I have been feeling rather stagnent lately. I have not touched my camera just for fun in quite some time, and that is a shame. It is a stress relief for me. It is a creative outlet for me. I genuinely enjoy picking up my camera, and trying to find something unique within my current surroundings. I have been ignoring that. I could make excuses… no time, cold weather, etc. But, in truth I have merely been ignoring it. So, hopefully yesterday fueled my desires to make photos again, and to be confident in that. For so long I was making photos to please others such as teachers, or my peer photographers. Now I realize that I am at a place with photography where I can just have fun, and do what I want. I’m not trying to land a job, get a good grade, or even attempting to get praise from others. As my roommate Don has challenged me so much this year, in everything, have fun with it!
So with that said, let me explain what my fun project for yesterday was. This was my first attempt at that, and to be honest I am not too pleased. I will probably keep trying this, and hopefully get better. My favorite way to shoot is called “shooting from the hip.” My all time favorite photojournalist Robert Frank was the first to turn me on to this idea with his series of photos titled “The Americans”. It literally means you hold your camera at your hip, aim, and shoot without looking through the viewfinder. When shooting portraits it is of upmost importance that you keep the horizon line in the photo straight. I get so upset seeing portrait photographers (wedding, engagement, senior and the like) attempting to make strange and unnatural angles work. But, the result is a photo that looks as if a person is going to slide down the floor they are standing on because it is so slanted. If you enjoy these type of photos, then sorry for the soapbox. I understand much of photography is subjective to the viewer. That is just my very strong opinion. The fun part of shooting from the hip is this rule doesn’t really apply. You are able to get strange angles and perspectives that somehow become interesting. They are not usually publishable, museum quality or anything like that. They’re just fun. Anyway, yesterday I took this idea and hopped onto the saddle of my bike. Shooting from the saddle was my project yesterday. I simply rode around OKC and snapped open my shutter as I rode by a subject that caught my eye. So the seven photos below where my top choices from the shoot. Hope you enjoy. I hope to explore this a little more in the future. I encourage you to do the same if you have a camera and a bicycle, but be careful. If you are not a multitasked you may not want to attempt this. I had fun with it. If you would like to check out a great blog of a photojournalist from the Chicago Tribune who explores shooting from the hip, then check out Scott Strazzante. He gets some really fun, and interesting shots. But, if you are taking portraits for someone. Please make your photos timeless for them, and create a straight horizon line. There are plenty of ways to get creative with the photos other than creating a wonky photo.
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.
