Maintaining my Photo-a-Day galleries at Pbase can be quite a challenge.
Most people who run PaD galleries, post pictures when it suits them. They'll post one this week, maybe two pictures next week. If they haven't got time, they might post a nice picture that they shot last October.
Now let me tell you that there is nothing wrong with the above approach. In fact it is a perfectly sane and sensible way to go. Most of us simply don't have the time to do as much photography as we'd like and we don't always find ourselves in places and circumstances where inspiration comes easily or where photographic opportunities present themselves at a respectable rate of knots. Lugging around heavy camera bodies and multiple lenses is not always a convenient thing to do either.
Then I came across Scott Browne's Photo-A-Day galleries http://www.pbase.com/sbbish/photoadayish
Why don't you check them out?
Scott religously produces a new photograph each day. Depending where he is and depending on the circumstances, the image in question might be a magnificently lit and prepared study or a grabshot of something or someone which he happened to notice as he walks around. The work is never less than competent, usually interesting, often fascinating and occasionally brilliant. He takes risks and experiments. Most importantly his galleries are a record of someone who lives, does and SEES - each and every day.
I have learned a lot from Scott. His work also reminds me of things which I DO know but forget to act upon. In particular there is the old saying:
"You can take an ordinary shot of something EXTRAordinary or you can take an EXTRAordinary shot of something ordinary. Both can be equally compelling."
Scott's Photo-A-Day galleries provide lots and lots of examples of both. I imagine that Scott didn't start out as good as he currently is. I don't suppose that anyone does. He has obviously trained himself to SEE. He has trained himself to be able to visualise ordinary things in extraodinary ways and he provides himself with the opportunity to capture the extraordinary things when they DO present themselves.
Would YOU like to show interesting galleries of work? I don't care who you are. You can.
Step ONE. Be determined to capture and publish a new, fresh, original picture EVERY day. Don't imagine that everything you will come up with will be suitable for the cover of National Geographic or Cosmopolitan. The important thing is that you produce that picture on the day and publish it ON THE DAY. Your self imposed imperative to produce a new picture will START to help you to SEE creativively in and of itself. Go on. See if I'm not right.
Step TWO. Have a camera (however modest) with you almost ALL of the time. The less than technically perfect picture you got with your light and convenient Nikon D40 plus 18-135 is way WAY better than the technically incredible picture you DIDN'T get with your Nikon D3X plus + 24-70 because you didn't have the perseverance to actually lug the damn thing around with you (let alone afford one).
Some days you don't get to go out shooting pictures because you are tired, the light is awful or perhaps you have to work (some people DO, you know). Some days or evenings you sit at home, inspiration totally lacking. You STILL have to produce a picture. Start to look at the mundane things around your own house. Remember ... you can make wonderful pictures out of ordinary everyday little things if only you can learn to see those ordinary things in EXTRAordinary ways. Try some of these basic ideas:
- Shoot as BGCUs (that's Bloody Great Close Ups to the uninitiated)
- Shoot with unusual lighting
- Shoot from directly above, low angle or tilted
- Shoot against unusual backgrounds or in out-of-context locations
- Shoot against or on top of a mirror producing a reflected image
- Shoot as if you are preparing a "sales" image for an advertising campaign
- Shoot through some form of frame - leaves, books, groceries, whatever
I challenge you to shoot interesting pictures using nothing but silly, ordinary household items every day for a fortnight. See if it doesn't make you see and think more creatively - and improve your technique.
See my work at www.pbase.com/davidhobbs
