Someone recently asked me “What type of photography do you like to do?”. In all honesty, I had never really though of myself as a photographer that had a “type”. I simply use my camera to try and get what I feel to come across in my photos. There are so many different types of photography – landscape, still life, macro, and portrait just to name a few. While they are all different, they are all also very similar in that they are ways that an artist can express his or her creative vision.
Every time I shoot I fall in love all over again with whatever type of photography I happen to have just done, regardless of what type of photography it was. If it was a portrait session, I walk away thinking that shooting people is all I ever want to do again. Of course, that only lasts until I see a tree that catches my eye, or my wife brings home some neat looking piece of fruit. It is just the act of photographing and creating that keeps me coming back. When I see something, I react to it with a feeling, and photography is a process that allows me to capture what I felt in that moment and share it with you. I may be feeling small in the face of a grand landscape, or awed by the beauty of a simple apple. But the key is that I felt.
For me the creative process does not necessarily mean that when I see something I like that I photograph it and be done with it. Often the process is more involved. I find that I often start with simple sketches and notes as to what I hope to capture and refine it many times before actually trying to create a photo. Some photos take several tries before I feel that I have something that adequately conveys how I feel.
What do I like to shoot? In the end, my answer to this question is really pretty simple. Whatever subject and style is necessary for me to get my feeling across.