What kind of photography do I like...?
Whilst I have been choosing images for my website, I have been thinking about what pictures I like?. There are so many types of picture to consider.... Colour or black and white, posed or candid, landscapes or cityscapes, reportage or street... I could go on its an almost endless list.
Tall Ship Sails off towards Worlds End Australia
I look at breathtaking images, and think they look incredible. My imagination is captured, and I am inspired by them. However, I think about the the technical complexity, and what it would take to recreate such an image.
Take this image of a tall boat sailing into the moon, it is beautiful but the amount of planning and effort that would have gone into this would some how take away some of the pleasure... don't you think?
It certainly conveys the emotion but it lacks the spontaneity that creates the sense of a moment time captured..?
Beautiful Shot of a Small Child Walking Her Dog in Winter Canada
Consider the picture on the left of the little girls walking the dog. There is no question its a beautiful image. It captures a moment in time, and is beautifully taken. But beyond that it seems to me that it does not make you think about what is really happening in this picture... its a little bit obvious I guess?
Moving Shot of a Child Fairy Soldier Looking on in CAR
However, the picture on the right satisfies all the criteria I have mentioned previously;
- Technically a great picture
- Captures a moment in time
- Leaves you wanting to know more
It also has a certain amount of humour, and contradict with the obviously sad context of children in war.
I makes me realise that the images I like are those that hint at a story, those that give you a little bit of information but leave you wanting to know more about the subject... Its not about how it was taken or what lens they used.!
I guess if you have to give it a name, it would be called documentary photography and I guess this explains why I love the work of Don Mccullin so much.
Anyway, all of these picture are inspirational to me and I will continue snapping away.... but I guess you are likely to see more of this type of image.
