After about 40 years of photography, the biggest change in my work has nothing to do with cameras, lenses, or the transition from film to digital. It’s what I look for when I’m out with my camera.
Early in my career, much of my photography involved shooting commercially for publications and brands. That meant solving a problem for someone else and delivering the photograph they needed. For a typical travel article, which I shot a lot of, that meant photographing beautiful landscapes, interesting buildings, and dramatic locations: views that would make people want to visit and see for themselves.
The popular views like the Grand Canyon or mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies made me realize something about familiarity. We don't necessarily photograph what's interesting when we travel to these incredible locations; we photograph what we notice—or, maybe more accurately, what has been noticed and pointed out already by others. The obvious views and landmarks that are shouting for attention continue to get that attention. That familiarity has a way of making us stop really seeing and noticing.
Over time, I became increasingly interested in photographs that didn't announce themselves quite so loudly because shooting the same old views as everyone else shot, well, I felt like an uncreative sheep, if I’m honest.
As photographers, we often travel to find beautiful photos because that street we drive down every day can become invisible to us, even though someone from another country might find its architecture, cars, signs, shops, and everyday details fascinating. Travel can temporarily remove that familiarity and make us see ordinary things again. At least, that’s what we tend to believe.
Instead of asking, "Where's the great photograph?", I’m now more interested in asking, "What's interesting here that everyone else is ignoring?" This could be on my own street, at the Grand Canyon, or at Big Ben in London.
That might mean photographing an unusual piece of architecture, an interesting relationship between shapes, patches of color, a shadow, or simply something that catches my eye for reasons I can't immediately explain.
This has certainly led me away from the idea that every photograph needs to shout for attention simply to compete in a social media feed.
Epic landscapes, dramatic skies, spectacular sunsets, and famous locations all have their place, but I’m increasingly drawn toward quieter photographs: images that might initially seem ordinary but become more interesting the longer you look at them.
Many years ago, I was more concerned with whether other people thought my photos were good. Usually clients, as they were writing the checks! Today, my focus has shifted to whether I like a photo.
That shift is incredibly liberating. Once the photographer stops trying to make photographs that everybody else will approve of, there is more room to photograph what genuinely interests them.
After 40 years, improving as a photographer has nothing to do with better equipment or some secret “game-changing” technique. It has everything to do with having the patience to look a little longer.
Sometimes the most interesting photograph isn't the spectacular thing in front of you that everyone marvels at. It's the ordinary thing that everyone else has stopped seeing.
Watch the video above, where I explain how my approach to photography has changed and why looking beyond the obvious has become such an important part of my work.
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2 Comments
There is a lot to understand in this article but a point is a difference in Pro photography and Hobbyist and the trained eye you develop over time.
First go to a shop that sells paintings you will see just what ones mind puts on a canvas some sell most do not. Walk through a hospital, a building of many businesses and look at what is on the walls and in the offices or your hotel rooms. You see plain places or stock images that cost little and are low cost to print.
Secondly the images are really not planned but what is seen that many in everyday times going about the day doing and not noticing what's around them as the day or night rolls by.
A big example is the things that happen but only a short time of just a few weeks like fall colors, I lived it many different places in the 60's going to live in upstate Pa. while my dad went to Vietnam and it was where he grew up. It was way before I found photography but the memories are still in my mind and I went to my father's funeral in October on the family farm and just looked around and saw the colors of normal places that only last a few weeks. People who live all over a fall color time in their locations see it happen then it goes away and few if any ever capture it, just the travelers that pick the time to be there.
The saying be there or never see it ever again forever is what your trained eye notices at the time no one notices.
Like back in my film days I was on the inland of Capri with friends But there was a place all were going to for a swim but had stairs the went down hundreds of feet but at the top looking down the water was so clear that the swimmers looked like they were like flying in the air, My image was put into the ships cruises book for no one ever paid attention to this view. I have to digitize it. My point is this is when I went from a tourist to seeing what others do not.
Ever show someone a photo of the Milky Way over a building everyone says it is photoshopped and why because no one can see it so never noticed.
As mentioned the Grand Canyon look at all the post cards in shops they are from film days and unedited or not new digital prints and all are using cell phones for selfies also few are up and out at night or for sunrise/sets. Nice alone times everyone is sleeping and no photographer in sight.
Your mind can dream an image to try to capture at a local place again few ever see or even pass by where you are but a new 10mm lens will get you a panorama like image IF in the right place and freezing clouds in place in a single image.
You look at a lens and you see an image in your mind whither being close like a micro or far but close as the telephoto brings things closer but in a panorama you get the landscape but closer the way many never get see because of the distance away.
The end result no one buys the images just view and go on to another mainly because we are in an age of digital and a digital media so full of images it again gets boring after so many things viewed.
I found in my film days showing slides of my far away places where boring after about 30 -45 minutes for the normal thing is yes they liked but no way in life time would they ever get to see in person.
Today if you just take the time to stop on the way to work at that place where the sun blinds you and before the sun comes up or sets just ask a police officer where the most accidents happen at those times, changes every month.
The TPE app will let you see the sunrise/sets locations on the horizon every month as it changes your mind will see a good location for you know the foreground you see every day. October and March are the months that both sun and moon will be up 180 degrees apart and many lighthouses have wine tastings at sunset with the sun out in one direction but no one sees the moon in the other direction either morning or evening no one is thinking of or notices but a photographer may see in ones mind that vision and go to a high point to capture a bucket list image but no one will buy but the story is on the back of the print.
That is another problem with digital no story on the back of prints like back in the film days you would write the story on the back of every print maybe one day a printing company will add the story to the back of each print or even media place will add the story under each image not the Metadata but your description of all the W's of the image.
An idea is to get prints and put in frames but change every month in your house that way you see away from the computer and you have boxes of prints with your story of the W's for after time when found all will know the W's not just a print in a box.
"Quiet Places" that you speak of, Simon, really resonates with me. I seek them out, especially this time of year when travelers from all over the world descend on our state to photograph peak fall colors. Except I prefer the period of time after the crowds of people have gone home. This has always been one of my favorite images.... well off the beaten track and majestic roadside overlooks, the scene captures a cold, rainy late autumn day after trees have lost most of their leaves. More bark of the tree is exposed, and detail in the grasses and water carry the picture. It's one of my favorite quiet places.