The beauty in the mundane.
In the past, i spent a long time looking to only find stand out scenes to photograph. If i was doing landscapes then i would travel for miles, often in the early morning, trying to find a location that was special or epic. For model photos i would spend a lot of time getting poses and outfits just right, lighting, backgrounds, everything had to be as i wanted it.
This was all great, and i enjoyed the process, however after some time things began to change. I grew bored of photography and at one stage gave up almost completely, i had become burned out by my own expectations and demands i put upon myself. Mostly this was down to time, i just didn’t have the time anymore that i once had. Two hour drives to spend 4 hours at a location then 2 hours back again, followed by 3 days solid editing, were no longer possible due to family and work pressure.
After taking a break i then started to think about doing photography again, but different. Recently i had been watching videos on youtube about photography and randomly one day a video on the life of Saul Leiter popped up in my feed. Previously i had no desire to do any sort of street photography, but this was different, it was art, but it was also, abstract and captivating, as well as being beautiful, i loved it. That then led me to appreciate other street photographers, and beyond that to different styles or lifestyle and fine art styles.
From all of this though one thing stood out, imperfection was not a bad word, and boring things could be glamorous. This led me down several paths to where i am now. As well as looking at documentary and lifestyle images in my photography, i want to capture that beauty in the mundane, the sometimes hidden meaning and emotions that everyday objects, scenes and places can evoke. Sometimes you don’t appreciate these things until you properly look at them, slow down and just enjoy the world around you as it is.
Photos don’t have to be clean and perfect, they can be “rough” or technically incorrect yet still have beauty and emotion, a memory that is warm, comfortable, special or exciting.
The subject doesn’t have to be spectacular, it can be the smallest of things, a scene you have seen many times, anything that means something to you or the viewer.
There was a while back an Instagram trend that tied in with this, “The art of noticing”, which was mostly short videos or images of everyday scenes. This proves that people are looking to reconnect with their lives and the world around them, as opposed to being glued to a phone screen or seeking constant stimulation. Long may this continue.
This whole view is positive and uplifting, and one that has inspired me all over again to do something creative. I hope that you can also enjoy this photography style and look forward to reading your comments.