What kind of photography do you like to do?
I have been asked this question before. I remember it specifically on several occasions, and I remember my lame answers that followed. This subject was refreshed in my memory the other day when I read a post on Paul Lester's blog that brought it to my attention once again. I don't think I can answer the question as simply as some can anymore, because a lot of the photography that I actually do doesn't always compare to what I like to do. In the greater scheme of things, my time in the craft of photography is very short. I have owned cameras for many years, but I never took photography seriously until the spring of 2002, which is the time that I claim to have become a photographer rather than a camera owner.
The answer to this question has changed several times since 2002. As I learned the technical side of photography, my interests were in using those specific abilities to create an image. When I reached a point where I was comfortable with photographic technique, I think I became bored with my choices of subjects, and my previous love of some of those photographs I had made faded as well. I spent a lot of time searching for the real passion I had in photography. At this point, oddly enough, I think I have come full-circle to a point where my love for any particular image does not fall as much into the realm of technique. My current favorites are images that have emotional content that outweighs any technical aspect of the image. This does not mean that good technique is not important. What it means to me is that good technique is only important when the subject is strong.
Another irritating concept that I have come to understand is that good technique is just as subjective as any other aspect of art. Good technique is culturally biased. Studio portrait photographers don't like grainy images. Street photographers don't like flash. Landscape photographers don't like motion blur unless there is a waterfall in the scene. The like or dislike of black and white gets mixed reviews from all sides of the craft. At best, good technique can be defined as whatever technique the photographer prefers for the task at hand.
So what do these things have to do with what kind of photography I like to do? I believe that a combination of my favorite subject choices coupled with my favorite technique help to define what kind of photography I like to do. So... my answer to the question is as follows:
I like to photograph people being who they are and doing what they do.
The reason I prefer to photograph people is simply because they are quite dynamic subjects. I could photograph a waterfall 10 or 15 times and get several different images, but I can photograph a person over and over again without really duplicating a previous image. Mood and attitude changes give me different images over time. One of the other bits that I enjoy about photographing people is that I learn something about them and make new friends as I go. I write down bits of information about everyone I photograph to enhance my personal recollection of the moment since my own memory isn't permanent. Whatever I write down will last as long as the image itself.
I'm just happy that I have spent the time to come up with a concise answer to this simple question... I'll probably never get asked this question again...