Photographic Inspiration For The Day
In the beginning of the internet era I had a few friends who would pummel with “Word of the Day” emails. There were no accompanying comments like, “Alex, you might find this word interesting.” Then other friends would send me old photographs of my birthplace of Buenos Aires, again with no comments on why I should look at them.
While I am an obsolete-redundant & retired photographer I take photographs. I am angered a bit when people I know whom I might see on the street ask me, “Are you still…?” Do you ever run into old lawyers and ask them, “Are you still lawyering?”
I have been observing a trend in Medium that follows the direction of modern photography magazines. I used to find inspiration in that last century in that wonderful magazine American Photographer. Now photography magazines parade articles of pristine landscapes with lakes that reflect the mountains and sky above. Much is written about those “rules” of photography like the one on thirds or the one about placing a diagonal in a photograph.
The bulk of these inspiring photographs represent images taken by photographers with patience to wait for nature to do what it does so well. In some cases the photographers must climb to almost inaccessible heights. I applaud that. I want more to inspire me.
These photographs illustrate a concept (multiplied and reinforced by camera ads) that with an expensive DSLR in your hand you can do anything. This means traveling to remote and exotic locations or to go to Mexico and photograph markets with pyramids of oranges or of natives looking out of windows or standing by doorways.
In few of these photographs (particularly in the landscapes) is humanity seen. In few of the photographs that include people are you made aware of any interaction between photographer and subject.
This essay here just points out that I love nature and landscape but I abhor (to use the modern term) capturing it. I usually buy the postcard.
The grainy photographs here I took at the dressing room of a Vancouver strip bar. It involved cajoling and convincing and dealing with hoods. My efforts were rewarded with access.
I can now look at these photographs and think how much easier it would have been had I had my present Fuji X-E1. At 3200 ISO the pictures would have been virtually grainless. All I would now take to that strip bar would be that camera and I would not need any accessories.
To inspire there should be less emphasis on equipment and more on creating an interest in adding humanity to our pristine world.
