See It, Shoot It
Walking along in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, I saw this big old crane silhouetted against the sky.
It took me a few moments to frame it. Buildings in the way. Other structures. So I moved around. Framed, reframed and framed again.
Yep, that’s a photo. Snapped it. How I saw it.
That’s the thing for me. You can read loads about photography. The art of it and all that.
But it doesn’t have to be art. You’re allowed to just take a photograph. See something, point your camera at it. Click the button.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
See it, shoot it.
Now, I know there’ll be folk objecting to my take. And that’s fine. Each to their own. All I’m saying is: if you like taking pictures, take ’em.
Don’t stress about composition and all that arty bollocks. Unless you want to. There’s folk who love the theory. Grand. Crack on. But don’t let it get in the way of taking pictures.
And yes, I moved around to get the frame I wanted. I made choices about what was in the picture and what wasn’t. I just didn’t need to stop and name the rules. I looked until it felt right.
I reckon the thing worth paying attention to is the light. It’s brilliant. Even on a dull day, it’s doing something. Learn to read that and you’re golden.
And don’t worry about having a fancy camera. Great if you can afford one. Knock yourself out. But spending thousands on gear doesn’t mean you’ll come home with the picture you wanted.
Photography is about freedom. Or it is for me.
See it, shoot it. You’ll see things others don’t. They’ll see things you don’t. Grand. That’s how it is.
My photo above? I like it. I know what I saw and I captured it. Other people may not like it. Sound. That’s also how it’s supposed to be.
I’d be more pissed off if I looked at my photo and thought: Nah, that’s not what I meant to get.
Right, I’m done here. Go on, get out and shoot what catches your eye.