Photography Philosophy

Not Fitting in a Photography Box

People often ask, “What sort of photographer are you?  A ‘Portrait Photographer’? A ‘Wildlife Photographer’? A ‘Street Photographer’?” But my range of photographic interests cannot be so easily squeezed into a single box.

I always carry my Contax G2 with me ready to capture the moments that life brings to me. I have often described myself as a ‘Walkout photographer with a snapshot style’ but that in a sense describes what I do and how I do it and a not my particular specialist photographic genre.

AI Photography: My Journey Into A New Medium

My name is Ed, and I’m a photographer from Alabama. Having shot for about 12 years now, I’ve always been fascinated by the ways technology can enhance and transform the art of photography. In this article, I explore the exciting new world of AI-generated images and the impact they’re having on the world of photography and art. Drawing on my experiences with AI tools, as well as my passion for film photography, I reflect on the ongoing debate around AI-generated images and their place in the art world.

Wedding Inspiration shot on Film

My Story of the Imperfect Perfection of Film in Wedding Photography

I was always looking for a way to earn money on the side with something I love and escape the suffering of nursing. When Corona pushed things to the limit in 2020, I started taking selfies with my phone and playing around with photos. Instagram wasn’t new anymore, and people just posted whatever came to mind. So I started taking photos with my Sony Alpha 5000, which I used for vlogging back then. Here a traffic light, there a tree, and here an old car. But I couldn’t get away from the question of “how can I make money with it,” so I started calling for couples to photograph for my portfolio.

yellow maple leaf amid dried brown leaves on pavement

The Case for Always Taking Your Camera

In all of the photography advice I have ever received, the most common is to always bring your camera. You never know when you might come across something that you want to aim your camera at, and the comfort of having a camera around your neck or tucked in your pocket or bag is joyous. I love the spontaneity of being able to take a picture anywhere. You can find small or substantial moments and you never know when they will pop up. It could be a cloud formation or the way that a shadow hits the sidewalk as you are walking to the mailbox. It might be a bird in mid-flight or your child running. That “decisive moment” that Henri Cartier-Bresson described is much easier to find when you have your camera with you.

The Case for Not Always Taking Your Camera

Okay, it might be blasphemy to write this for a photography website. The other night, on a beautiful spring evening, I took Jupiter the dog for a little walk before dinner. I wanted to enjoy that prime space between winter and full-on spring. I usually grab a camera, even when it’s for a quick walk, but this night I deliberately left the camera behind. The time had just changed, and so we had that extra hour of daylight that all of the clock-switching nonsense aims for. We walked past the neighborhood park and turned onto a wide sidewalk trail heading east. The huge full moon was just rising and peeking out over the houses and treeline. It was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful reds and oranges reflecting the sunset hues in the opposite sky. I paused, and so did Jupiter.

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