Overcoming Preconceived Ideas About Travel Photography
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 лип 2024
- Edward Thompson traveled to Texas to photograph the people and places.
How did he overcome the struggles all photographers have in dealing with preconceived ideas of places we've been taken to in the movies?
edwardthompson.co.uk/
big thank you to Picdrop for sponsoring today's video.
Get your free trial of their excellent photosharing system here: www.picdrop.com/go/tpe
I am excited to share a collection of captivating images captured by renowned photographers while adhering to a fair use policy. As an avid creator and a firm believer in promoting artistic expression, I have carefully curated these visuals to enhance the storytelling experience and enrich the content I present.
It's important to note that fair use allows for the limited use of copyrighted material without obtaining explicit permission from the copyright holder. In this context, I have utilized select images from famous photographers to analyze, critique, and educate, ultimately adding value and providing a unique perspective to my viewers.
Through this approach, I aim to celebrate and showcase the incredible talent and vision of these esteemed photographers while offering insightful commentary and fostering a deeper understanding of their work. I sincerely believe these images contribute to the overall discussion and appreciation of the art form while respecting the rights of the original creators.
I want to express my utmost gratitude to the photographers who have brought these magnificent visuals to life. I encourage you, as viewers, to explore their full portfolios and support their remarkable contributions to the world of photography. - Фільми й анімація
This video makes me think of your other videos about people feeling that their home area is too commonplace to photograph. What is commonplace to me (the rural west) might be exotic to someone who lives elsewhere. Maybe my local strip mall or suburban neighborhood holds something uniquely cultural that I'm too close to see. The trick is to figure out what is unique about my mundane surroundings that might be of interest to someone else, and then to photograph it well.
Getting over preconceived ideas is why I go on photo walks. It’s liberating to get out of your head and interact with the world solely on aesthetics for a while. I’m no longer the subject of my mind’s eye.
We lived in Texas in the late 70s while I was serving in the USAF. I just wish I had taken more photos while living there. I did like your mention of shooting in second hand or antique stores which is something I’m working on now that I’m retired. I’ve started a playlist of slideshow videos of antique stores here on UA-cam. Keep up the great work sir 👏👏
This is interesting.....I live in Indiana and travel around the state for work, and I've started a series where I photograph things I see while driving. I use a wide angle lens and hold the camera to the window and SAFELY photograph interesting, or not so interesting, things as I travel along. I set the camera to f5.6 or f8, pre-focus, and grab shots as I pass by. I don't need to look through the viewfinder, so I never take my eyes off of the road. I simply hold the camera to the window and push the button. I don't even care if the image is tilted....that just adds to the spontaneity of the moment.
My goal is to capture everyday life of people doing everyday activities. I'm also looking for things that used to be commonplace but are now relics from the past.
Thanks for posting!
Thanks for sharing Alex! It's funny to think that the work was made 18 years ago isn't it! Part of the magic of photography isn't it, it's timeless. And the example about Iceland is actually a great idea for a project.... When are we going?! 😉
I think it takes time to figure Texas out because it is so big and varied. Moved from western Canada to Ft Worth and hated it. But after about 3 years we started to see the scenery, culture, etc as something very unique and really quite beautiful. The people were mostly annoying but the state is stunning. Choose the right spot and it’s heaven.
I love your videos, always gives me pause for thought and insparation to go out and photograph. Thanks
What a great perspective. As someone who lived in Texas for a long time I find these images just scream Texas to me, but you’re correct not in a cliche manner. It’s a hard thing to do to get the local flavor when you don’t know what that is, but I think maybe even more difficult is how do you do that when it’s the place you live? It would have been really hard for a Texan to get those shots, just like when I go shoot my local area it all seems boring and uninteresting at times because I see it every day. Enjoy DC!
This is a really great video. I was interested in watching it because I live in Texas and because when I took an art photography course at UT Austin from Garry Winogrand, his mantra was, "Shoot without preconceptions." The comments and suggestions in the video are quite helpful in trying to do that!
Looks like Edward did a good job capturing Texas beyond the stereotype. I live in Georgia USA and it is easy to fall into the limitations of just seeing the common and make assumptions about othe states or even countries
As someone that has spent the last ~55 yrs in Texas, it is fascinating to hear the opinion of someone for whom these scenes are unusual. For me, many of these images were quite common (one might even say dull), but this video made me try to see them from the perspective of a newcomer, and finding different perspective with which to view the world is one of the things that makes photography fun.
Something I learned long ago, but still need to be reminded of, is to simply look around while I'm out and about... no matter where I am. There is an art to cultivating the notion of "seeing" even when in familiar surroundings. I used to carry my SLR (film) camera with a normal lens on it and just look thought it at things that I encountered while out and about (sorry for the repetition).
As I write, I'm in Lubbock visiting friends. I'll be headed back to Nevada in a week. ;)
I lived in Maryland for most of my life and moved to North Carolina last year. When you think of the American south you have certain images come up. But North Carolina is very diverse because of the size of the state. I think Texas is the same way. Its very diverse because its so big
Great thought, Alex! And how easy it is to lose "wonder". Being in my 13th year of having made the USA my home (originally from the Netherlands), the images you showed are already "normal" to me. Your video made me think about the difference between looking at my US environment 13 years ago and now. Time to "reset" my photographic eye :-)
Refreshing video, Alex.. I wonder what I could explore around my neighborhood, city, that I previously walked by or took for granted.
Great perspective Alex. Cheers from Texas!
This video is perfectly timed. I'm in St. Augustine Florida all week for vacation. The typical tourist photos are competing for time along with the more creative photos. I loved the suggestion to quickly photograph the strong identity of a place then go for more unique images.
Immediately noted in cover photo the can of chewing tobacco in the shirt pocket. Very Texas. It is both clearly visible and yet not visible at the same time.
I thought he was going to mention it. :)
Although no real American drinks Bud Light LMAO
I was at the Lincoln Memorial. For me, it was almost a spiritual experience. I was there late at night virtually alone, one other person walked by on that cold night, and reflecting on all that was something, profound is an overused term these days, but that did near profundity for me.
Great images. I wish that we as a community would be better
I think, perhaps, that the word you are searching for Ed's work is something along the lines of timeless. Speaking of that, there is a certain timelessness to Weir's movies, two notable ones are Witness and Master and Commander. They are also fish out of water type of movies, in M and C it is Dr. Maturin and in the movie Witness it is a bit of a table turn with a Philly cop being the fish out of water on an Amish farm whereas the typical choice would be to have a farmer being the fish out of water in a big city.
I took your advices when I traveled recently. I took every touristy shots where everybody would stand. Then i ran away and find different angles incorporating the element. Then i finally can shoot the details of the surrounding life.
As one who is approaching near 20 years as a Texas resident I will say finding the stereotypes and archetypes associated with the state might be a bit more difficult than expected. The big cities are modern and generic, very diverse communities and cowboy hats can be few and far between. The smaller towns outside the cities and their surrounding suburbs would be a good place to start. Also themed festivals and fairs might offer some good photo opportunities. My town was founded by Germans and the annual festival has a few folks wearing traditional clothing from that country. Go figure.
I made this work in 2006 and 2007. It was very different then. I stayed on a ranch near Fredericksberg. A photographed Oktoberfest there in 2007 but only one photo made the book but it's on a very "Oktoberfest" image.
The old photographs we admire for their nostalgia and quaintary were, if you think about it, similarly dull and everyday, at the time they were taken.
Texas is a large State the has vastly different topography in different areas. The inhabitants vary dramatically because some are from large modern urban areas and some live in isolated rural locations in West Texas. So to have Texas for a subject could lead one to endless possibilities. It would be better to define a region. One could do the Hill Country, the Panhandle, the Rio Grande Valley, the Big Ben Area. Even select some of the cities.
This was a great video. Truly enjoyed it.
Alex, I'm a subscriber and a fan of your general approach, and I've seen enough of your videos to see a pattern in that you frequently talk about "trusting your instincts." But in my experience, good instincts are a byproduct of experience. A lot of hours have to be put in honing a skill before it becomes instinctive. I'd like to hear more about that process. What can a developing photographer do to master the various individuals skills that will lead to trustworthy instincts.
I lived in Texas for ten years and though I did go to rodeo sometimes, it was mostly like any other big city, talking mostly about the Dallas area. Downtown and malls and stores and such, like any other big city.
Great video as always. Cheers from Fort Worth, TX! I lived in Washington D.C. for many years as well. Enjoy your time there. It is an amazing city.
Texas is a big state in a big country and for all the homogenous corporate repetition, there are plenty of unique situations, people, and environments that are worthy of making an image. Enjoy it. Been there many times. (Also: The BBQ is fantastic in Lockhart, TX. Just saying.)
Hi Alex as ever love what you're doing. On a slightly different note, you might be interested to know that there's a photographic exhibition not far from you at the New Buckingham village hall 15th 1930 - 20.00, 16 all day, 17 10am - 1pm May. I'm sure you would love to see what local photographers in your backyard are up to. Best AP
There is a bit of that feeling of being in a movie for us Americans as we travel about, when a small town person goes to a big city or vice versa, all states have a bit of a different way about them, and many people from other states get that movie feel when visiting SoCal. SoCal is still featured prominently in movies even though movies aren't filmed in California as much as times past Hollywood is still used as short hand for the movie business.
I feel like travel photography is supposed to be of the places that everyone goes to, and includes stereotypes. Say I take travel pictures of San Diego, but instead going to a beach I head to a stream in the suburbs. That's not what people come here for, that's not what they want to see. But it depends what the travel photos are for, are they for AAA's magazine, or for a documentary type book. I wouldn't categorize the book you shared as "travel" photography. But if I were a traveler in San Diego, I like what you suggested, to photograph the expected and then look for the different.
Could you make a “reading list” of photography books that are more geared towards learning than “good photos”
I have always wanted someone, someone!, to photograph Horseshoe bend on the Colorado River looking back over from the far side. Never seems to happen though
I've said something similar about the USA in that everyone that visits photographs the Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridges. And I can see wanting to do that, to have one's own image for a keepsake, but photograph other stuff besides. Does the world really need another photograph of the Brooklyn or Golden Gate Bridge. I'm sure there are hundreds taking pictures of each right now as I type this, and that's not bad in and of itself, but it does mean that one will have a very difficult time of taking an image of it that is unique unless one finds a different angle and/or the lighting quality is unusual at that moment.
informative content
D'you think it possible that working in the square format might have helped Mr Thompson develophis own way of seeing? Not many 1x1 images in photo libraries or cinematic sources to colour ones expectations.
And that's not intended as a criticism - I feel an affinity for that format myself, just wondering...
Had a friend who, when we traveled, said why shoot anything that is available on a postcard?
Do we really need to travel far, or just maybe look around where we are, but with new eyes?
Good points about breaking out. Ed did a good job of capturing Americana Texas-style without cliche. Texas blew me away with its diversity and departure from cliche. That said, although this type of photography has value, it isn't my cup of coffee.
As a resident of fly-over country, the characterization of us is so far wrong it would be laughable if it wasn't just cheap shot, political disparagement. Cheers.
Alex. How can I share some of my photos with you? If they're good enough maybe do a fan critique.. I don't mind getting roasted. Been shooting for 4 months. Throwing it out there.. love your content! Please keep it up! 👊
I do not quite agree. If you go to Iceland and do not photograph geysers, northern lights, glaciers, puffins, whales and the well-known tourist attractions, what on earth is the use of going to Iceland in the first place? You might as well stay home. On site, due to varying light and weather conditions, just getting all the musts into the tin-can may already be quite challenging. Hardly any time for all the lefts and rights.
On the other hand, everybody wishes to return with the ultimate work of art. This could however be the composition of one of the photos that some well-paid professional had shot for the postcards or travel brochures lying around in the hotel lobby. Therefore it might be a good idea, at least as a first step, to copy the other guys' "standard" stuff. Only if you have enough time left, try other compositions and other motives.
Go to the international spy museum while in DC
All of Robert Frank’s photos were based on preconceived ideas.
I know an artist that told me that artists these days all do what they call conceptual art, that it serves a bit like a metaphor in literature, and that no artist "just" paints a pretty picture these days. Yet I know of two artists that do just that, their work is entirely devoid of message, and they are very successful, they do fine just with the pretty pictures. My artist friend, though, does the "message" art and still struggles to gain sales and a following. Honestly, there is no shortage of political discussion and I think to see it carried through into art is a big turn off for most people, they just want to look at something beautiful and get tired of being hit over the hit with political messages even in art. If one wants politics they'll read an op-ed or watch a talk program or documentary, I don't think most people want politics in their music, oil paintings, photography and movies.
This is definitely not universally true. While I like "pretty pictures" I like messages as well. I think all art carries a message though, even if the message isn't "in your face"
It’s worth noting that there is a difference between the art people enjoy or find interesting (and might be political) and what they will pay so they can put it up on their walls.
I love the photography of Ernest Cole covering apartheid South Africa, but I don’t want hard hitting political photos on my bedroom walls…
Once bitten...
One or two of those pictures appear to say Texas. I could drive thirty miles, and take the rest of them. You do NOT have to photograph clichés to evoke a specific place or time. If the purpose is to show that Texas isn't a bunch of cowboys and a few Natives, there are still unique aspects to shoot. Most of the photos you included have no there there.
There are so many misconceptions about Texas. I moved here back in 1982, when there were still a few native Texans left. Texas has always been a state that people move to and that is because of job opportunities. With all the people who move here you end up finding out that Texas is about as generic as places come. When you have people from all over the country in one place that is how things turn out because it is so easy to offend someone. I have lived quite a few places now in Texas and visited even more and have found it the same everywhere. Generic, boring, the same everywhere. If you want to see what Texas was once like, you have to go to the old downtown section of a smallish town. Otherwise, Texas just looks the same.
The one thing I will say,that is different here. The people are not as nice as where I moved from. That was Iowa.
It seems to me that editing out the uniqueness of a place makes it something else, not travel photography. Who TF would go to Japan and search for images devoid of its culture?
I don't think that's quite what he was saying.
I'm not advocating not photographing a culture, but getting the 'postcard' images out of ones system