Style and Vision

I have been working with photography for many years and during that time I have experimented with many styles and techniques along the way.  It seems as frequently as equipment and processes change so does the latest trend of the "in look style" of images we see.  It is easy as a starting photographer to chase all these trends and find yourself creating a group of images that lack a common vision or theme.  I have found myself over the years falling into the trap of wanting to be current in my look and chase after the latest trendy look in photography.   A photographic image should revel something about the subject and very little about the technique that was used to create it.  Many images I view recently have more to say about the process than about the subject.  Our processing tools today can be overwhelming with then numerous choices we have to alter our final image.  It is easy to over work an image and end up with an image that is clearly over processed.  I choose to work in black and white because it is an abstract image form and gives me more creative freedom to fulfill my vision I might have of a particular scene.  When working in color there is much more of a restriction as to how far you can take an image with processing.  The simple fact that we see in color requires that a color photograph must stay within a certain state of believability to be acceptable.  When a color image is over processed and the colors are super saturated we immediately dismiss the image as being Photoshopped and it is not a true representation of the scene.  I see many wonderful landscape locations that appear this way on the internet.  In making this image I was experiencing a sleepless night and decide to step out back and make a photograph of the beautiful night sky.  The milky way is not in this hemisphere at this time of year and the star pattern was not dramatic.  I still liked the scene and in making this image I wanted to express the stillness of the night. Whatever you chose to photograph learn to make images that are about the subject and less about the process you used to create it.  It is how we develop a style and a vision with our photography.

Street Buddies in Cuba

I enjoy street photography but it can be a challenge to deal with the fast working style that it requires.  Most of my photography deals with landscapes where I am usually in a quiet setting working with my camera on a tripod.  When I travel and find myself in a busy city with plenty of action it can be difficult to switch from my nature photography to action.  The digital camera has made it a bit more difficult with the many settings of the camera that has to be considered.  It seems that the newer cameras are over engineered for the simple act of making an image.  I preferred the mechanical camera of the film years that required very little programming to go out an take photographs.  I could focus on the subject and much less on the use of the camera.  With each camera upgrade I now spend countless hours learning and programming the camera to function in a certain way for a particular style of photography I choose to do.  Keeping all these settings in my memory for fast recall can be difficult especially if haven't used my camera in awhile. I have found myself writing down the various custom setting on a card that I carry along in my camera bag so I can remember how I programmed the camera for use.  I am certain that this is probably not a problem for the younger photographer that has only worked with digital equipment.  While in Cuba I came across many interesting street scenes and it was a very fast pace type of photography.  I always find it rewarding to be able to wonder around aimlessly in a city and see what subject matter is around the next corner.