Would You Hang it?

As someone who’s considering the options of trying to make photography a more financially rewarding hobby, it’s tough sometimes knowing what photos to post here, or on my Facebook Page. Both are places that I can display my work as a portfolio for free while I gauge the interest in my work to wide audiences.

A lot, if not all of my photographs bring back memories for me, even the terrible ones, but I try and take my feelings out of the photos when deciding what to post online, and possibly eventually sell. A lot of the time I see technically wonderful photos but I can tell that the subject is something personal to the photographer. It’s not something that would hang above my mantlepiece if I had one. I try and limit the photos that I post to the ones that would interest a broader range of people, sometimes with no identifiable features.

Take this photo for example

Stealing the World’s Statues

As convincing as this picture is, I didn’t actually steal Gateshead’s Angel of the North. Had I committed that crime and then posted these pictures, I think I’d probably have a lot more followers on this blog and be sat in the cold comfort of a cell in one of Her Majesty’s finest. Thankfully I’m sat at my desk shortlisting the photos that I took this weekend. It was more of a flying visit for family festivities, but I managed to squeeze in some touristy time with the camera, though not as much as I’d liked, there’s always next time.

I’ve seen photos like this before,

Left it too Late

I constantly find myself learning new things when I’m out with the camera. This is the reason that I feel I’m not at the top of my game. Add that to the fact that I haven’t found my niche should I want to attempt to become professional. In some ways, I see being 28 as still young, but in others, I feel I’m way past my prime to start thinking about making a business out of my hobby.

If I was to choose a single genre of photography to shoot that for the rest of my life, I think I’d be happy with

Going Back in Time

Sort of. It’s something I’d been thinking of doing for a while after seeing numerous how to posts online, but this weekend my spare body cap arrived from China and I finally got around to make a body cap pin hole lens.

One Man’s Trash…

…is another man’s great photograph. Or something like that. I cant remember the exact saying right now.

I was looking though some photographs of my trip to America from back in January and one photo in particular got me thinking. Before you start, there is some manipulation here in the form of (what I’m led to believe is called) colour-popping. I try and stay as far away from any kind of post production as I can in most of my shots, mostly out of laziness.

If you can tell me where in Minneapolis this photo was taken, you’ll receive a special prize from me. (likely me following your blog)

But back on track, what is this? It’s a photo of a fire hydrant. If you’re American, what’s the big deal? You probably walk past one of these every day. Basing my knowledge purely on the big screen and music videos, you’ve either crashed into one, opened it up on a hot summers day to lavish in the cool, refreshing spray or flooded your street with it. It’s an every day object that you are so familiar with that it’s almost invisible in your humble existence.

It’s interesting. We become unconscious of the things we encounter most. We want to escape the places we live to see how things are in other towns, cities and countries. Much like Americans blanking out the fire hydrant, I’d be willing to place a (small) bet that Londoners and most British people are almost blind to a red phone box or a black cab. On my recent trip to London, it was easy to see the tourists love that stuff.

I on the other hand really like this photo on more than just a personal level. Yes, it brings back memories of a great trip, but it’s something different. I don’t see one every day and it gives me a tiny glimpse of the lives of others in a different country. You’re not really going to be interested in the photos of a travel photographer if he’s documenting your home town. They might be lovely photographs, beautifully composed and immaculately lit, but it is just your home town. Whereas, if a travel photographer from your home town reported back with photos of somewhere other than home, there’s going to be a lot more appeal.

Open your eyes to the familiar… maybe you wont reverse your car into it!