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My latest photo walks
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Well, here’s a motto I encourage you to embrace regarding your photography - DO IT FOR YOURSELF! Shoot whatever gives YOU pleasure. Pick subjects that interest YOU. Go out when YOU want to shoot. Use the equipment, lenses etc. that YOU want to use. Consider an image you have taken to be good if it makes YOU happy and/or proud.
Photography - it’s a rather large sphere for discussion. Another subject that is equally discussed and debated is neurodivergence. They just happen to be two things that I experience in my life. They actually overlap too.
It has been a little while since I last headed out on a photo walk. This has mainly been down to my ND noggin having a bit of a hissy fit lately. It is hard to motivate yourself to go on a wander when you are struggling to decide what to eat for lunch. However, I finally got into a space where I could plan a walk. I decided to head into South Shields, jump on the ferry across to North Shields, and walk along the quayside into Tynemouth. The ferry has been off for a while after the North Shields landing suffered storm damage in January of this year.
I wandered up and down looking for something a little different to capture. I’ve visited the area a few times before so it is always fun to try and find something new. I investigated some different shooting angles of the public art along the riverside, along with picking out details of the National Glass Centre. I was also sticking to my 40mm prime lens so I really worked for my rewards. There was a lot of zooming with my feet along with sprawling on the ground, looking like a crumpled pile of discarded clothing.
Photography can become a very restrictive practice, if you let it. It is easy to become creatively confined by only shooting one genre, in one particular style, or with only one subject of interest. I realise that tunnel vision is often necessary to push ourselves forward to fully understand a specific aspect of the craft. However, it can easily become the only focus and we can miss so much by not stepping outside of these confines and dipping our toes into different waters.
Surprisingly, one of the most intriguing things I saw was on my way to the coast was an old domestic-use garage. I was fascinated by it and its well-worn look. It is something I have found out about myself recently – I enjoy the mundane or the ordinary. I get far more excited about photographing an old garage than I do a stunning ‘picture perfect’ landscape.
Am I suggesting you need to rush out and buy a film camera and ditch the digital? Absolutely not. Would I discourage you from picking up a cheap second-hand film camera and having a go? Absolutely not. I think your photography will benefit from shooting film because of the reasons I have mentioned. It can be a lot of fun, and also heartbreaking.