I have a question for you today. A question not really related to my main story about my photography rules. Which I’ll come to later.
It’s probably a rhetorical question. Well, not probably. It is a rhetorical question.
So here goes. When does a photograph really become a photograph?
Is it when you press the shutter on your camera? Is it when you first look at the result on the camera’s LCD screen?
Or is it when you transfer it to your computer and post process or edit it?
Maybe it becomes a photograph when you print it. Or perhaps it becomes a photograph when you share it on social media and others see it.
Who knows? I certainly don’t.
And that begs another rhetorical equation. If it lives forever on your compuer hard drive and nobody ever sees it, does it really exist. Like the tree falling in the forest and not making a sound. If there is nobody around to hear it…
I know – I’m not making sense. So I’ll start trying to make sense and get on to my photography rules. MPR. A bit like MKR but without the kitchen.
my photography rules - number 1
Lyn and I are not long back from a three week trip in our motorhome.
As usual I took lots of photographs. Or did I create a lot of digital files? Which will become photographs when I share them with you here.
And as usual I Ignored most of the basic photography rules. The guidelines.
No concentration on the rule of thirds. No golden ratio. No leading lines. No patterns and repetition. No delberate symmetry.
But there is one rule I never ignore. It is the most important of my photography rules.
My number 1 rule is Take photos just for myself!
my photography rules - numbers 2,3,4,5,6 and 7
My rules 2 through 7 are very straightforward. And in no particular order. I don’t think they need any explanation. So I’ll just list them.
- shoot what you want
- shoot whatever catches your eye
- shoot what looks good to you
- shoot what makes you happy
- shoot something that tells a story
- shoot things that ask a question
And there is one more rule I just thought of. Don’t worry about what other people might think.
That’s my list. Now some photos based on the list.
shoot what you want
I’m pretty sure most people wouldn’t look twice at this. The red shoes, the red on the No dogs allowed sign, and the red of the shop window frame made me want to shoot this.
I didn’t have to take a photograph. But I wanted to.
shoot whatever catches your eye
I’m not sure if “what catches your eye” is the same as noticing something. But There will be signs really did catch my eye. As we were stopped at a set of road works traffic lights.
shoot what looks good to you
Near Waimate we found a lovely freedom camping area at a place called McCullochs Bridge. The Waihao Reserve. Beautiful apart from the heavy overnight rain!
These wonderful Limestone outcrops can be seen from the Waihao Walkway between the reserve and nearby Black Hole car park. No – not Calcutta!
I’m not a landscape photographer, but this one looks good. To me.
shoot what makes you happy
Hinahina. In the Catlins. The place makes me happy!
Being in a beautiful place like this at sunrise makes me feel very happy. At peace.
Catlins sunrise was shot at Hinahina freedom caming ground near Owaka. It wasn’t terribly early. 7.22am to be precise.
shoot something that tells a story
A story of Dust & Rust.
A vintage store of collectibles – or not – in the old stables in Murchison. Full of vintage stuff. Antique stuff. Junk stuff. Dusty stuff. And rusty stuff. As you can see from the old Morris truck rusting outside. The DP5130 number plate dates it to the early 1960s.
A must-stop place.
shoot things that ask a question
Look for trains. What is the question here?
For me it is this. Has Kiwi rail lost another train. Please look for it. Can you help us find it?
Stupid I know. But I always react this way when I see a look for trains signs. Have a wee chuckle to myself about it.
I shouldn’t laugh about it though. Train vs car or train vs truck, and train vs pedestrian collisions are all to common in New Zealand. Especially when trains only run a couple of times a day on most rural lines.
Here are a few more photos that share the “my photography rules” approach to shooting.
Caravan in a paddock is a quintessential New Zealand scene. I’ve been wanting to use the word quintessential in a story for a long time!
Suumer holidays in a grassy paddock. No snow in summer though. Beside the sea. Mountains in the distance. Fresh air. Birds singing. Seagulls shitting. Bliss. Maybe I should have captioned the photo bliss.
This way to the beach. Not a summer holiday camp. But apparently a semi-permanent home. Complete with an advertising sign for a local hairdressing salon. And clearly not far from the beach.
Almost there…
The Catlins Boating Club is located at Hinahina. The Outside lounge area has changed a little since we last visited. Four years ago. New couches. Well – new recycled couches. No two-seater anymore. A bit more worn. More holes. More faded. But I guess a good place to hang out all the same.
I’ve saved the best till last. A playground Sputnik. At Awamoko.
My favorite from the trip. And I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about this image that really makes me smile. But it does.
I think the diagonal angle of the slide and the way the trees are framed between the diagonal and the sky is what does it for me. Along with the gentle colors. The red ball. The yellow slide. And the varying shades of green. Helped in post processing with a Fuji Provia look. And slight reduction in contrast.
So there they are. My photography rules. Or some of them. I make them up as I go along.
And you should too. To enjoy your photography more.
Thanks for dropping by.
If you have anybthoughts on when a photograph becomes a photograph let me know please by leaving a message down below.
Your feed back is appeciated as always.
Happy days,
Rick