People have always asked me why I really like photography and why I like taking pictures. I never really knew the answer, either, until I had a conversation with my mother about how sometimes, when I look up at the sky and the clouds, it all looks like a picture, or like it’s just painted on there. That’s when it struck me.
My main interest when it comes to photography is sunrise and sunset. I’m very much attracted and intrigued by the way the sky looks when the sun is just rising or just setting. There’s a certain feel to it that I still just haven’t really understood, and it just looks so fascinating once I actually get the images on a camera. It also really goes with what I say about photography: “The picture sets itself up, I just point and shoot.”
When there’s a beautiful sunset, I don’t do much of the work other than go to a certain angle, adjust the settings of the camera, get a good foreground, and take the picture. Almost every time the picture comes out perfect, and that’s what I like about photography. Although not EVERY time will I come out with a good looking photo, more times than not I will end up with something presentable because of the way the photo was already set up.
This doesn’t only apply to the sky, though clouds and sunsets are a truly beautiful thing to capture. I have taken a lot of pictures of other people with this type of mindset where “the picture takes itself.” One time during my friend’s birthday back in Coney Island in New York, we themed the little get-together with all of our friends so we’d all have to wear white shirts.
When we decided to stop and take a little break on the boardwalk, three members of our group leaned up against the railing that separates all the shacks and the boardwalk from the beach. With the sun behind them, as it was getting towards dark, they all looked like they were posing for some magazine. It was something really interesting to behold since it was all accidental.
In a way, photography is a bit like Forest Gump's famous quote: "You never know what you're gonna get." It's true, in a way. Any ordinary person can just walk along on a casual Tuesday and suddenly find a scene that looks like the perfect shot for a potential picture, or someone can set up shop and wait for the perfect picture.Either way, there's little room for failure, but there's plenty of room for experimentation. You can always take one scene and get plenty of different angles, distances, perceptions, and so much more. The list goes on with what someone can do in terms of photography, and that's what I enjoy about it. There's always flexibility and wiggle room for experimentation.
