It is easy to zero in on the artistic with your work -- seeking out that perfect angle, that perfect composition, that perfect combination of colors, that perfect something that will become The Shot that will rival the great masterpieces of art.
But there's also something to be said for capturing the whimsy and humor in the everyday.
I often debate with a writer friend about whether writing fiction or non-fiction is more fulfilling. She argues that life has too many loose ends, so fiction enables us to control the story, tying them up neatly and achieving resolution that gives us a certain catharsis and satisfaction. I argue that the loose ends and lack of resolution are what makes non-fiction so interesting -- also, I've discovered over the years that the quirk of life provides so much more material than anything I'd be able to create out of my own imagination.
The same can be said for photography. Just as we stumble into great stories, we often stumble into great pictures. Some of those unsought finds capture the absurdity of life in ways we couldn't have planned and we simply have to stop and take a moment to laugh at them:
This remains of my favorite shots, not for its artistry (it doesn't really have much) or for its great lighting or color (it doesn't necessarily have those, either), but for the sheer luck in its composition. My only regret is that I missed the corresponding shot of a group of tourists walking up to another gator sunning itself on the bank of the pond, which easily could have been titled "Hey, Y'all, Watch This!"
It's the row of cars parked along a pedestrian walkway signed "No Vehicular Entry." It's the man taking a cigarette break next to an industrial propane tank blazed with "Flammable" signs. It's that scene that makes you stop, look, and think. And then you chuckle or laugh outright.
But there's also something to be said for capturing the whimsy and humor in the everyday.
I often debate with a writer friend about whether writing fiction or non-fiction is more fulfilling. She argues that life has too many loose ends, so fiction enables us to control the story, tying them up neatly and achieving resolution that gives us a certain catharsis and satisfaction. I argue that the loose ends and lack of resolution are what makes non-fiction so interesting -- also, I've discovered over the years that the quirk of life provides so much more material than anything I'd be able to create out of my own imagination.
The same can be said for photography. Just as we stumble into great stories, we often stumble into great pictures. Some of those unsought finds capture the absurdity of life in ways we couldn't have planned and we simply have to stop and take a moment to laugh at them:
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| Okefenokee Swamp Park; Waycross, GA |
It's the row of cars parked along a pedestrian walkway signed "No Vehicular Entry." It's the man taking a cigarette break next to an industrial propane tank blazed with "Flammable" signs. It's that scene that makes you stop, look, and think. And then you chuckle or laugh outright.
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