Friday, April 8, 2011

Themes and projects

Markus Spring wrote about themes and projects, which made me think.

For an amateur photographer, there is also the matter of what opporturnities you have (e.g., "natural landscape", "trees in urban setting", etc.), and what kind of "prototype images" you aim for (e.g., high-key, low-key, etc.)

I like to go for long walks in a forest, taking the camera with me. Thus, trees are often the subject. This is natural also because I grew up among trees in the Finnish countryside. Trees are a convenient, natural subject.

However, I wouldn't say that I have selected trees as a theme; that they have selected me would be better said.

Also, sometimes one get fixated in a specific theme, not seeing beyond it. For example, if you are looking for sunny images, you may miss the beauty of the fog or the rainy day.

Today I once again visited the forest nearby. It was again different - the spring is advancing fast. We have had rain, and the melting snow is generating floods here and there.

4 comments:

Rich Gift Of Lins said...

Juha, the images you've been posting recently of the sticks and branches lying on the snow and ground like "splinter" in this post have been really good. Another example of what the "seeing" eye notices and what it's so easy to walk past and miss. Regards, Colin.

Juha Haataja said...

Thanks!

There has been really plenty of stuff lying on the snow. Good opporturnities for finding visual treasures.

Markus Spring said...

The forest theme - twig photographer - has certainly found you, Juha, and you are doing immensely well in it. Here inclination and possibilities come well together, and this is crucial for an amateur photographer, having certainly a smaller time budget (and less pressure) to follow his calling.

I think that any "cramps", like pursuing a project where the opportunities are really little, like maybe cricket photography when living in Finland, will immensely lower the yield of the photographic work. As Colin said, the "seeing eye" is what makes good photographs, and this we can only train with seeing and doing.

Juha Haataja said...

@Markus: "Cricket photography in Finland", that is great.