What do you photograph? What are your favorite things?

[Yoyo]

I was chatting with a friend of mine today, about the photography class that she’ll be teaching over the summer. She asked about how the class should progress, and I said that starting with a text or instructional book and following their progression would be a good plan. Start with technical things: shutter, aperture, exposure; then spend a bit longer on the art: color, shape, composition; finish with the most time on taking pictures.

Then she mentioned that it was a class of learning disabled kids, and my reply was that if she really understands photography, she should be able to explain it to anyone, no matter how young or slow. Also, instead of pregressing through topics week by week, maybe she could cover one technical topic each class for a few minutes at the start (when motivation is high), then one subject of the art, and most of the session with taking pictures.

My final suggestion was that on the first day of class have all the students introduce themselves and state what they like to do and what their favorite things are, since they would probably be most interested in taking pictures of things they like: friends, sports, animals, etc. She though this was a wonderful idea.

This got me thinking. What if I turn it around? What do my photography subjects and style say about me? I tend to think of my own style as documentary. There’s not really any single subject that I concentrate on, but all my subjects are generally in-situ. I don’t spend a lot of time setting up the perfect shot. I just take what the world around me offers. I suppose it ultimately shows I like to travel and see new things.

So, the question for discussion is: what do your photos say about you? And what do other’s people photos say about them, if you care to comment about our peers here?

[Yugoboy]

My photography sound a lot like yours:

I tend to think of my own style as documentary. There’s not really any single subject that I concentrate on, but all my subjects are generally in-situ. I don’t spend a lot of time setting up the perfect shot. I just take what the world around me offers. I suppose it ultimately shows I like to travel and see new things.

Although, if you want to know what my biggest folders in my hard drive are, I’m pretty sure they’re “Buildings,” “Landscapes and Waterscapes,” “Flowers and Plants,” “Cemeteries” and “Cars.”

For the majority of my life I wasn’t big on photographing people (probably kept me from becoming a wedding photographer). I’m getting over that, but I still like subjects that can’t possibly come back and tell me how much they hate that picture of themselves.

[ennuipoet]

I classify my niche as Photo journalistic and Street Photography, people are my passion and I want to tell stories through my work. I loath a posed shot, when the scrum of photographers at an event I am shooting gathers around an interesting person I go the other way. I am searching for unguarded moments where the person is not paying attention to the camera but still presents a compelling image:

My landscape work is dominated by where I live, so I like to find places that surprise people to learn it is in the middle of New York City. Most people have this image of New York City in their heads of giant skyscrapers and millions of people jammed shoulder to shoulder, so when I whip out an idyllic waterfall in Manhattan they are forced to rethink their image of the City.

I would like to shoot more still life and “art” photography, but I find myself limited by lack of studio space and quiet truthfully, an incomplete understanding of lighting. I would love to work with a true studio photographer and learn from them, something I am trying to do now.

I generally find the feedback to my photos positive. Because I shoot so many public events, people find photos of themselves doing whatever they were doing there (performers mostly) and they love the shots. I frequently get request from the performer for full res images which I always provide gratis. It seems only fair. My friends have started the “imposition phase” where they assume I will take photos of their friends and family when they come to visit, which is cool they love my work but kind of annoying they assume I will just do it for free. That is the one thing that actually makes me feel like I have “made it”, when people like my work enough to annoy me to get it 😀

[emiliogtz]

I like to do fashion, street, budoir. People have always been my favorite subject. I spent most of the time I dedicate to this hobby of mine making photographs of persons. I like directed and spontaneous shots, in my experience, some persons, specially when they come in couples, need to be directed, while others are great at being themselves, so to speak. I like to be in the studio, where things are under your control, but I also like to go outdoors and get some real colors. My wife is a social photographer so I get to work as a ‘second photographer’ from time to time, that has been very helpful to my photography and social skills. I used to be a blast at parties. =)

However, I wish I could do street more often. If only I could learn to handle the fear that grips me as soon as I aim my camera at a complete stranger, maybe I could get a half-decent shot. I’m working on it. I grab a camera, take the bus/subway, hit downtown, get back home eight hours later empty-handed. At least all that walking is good for my health, or so they say.

[fluffybunny]

I like to do fashion, street, budoir. People have always been my favorite subject. I spent most of the time I dedicate to this hobby of mine making photographs of persons. I like directed and spontaneous shots, in my experience, some persons, specially when they come in couples, need to be directed, while others are great at being themselves, so to speak. I like to be in the studio, where things are under your control, but I also like to go outdoors and get some real colors. My wife is a social photographer so I get to work as a ‘second photographer’ from time to time, that has been very helpful to my photography and social skills. I used to be a blast at parties. =)

However, I wish I could do street more often. If only I could learn to handle the fear that grips me as soon as I aim my camera at a complete stranger, maybe I could get a half-decent shot. I’m working on it. I grab a camera, take the bus/subway, hit downtown, get back home eight hours later empty-handed. At least all that walking is good for my health, or so they say.

For being timid you have some pretty nice portraiture,.. spontaneous, street or otherwise. I especially like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliogt/6918705299/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliogt/6716764803/in/photostream

Your action work (4 wheelers, etc) is spectacular.
Keep up the good work.

[nobigdeal]

I shoot musicians mostly. Mainly live metal, hardcore & punk acts. I will shoot any genre but the more extreme and violent, the better the photos.

We also shoot video, review shows & albums and are slowly becoming the go-to source for heavy music in New England.

Never in a million years would I have thought that at age 46 I would be getting credits in CD liner notes and have my photos used for album artwork.

I’d love to do more traditional photography but in reality nothing excites me as much as the challenges of getting shots in the tough environment of a dim club with a crowd of moshing kids all around me.

http://musicinpictures.net

[Barracuda]

Outdoor photography is probably 90% of what I’ve got stored on the hard drive. If it’s outdoors, and not likely to come banging on my door if they don’t like the photo, it’s likely to get a camera aimed at it. 🙂 I bought the camera as a secondary facilitator for getting outside and away from the computer as often as possible. There are times that getting on the bike and taking a ride just isn’t in the cards, but jumping in the truck and driving somewhere to take a stroll in the evening hours at the park or somewhere can get me out from behind the computer screen. So far on my trip I’ve taken somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 photos, and could probably count on one hand how many of them have person in them as anything close to primary subject.

While part of me would like to branch out, do more people, probably sports or even street photography, doubt that’s going to happen any time real soon. I do want to get the 300mm lens to a AAA baseball game soon before it gets too crazy hot outside.

[ravnostic]

Uh, duh–I think I do a lot of astrophotography, especially now that I have (most of) the equipment I need for it. But I like urban art, buildings in decay, up-close florals, and if I could get more people to sit for me, portraiture. I’m pot-pourri, always have been, but I’m focusing on the astrophotography lately, as it’s been my dream since I was a wee lad.

[bender16v]

I’m an opportunistic photographer and try to capture whatever is around me. I travel a lot for work and really, really wish that I had more of an interest in photography years ago. While I’ll never be able to go back in time and capture all the things I’ve seen, I’m doing my best now. I do enjoy taking photos of wildlife and birds, but that is a result from me liking to be outdoors. I would really like to try some portrait photography, but that involves setting up lighting and finding a subject and my wife is only so patient.

I really admire the people who have a specialty and excel at it, so I try to learn from them; and there is some really great talent around here. Otherwise I’m pretty much on my own trying to learn things. The only photographer I know in real life only does wet plates, so this place has really helped me see what is possible with photography.

[fluffybunny]

I suppose I am a generalist in that I will photograph anything. The aspect of our avocation I enjoy the most is capturing the fleeting and ethereal in the crucible of a frame,.. the look on a face, the animal before it runs off, the juxtaposition of things that cannot be scripted. I appear (hard to be objective with this) to be a better photographer when I can take my time, think things through, experiment and play with my subject,.. this is in direct conflict with statement number one. Like many of you, I prefer the out of doors and small groups of people.

I like ice cream.

[lokisbong]

I seem to gravitate towards Nature pics when not shooting for a theme. I have tons of pictures of lizards and other wildlife like ground squirrels,antelope(well not very many of those yet) and spiders. The spikier a bush is the more likely I am to point a camera at it. Cactus and Yucca definitely get a lot of my focus. Want to get into astrophotography some day but to do that right takes more money than I can spend right now.

[ravnostic]

Should you ever be in the Phoenix area, lokis (or alternately, if I ever make it out your way–which is where?), look me up. I carry t-adapters for both Canon and Nikon (I’m not a snob 😉 ), and would be happy to let you play with my astrorig.

[lokisbong]

Sounds like fun to me. My cameras are all Canons since you mention it. I’m loving the high desert life in Tonopah Nv to answer the where question. Now that I have a job I should be able to take a paid vacation some time next year. And I am thinking that would be a fun idea to head to your area. There are a few things in that area I want to see if I remember right. like on the way there or back I would have to stop at meteor crater for certain.

[Pope_Larry_II]

I love photographing buildings, churches and old buildings in particular. I guess it comes from having a degree in Architecture and spending a good deal of my working life fixing them.

[orionid]

I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

/That’s why I’ve been avoiding this thread.

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