The more I practice photography the more I am looking for opportunities for growth. I have always enjoyed landscape and nature photography. I have always loved being out in nature and seeing new places. I take pictures of what I see in order to remember the moment. It’s the closest I get to seeing something for the first time again. Even when I see it again, it is still isn’t the same as seeing for the first time, and taking pictures of it allows me to remember how I felt the first time seeing a new place. I still look for ways to be better at taking photos of landscapes and scenes. My focus now is finding new angles and perspectives. I got a lot of practice taking pictures of some of the same places last year. We didn’t travel for most of 2020 for obvious reasons. I took advantage of that time and road my bicycle all over town and taking photos of some of the same places at different times and seasons. The main thing I learned is the importance of sun light. If the sun is on your side, then you can see every detail of a scene, but it if isn’t then there is no photo editing that can fix that.
Another skill I have been working on is portrait photography. I did this mainly to take photos of family and friends. My wife kept telling me that I wasn’t taking pictures of her in the most flattering of ways. Perspective is a huge part of portrait photography, and it is even more important in taking portraits. I started reading over a book this year about how to take better portraits, and some of the simplest ideas in that book was very eye opening. One thing I learning is you have to image everyone’s head as being one of the points of a triangle. I actually was able to take some great photos just by adding that simple concept.
My next place of growth is street photography. It is one area that takes me out of my comfort zone. I am a introverted person by nature, and I feel weird taking photos of people. I’m always worried that one person will be offended if I take their picture. Even though I am a little nervous about it, I have started to practice at a few different places in Charlotte. One place I have been taking several photos is at the farmers market in uptown. It is one of my favorite places to visit in the summer. We usually ride our bicycles up there every Saturday to see what they have. Sometimes I roll home with some produce, other times I don’t. One thing I try to get is some great photos while I am out every time.
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Through Griffin's Lens 