a bunch of man & nature
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 11:08AM 
An autumn afternoon • click to embiggenWithout a doubt, I live in a target rich environment, photography-wise. It seems that everywhere I look there is a picturing opportunity. Although, that said, I suspect that no matter where I lived that would most likely be true.
Case in point - late yesterday afternoon I went out for a short drive. Within an hour or so, after making a trip of about 8 miles, I was back home with bunch of pictures.
Interestingly enough, of the 9 pictures posted here, 6 of them were made with camera positions that were within approximately 40 feet (or less) of each other. For me, this not an unusual occurrence. More often than not, once I am engaged with a location, I find myself making a fair number of distinctly different pictures - as opposed to "working" the same subject from different POVs.
Whether this is due to the fact that I do live in a target rich environment or the fact that I tend to see picture possibilities "everywhere I turn" is open to question. Most likely it is due to a little bit of both factors.
In any event, I would like to issue an outside lies magic challenge to all of you out there within the sound of my blog - as John Stilgoe suggests:
Go out side and walk, a bit, long enough to forget programming, long enough to take in and record new surroundings.
Now, I really don't care if you walk or drive, what I am most interested in seeing what you take in and record. But, here's the "challenge" - limit yourself to camera positions that are within 30-40 of each other and make as many different pictures as possible.
Then, after you edit and work your post-picturing processing magic, send me (up to 9 images, lo res jpegs - 72dpi with a max dimension of 1000 pixels) the results. I will assemble them into a single file (like you see here today) and post them as an entry - along with any words you may (or may not) choose to include - for all the world to see. Well, not all the world, but for many around the world to see.
Come on, get involved. Let the rest of see what you see.
Mike Johnston (of T.O.P. fame) is running an ongoing picture project called Forgotten Camera whereby contributors send in a picture made with an old camera (along with a picture of the camera itself). He posts the pictures here as they come in on an ongoing basis.
I would really like to have an ongoing thing like that here on The Landscapist.
How about it?
Reader Comments (5)
I think they are both great ideas. I would love to get the hefty FTN back out and make some pictures.
I also like the other idea, like you, we have some great areas to make pictures here in Washington county.
Yesterday the wife and I shot along the old Rte. 4 that was shut down 30 years or so ago and runs right next to the canal and Great Meadow prison.
90% of my images and 90% of my keepers are from my "backyard". If you love and find your subjects interresting its very easy to make great photographs in my experience.
Sounds like a great project!
I spent about an hour the other day in one concrete bike tunnel (approximately 30 feet long) taking pictures for my ongoing concrete series. I'll pull a bunch together and send them. People think I'm nuts but I see a lot of beauty in concrete.....
My regular cameras can be thought of as "forgotten". Remember the Linhof Technika V? The Nikon F4? The Topcon Unirex? This is my kit - the whole shebang. Nothing newer than 1990.