I started this blog with hopes of satisfying my need for creative expression, but I have found myself running from task to task (with enjoyment), but not taking time to notice anything around me.
Tonight I went for a walk trying to find a subject. I found an empty street, my feet and this tree. I was "shooting from the hip" a style of photograph I learned from my grandfather. With his automatic camera he would use up a roll of film in a matter of minutes; pointing the camera in various directions, at all sorts of subject matter, taking shot after shot. Many people found this to be annoying or wasteful since every one of these pictures would get developed, and were not very flattering. I found these from the hip pictures to truly capture an event or moment in time. No set up, no canned expression, just what was.
My grandfather had boxes and boxes of these pictures. Most of them showing the top of a person's head, the corner of a sign, or seemingly nothing at all, but I would sit for hours looking at picture after picture. In the age of digital photography the boxes of strange pictures of nothing are gone, but I still see the value and style.
While the tree picture is settling, I am starting to see what is meant by "it is about the journey".
3 comments:
I think you're on to something with the shooting from the hip! It's something that made an impression on you photographically. You should try it a couple more times and see if it works for you. I loved the narrative about your grandfather.
Thanks. I am really enjoying this process.
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