Wouter Brandsma
Early 2012 I, Wouter Brandsma, mentioned a kind photography in a topic that is thoughtful, personal, but without the need for going to a destination with a plan. A kind of photography where the process of taking photographs could become the destination. The SeriousCompacts team (Amin and the moderators) realized that a lot of what belongs in one forum could also go in another, but they thought a lot of members would find it liberating to post in a designated category without the constrains of the familiar genres. So they asked me to write a "sticky" explaining what this kind of photography actually is.
I know for sure many photographers witnessed the following. You've tried several photographic genres. You felt the excitement of learning something new. Landscape, portrait, street photography, you name it. Fueled by the enthusiasm of others and famous photography blogs you started full throttle. But each and everyone of these genres require dedication, time, preparation, attitude, specific gear, and so many other things. You need to practice a lot, because you want to be good at it. It involves planning and traveling. You have to become familiar with your gear, conquer your fear, basically leave your comfort zone. And this gives pressure, because all too often we don't live near Bryce Canyon, Cornwall, New York, Hongkong, or have a studio at home. The pressure to perform slowly changes your mindset. You don't want to photograph your subject, but you have to photograph it. Your passion changes into an obsession.
Bang, struck, dissolution, frustrated. You lose your creativity, your inspiration, and nothing seems to work. "Doldrums", as I like to call these photographic ruts. And there it is, in between the extremes of pushing yourself in a specific genre and not be able to free up time anymore is an unlabeled kind of photography. A kind of photography to actually appreciate the process of taking photographs, seeing a moment, even if the time available is minimal. Yet this photography is serious and thoughtful, but unlike anything else unplanned, unstaged. It requires no demands, no particular subject, just you with your camera. And all you need to do is to just go out, stroll around.
I learned this in 2011 when I started my photo a day project. Most of the photographs I took were taken within a close range to my home and work. I just had to take a stroll. 5 or 30 minutes, sometimes even less. In or around my house, a nearby park, a desolate street. Therefore I called it "Stroll Photography".
So here it is, a sub-forum within the image threads for your ungenred, unlabeled, yet thoughtful and personal photographs.
I know for sure many photographers witnessed the following. You've tried several photographic genres. You felt the excitement of learning something new. Landscape, portrait, street photography, you name it. Fueled by the enthusiasm of others and famous photography blogs you started full throttle. But each and everyone of these genres require dedication, time, preparation, attitude, specific gear, and so many other things. You need to practice a lot, because you want to be good at it. It involves planning and traveling. You have to become familiar with your gear, conquer your fear, basically leave your comfort zone. And this gives pressure, because all too often we don't live near Bryce Canyon, Cornwall, New York, Hongkong, or have a studio at home. The pressure to perform slowly changes your mindset. You don't want to photograph your subject, but you have to photograph it. Your passion changes into an obsession.
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Bang, struck, dissolution, frustrated. You lose your creativity, your inspiration, and nothing seems to work. "Doldrums", as I like to call these photographic ruts. And there it is, in between the extremes of pushing yourself in a specific genre and not be able to free up time anymore is an unlabeled kind of photography. A kind of photography to actually appreciate the process of taking photographs, seeing a moment, even if the time available is minimal. Yet this photography is serious and thoughtful, but unlike anything else unplanned, unstaged. It requires no demands, no particular subject, just you with your camera. And all you need to do is to just go out, stroll around.
I learned this in 2011 when I started my photo a day project. Most of the photographs I took were taken within a close range to my home and work. I just had to take a stroll. 5 or 30 minutes, sometimes even less. In or around my house, a nearby park, a desolate street. Therefore I called it "Stroll Photography".
So here it is, a sub-forum within the image threads for your ungenred, unlabeled, yet thoughtful and personal photographs.
