My usual mode of photography is simply to go for a walk or to visit somewhere with my camera and see what I can find to photograph. It's not really a very 'professional' approach. The pros plan ahead and know in advance what they are going to aim for, even if it doesn't quite work out on the day. That wouldn't suit me, and I'm generally happy to explore and make new discoveries with my 'hit and miss' style. Sometimes though, I find it stimulating to try a slightly different tactic, and lately I've been using some compositional prompts as a basis on some of my walks. So, for instance, I went out looking for circles one day. It didn't stop me taking pictures of other things too, but I did find a few circles, details I might have overlooked without the stimulus of the prompt.
There was a circular planter on the roof of a canal boat and a porthole window with a colourful painted motif:
and a mooring post looking, from above, like child's drawing of the sun.
I used to know a professional photographer - we've somehow lost contact over the years - and he used to say that although he set out with a specific aim in mind, usually to satisfy the request of a client, his most satisfying shots were always those that just cropped up during the day. So not so very different from your (and my) approach. I've never used that kind of compositional prompt though (I often use texture, colour or close-up as a sort of prompt/theme). Expect to see lots of circles on my blog in the near future!
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful detailed photos...I really enjoyed the discipline displayed.
ReplyDeleteYour journey was successful! These are all good pics, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteThe mooring post particularly appeals to me!
ReplyDeleteYou found some wonderful things to photograph Jenny. They are all beautiful!
ReplyDelete