A picture is worth a thousand words.

I have been asked a few times by my friend Troy and a few others about my photography. Troy has inquired about particular photos and asked me what I was feeling when I shot, what I am trying to convey and even what was my mood or emotion of a particular photo? I read an article the other day that got me thinking about this so I decided to write about it.

This is about photography so move along if you have no interest in it.

Simple questions when it comes to my photography can be easily answered. Especially for those who follow me on Instagram. I love nature, especially trees and leaves in the fall and winter, love architecture, and love street photography (though I am still really new at it). What I dislike is shooting people, particularly posed. A great street shot is one thing, but family, senior, portrait, kid’s photography bores me. I also have no desire to shoot wildlife such as birds or any other basic animal seen often. I like what I like and do not fault others for what they shoot, but this is about me.

I also tend to lean toward monochrome shots (black and white). I learned photography in high school and we shot film (which I developed) for our school paper and yearbook. I used monochrome film so my natural instinct is to shoot that way. If I shoot color it tends to be muted colors.

The classic saying is “A picture is worth a thousand words.” I have often thought my pictures are meant to tell a story. To reveal something to the viewer. The more I shoot the more I realize what my role is in my photography and what the role of the viewer is. Simply put I shoot what I see that draws my attention or interest. I don’t shoot to tell a viewer a story. It is not my purpose to convey a story. I interpret my shots the way I want and anyone viewing them gets their own story from them.

If I gave you a book and the main character was not described (appearance) in that book, you would create that image in your mind of how they look. If I gave that same book to 10 other people they would do the same. If asked to describe that character or draw the main character there would likely get a different version from everyone. That is how I feel about photography. I take my pictures, and the viewers interpret how they want (good or bad).

If you want to read the article that inspired this post click here.

I will leave with a recent shot I took. When I took this I was feeling…., I was thinking…., I wanted to convey…

That is for you to decide.

Until next time,

Tim

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