Every so often on a photography website, you'll come across an article about how to fulfil your interest in cameras, and still keep your family and friends. How to go on holiday without being an utter pariah for the people you travel with, and the people who cross your path. How not to turn every family occasion into one where you are hunting among the guests pointing a bottomless circle of black glass at them and asking them to 'just be natural'.
One day, I hope to find that balance; but not today.
Life's a continuum, isn't it? and so it is with photography. When I first got a camera, I was far, far over one end of the spectrum, and thus I have very few photographs from that time. I used to find people's reaction to my camera so un-nerving that I hardly ever got it out.
As I have got older I have learned to confront the world more, and to care less what it thinks. Nevertheless, you will not find street photography one of my strong points, or portraiture. You will never see a picture on my website of an aged Yak-herder looking suspicious. My photos currently have a common theme, peace, tranquility, very few people.
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello
See, in some subliminal way, even this building is NOT LOOKING AT ME.
Grand Canal, Venice
And these ones, are quite clearly asleep...
Nevertheless I'm getting better at this. When my partner says 'Oh god you're not bringing your camera, are you?', I don't put it away, I still bring it.
And as the continuum develops, I hope one day, not only to bring it, but to take some photos as well.
All things happen in time.
This does, however, stand in the way of good photography. So, in the interests of becoming a better photographer, I'm learning to push the boundaries a bit. This blog will be about that journey. And who knows, by the time I reach the end of it, maybe I will have reached the far side of that continuum, the wedding photographer, the one that makes you do star jumps in your wedding dress and marches around barking orders at your mother in law.
Every cloud has a silver lining, eh?
This isn't a blog that will teach anybody about being a good photographer, at best, sharing my experience may make other budding photographers feel they have a companion along the way, but hopefully as time passes, the photos will improve, so if you don't like the blog, you can just look at the pictures!
To end on a positive note, the thing I really like about the photography world is the good nature with which so many people approach it. In spite of having the capacity to be a massively tekkie, 'boys' toys' type of world, there doesn't appear to be a gender bias, men and women get equally enthusiastic about it, and there's absolutely tons of stuff to learn. There isn't a great deal of negativity either, the camera market is dominated by two big players, Canon and Nikon (with some other players who are trying AWFULLY HARD) and people are generally very nice about whatever equipment you use. There is an abundance of spectacularly good photographers out there, and they generally seem to be a very tolerant bunch.
Apart from the annoying ones, of course...
Distant view of Leeds. No people...