It’s December and I’m pondering goals for 2010. One thing I realize I want to do, both in photography and life in general, if focus more on people. As I revisit some of my trip photos in preparation for hitting up Morocco, Tanzania, Nepal, New York and Iceland in 2010, I realize my portfolio is lacking in people pictures. I often bring back wonderful landscape and city shots, but not enough people.
In general, I think this is because in the past I’ve been uncomfortable photographing people in distant lands, feeling like I’m exploiting them for my own good. And maybe I’ll still be doing that, or thinking that. But I’ve also decided to include more people shots because I’m simply not telling all the story of a location without them. Take for instance the photo at right. It was shot in the Himalayas last year. I can show you tons of mountain photos I took, but none express what this photo does. For me, personally, it has a different meaning as I was there. But for you the viewer, I hope it gives you a bit rounder picture of the country (incidentally, these gentleman are Tibetan shepherds bringing their cattle home from Nepal).
I also will be stepping up the amount of portrait shots and microstock shots. Not that I’ll be abandoning nature, landscape or travel photography. Not me. But I will be incorporating more connections with people, near and far, when I look through the lens.
I can list out a bundle of other goals for the coming year, but this one is something I wanted to point out and be held to. More people pictures. You’ll see the results in the Photo Of The Day posted here as well as on my photo sale site, Hidden Creek Photography. I still have many stories to tell and they will include more colorful characters.
I have a similar shortage of ‘people’ shots, which is a shame because when I do get them, they often become favourites. I’ll join you in deciding to do something about it in 2010, if you don’t mind ;)
I’m thinking about getting into microstock and I’m curious about something you said:
“I also will be stepping up the amount of portrait shots and microstock shots. Not that I’ll be abandoning nature, landscape or travel photography.”
Does this mean that travel nature/landscape/travel photography and microstock are somehow mutually exclusive? That is, do they generally not sell well on microstock sites?
Pius,
I should have been a bit more distinctive. Yes, nature is surely included in microstock. But in this post I am learning more towards the formatted, studio shots of people, products, concepts that sell well in microstock. I’ll be working on both actually, in 2010.
A million people have pretty nature shots, but if you can convey “tacky taste” in a photo, it’ll tend to sell more. Right now, I experiment more than anything. There are some great blogs out there to learn from as well.