as creating ART as opposed to creating an image then you open the doors to a lot more. Painters and photographers for instance spend a heck of a lot of time just trying to understand how light works - the direction, the intensity, the shape and how these can be modified to help convey a story. By thinking of it this way, there is so much that can be done. Maybe by playing around with other fields of photography and REALLY nailing those aspects, you'll come up with unique ideas of your own that speak to you based on your experiences.
There are a load of techniques that keep cropping up over and over and get fine tuned so its worth going back and taking a look. Look at HDR where some people are doing amazing work that doesn't look fake at all but just adds more punch. Have you tried your hand at landscape photography at various parts of the day where you can play around with filters. Have you tried levitation photography, image manipulation, focus stacking, brenezier effect etc? You may find that the experiences you have with these things may be something that brings out ideas to you.
I started my journey by wanting to learn about landscape photography so that I could take better images when on holiday, but decided to try to shoot ANYTHING I could.. that included studio work. 4 years on and I now have an handful of ideas that I really want to create because of playing with various techniques, but i now know in order to create these, I need to skill up at levitation photography, digital editing including flames, blending of multiple compositions, and really work on nailing atmospheric portraits.
Because I know that even though I have ideas I want to shoot that I haven't seen ANYONE do... without nailing these techniques, the finished product just won't do justice to the image in my head.
Maybe everything has been shot but not by me. I am just starting out and the more photos I take the more I realise just how little I know. I'm learning a lot and loving seeing the world through that tiny little window when I lift my camera to my eye. I am looking at everything around me in a different way, All the big stuff, the sky and clouds and the landscape around me and the small stuff too. When I go out walking now I look in every direction, into the distance and up close. I know most of my shots are just snaps and maybe they always will be but they are better than they were a year ago and hopefully even better in another year when I have completed 365
Thank you to everyone who joined the thread. There were some really thoughtful comments and good ideas which will help me, and I hope many others, on our photographic journeys.
But I want to give the last word to @zosimasy: three tiny letters, one key concept... FUN!
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Otherwise I wouldn't bother, I've been interested in photography fo many years, but never actually spent much time on it until joining this site, and what you described has been what kept me from bothering to try all those years ago.
@jasperc
And see what a good editor can do for you. Along this line, Black and White conversion, with a custom Grey Scale mapping, Highlights and Blues way down for dramatic skies, and greens and yellows way up for interesting vegetation/foliage. Try shooting wide gamut shots, things that might have once required HDR to render, and recover the shadow detail, shooting so as not to blow the highlights. Your D5100 can do this quite nicely for a "smaller" DSLR.
And many other ideas others will probably chime in with.
Jasper, generally, to me, if you are happy when engaged in photography, you'll figure out a way to make what you do special for you. Your question (when I thought about it) speaks to what your personal goal is for engaging in photography in the first place. Creating a totally original image is an interesting goal and immediately raises more questions about what will 'count' -- an original construction from existing realistic images? an original take on an iconic image (e.g., Sydney Opera, Eiffel Tower, John Hancock Building, Empire State) or an animal (squirrel, bird, butterfly) etc? portraits (already each person is unique each day/hour/minute)? seascapes? landscapes? storytelling?
Or is it about fine-tuning your skills, your eye for composition, ability to edit, ability (on 365) to critique in a supportive way?
Or about connecting to others with similar interests?
An original image for me would be too narrow a goal to set when photography opens up such an amazing world on so many levels.
I second that wholeheartedly!
Photography for me =
1 The thrill of the 'chase'
2 Seeing exactly what I've got when I upload
3 Deciding what to do with what I've got & doing it
4 Photographic 'intercourse' with friends & followers on 365
5 Being in touch outside of 365 with friends made on 365
6 Sometimes meeting up with friends I've 'met' on 365
7 My diary on 365: a marriage of images and words
8 A terrific learning experience starting with a p&s
9 A focus to my day
10 A big addition to my self-management plan for keeping well
I'll stop there as 10 seems like a nice round figure!
What more to say? Well said ladies!
what Sally,Taffy Ruth, Hazel and Debs said - I do not take photos to make money - to become a famous photographer or to end up on the TT PP or TP's - I take photos because I find it interesting to connect with the world - with nature and with people but also to find a way to capture the world in the way I see it - with my emotions and with my insight
Photography to me is a challenge to pay attention to my world. How much beauty do we overlook on a regular basis?
There are a load of techniques that keep cropping up over and over and get fine tuned so its worth going back and taking a look. Look at HDR where some people are doing amazing work that doesn't look fake at all but just adds more punch. Have you tried your hand at landscape photography at various parts of the day where you can play around with filters. Have you tried levitation photography, image manipulation, focus stacking, brenezier effect etc? You may find that the experiences you have with these things may be something that brings out ideas to you.
I started my journey by wanting to learn about landscape photography so that I could take better images when on holiday, but decided to try to shoot ANYTHING I could.. that included studio work. 4 years on and I now have an handful of ideas that I really want to create because of playing with various techniques, but i now know in order to create these, I need to skill up at levitation photography, digital editing including flames, blending of multiple compositions, and really work on nailing atmospheric portraits.
Because I know that even though I have ideas I want to shoot that I haven't seen ANYONE do... without nailing these techniques, the finished product just won't do justice to the image in my head.
@zosimasy @frankhymus @soboy5 @zosimasy @jackies365 @mastermek @cruiser @hermann @taffy @newbank @quietpurplehaze @dibzgreasley @annied @aat3877 @dbj @toast @warlokk
Thank you to everyone who joined the thread. There were some really thoughtful comments and good ideas which will help me, and I hope many others, on our photographic journeys.
But I want to give the last word to @zosimasy: three tiny letters, one key concept... FUN!
I'll go with that - never had so much FUN in my life until 365!