As an avid traveler, photography is one of my budding hobbies. I haven’t taken a class (I probably should ) and I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I try. That’s what counts, right? 🙂 Today, as I swiped through the photos I’ve taken so far on my trip, I’ve been thinking about me as a photographer.
On Photography
At first
center it
point and click
snap, snap, snap
quantity over quality
Through the years
I’ve evolved
no longer
am I satisfied
with mediocre
Now my photos
have to
tell a story
make the viewer
wonder and
question
The focus now
is less
on the famous
or touristy
and more
on the ordinary
Catching glimpses of
everyday life
made interesting
by the angle
the framing
and the focus
Color and
lines
grab my eye
intriguing me
enticing me
to take the shot
The goal to
get the perfect shot
the right angle
subjects in and
out of focus
framing it just so
better than editing later
More concerned with
quality over quantity now
many shots
don’t make the cut
but the ones
that do
are just right
Here are a few of my favorite shots:
my heart is happiest when i travel. read. write. connect. 
Beautiful. Your photos remind me of Steve McCurry. Do you know of his work?
Never heard of him! I’ll check him out. Thanks! 🙂
Wow! He’s amazing…:)
Beautiful photo and words. I love the woman with the yarn. As a knitter I feel a kindred spirit with her.
Thank you! I love that one, too. I took her photo in Myanmar. She’s part of the long neck tribe of people who live there.
Your poem shares so much. I might share it with my class if that’s ok. It’s so vivid. You definitely have an eye for it. Thank you for sharing your pictures and poem.
I’d be honored if you shared it! 🙂 Thank you!
Gorgeous pictures. Moods, themes, and stories are speaking to the viewer.
Thank you Terje! 🙂 I’m glad they are speaking to you…that’s the goal!
So wonderful. The Fisher is my favorite, but I love the lion and the umbrellas. I don’t think you need a class but it might be fun.
I love the fisherman, too. He’s blown up really big on a canvas and hangs above my bed. I also have the umbrellas in a framed photo in my room, along with an umbrella lamp hanging on the wall that I bought. I do think a class would be fun!
Your poem is a wonderful “story” of how your skill developed. Your pictures are wonderful. My favorites are the ones where you capture people in the midst of living.
Thank you so much! 🙂
The third photograph is my favorite-the colors, the composition-beautiful!
My favorite phrase in your poem is, “Now my photos have to tell a story.” I wonder, do you ever use your photographs to spark a story for a slice?
Yeah, I love that one, too! I took that one in Chefchaoen, Morocco. 🙂
I use photos in my slices, but using them to spark a slice…that I don’t really know. But I could! Thanks for the idea. 🙂
It looks like you travel a lot! I’m a bit envious, but I’m so glad I can see the world through your eyes/photos. (I thought maybe that photograph was from Greece so thanks for clearing that up for me.)
These are all incredible photos. I love the one with the blue buildings and the one with the man sitting on the ground and the glowing umbrellas. A few years back my husband challenged himself to take pictures every day, and post one every single day (to keep himself accountable). His photography skills increased so much, as did his eye for the everyday and the lines and colors in day to day life. It was kind of like his artist approach to the daily slice.