Realising my style of Photography
Is one of the great things that came out of this long trip up into the Pilbara and Kimberley, was it gave me time to think about my style of Photography. I think most of us at some stage in their photographic journey come across this issue. We look at other people’s works and at times try to emulate or at least be influenced by their ideas.
What I found when I do this was that self doubt creeps in. I question whether my work is as good as it should be. Should I be doing things differently. Is what I am photographing a good subject matter have I got the right angle is the light right and so on the list is endless. I have struggled with this on and off for a number of years. During this last trip I realised what my photography is al about and why I’m doing this. I enjoy the outdoors, the travel, exploring and looking for something different. The Photography gives a purpose to all of this. It just doesn’t become mindless and endless travel, always looking for that great fantastic location.
And in general what I capture is part of my experience of being in a given place and time. I enjoy what I see around me, the vegetation, the small hills,washed out creeks. Of course anything else that may be there. I spend time exploring my location while looking for a photo. Sometimes I find a great composition, other times I just enjoy the looking. On the whole this is me and this is what I enjoy. I continue to be really passionate about my photography because it is a real and a whole experience.
For a period I would look at others work with the view to finding similar locations to create stunning images. Well to be honest most times it didn’t work for me. I was trying to emulate someone else's style of photography. It took this trip to fully realise that I need the holistic experience rather than just going to a location, waiting for the right moment taking the snap and there we have it. I need to explore my surroundings and find what I consider to be striking about the landscape that I‘m in.
A good example is when we went to the Bungle Bungles, I had read a fair bit about it and saw some stunning images. I thought to myself this is the place to go, one in particular was ‘Cathedral Gorge.’ I went there, after getting up early to try and avoid the hoards of people. Our trip coincided with peak time for travelling the Kimberley region so I needed to get there early. Well it wasn't to be. I threw my backpack on and started to follow the trail to the Cathedral Gorge. There were so many other things to see along the way, that by the time I got into Cathedral Gorge there were people everywhere. I did finally get the shot but on the whole I would say that although it is well recognised, it is simply a good photograph ,rather than a stunning image. which I wasn't overly excited about it. I was more wrapped in some of the other things that I found on the journey to get the Gorge.
So on the whole my Style of photography, is one that has evolved from me being part of the surrounding landscape for a period of time. Doing this gives me the enthusiasm to find something unique about the particular location that I’m in.
