p.1 #1 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
Hi everyone! Ive been shooting street and wildlife photos for years, but Ive never really tackled a project like this. I think Ive finally found some inspiration for my first one, but its going to be a whole new ballgamea place!
One of my absolute favorite spots near where I live is this amazing state park. Its got miles of gravel horse trails that people use for hiking, horseback riding, running, walking their dogs, and all sorts of fun stuff. Along these trails, youll find ponds, a farm, and winding paths through the woods and open fields filled with birds and beautiful greenery.
The park can sometimes be bustling with people and their families, pets, and birders with binoculars and cameras with long lensesespecially in the spring and summer. But in the fall and especially winter, you can sometimes walk the trails for miles without seeing a soul.
Id love to capture the essence of this place, showing how it changes over time and space throughout the year. But Ive never done anything like this before. And Im not really into just capturing landscape shots of the park. I want to capture little details and moments that make it feel special to me, both natural/wildlife and the human interactions and artifacts you can find there. Plus, I want to capture how things change depending on the time of day and the time of year.
Any advice on how to get started (other than getting out there and shooting, which Ill definitely do) would be greatly appreciated. Im guessing there are tons of photographers and books out there whove had similar aspirations to do such a project. Any recommendations for me to study for inspiration or philosophy on approach?
p.1 #2 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
Some random thoughts.
1) Be really clear what the story you want to tell is. IDK what it is, but sort of something like "the many ways people use and enjoy that park" -- ?
2) Now lay out the storyboard outline so you can see all the images you would need to fill in the story, in order, and then of course confirm it will make sense visually as that story.
3) Go out and capture images that fill those image criteria. Lots of them and multiples of each main event, location and/or time of year you want to share.
4) Now comes the hard part, editing down the images to only your absolute best, processing them all to a unified look, then deciding sizes, orientations and positions they'll hold in a book or show.
I will be interested to hear about your progress and see images along the way.
p.1 #3 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
My only suggestion is to tell the story through your vision, not what you think other visitors to the park like. Go to the park a few times and just take it in, writing down notes of how you feel and what you see. Dont even take a camera until you have a vision in your mind of what you want to achieve. Now go out and take photos to achieve that vision. Dont push the photo takingif it aint working one day, just put the camera down and enjoy your time.
Also remember less is quite often more. Select only strong images that fit into your vision / theme. Dont include anything that does not fit in.
p.1 #4 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
thank you both so much! great tips. I think the process of trying to do this project will be the best part, no matter the outcome. I love the idea of just hanging out there and taking notes and not really trying to take the photos. maybe some snaps with the iPhone at different focal lengths just as experiments.
p.1 #5 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
Jack and chez have already outlined some great approaches...particularly just leaving the camera at home for a while and visiting each area of the park you enjoy to write notes and think about why it appeals to you. Don't try to stick too close to a structural outline. Your project will "evolve" as you work on it. Creating a project like this is really fun, so enjoy it as you go.
Here's a link to my website which shows several online Blub books I've created. These may or may not be similar to what you have in mind, but I hope they'll spark some ideas. Let me know if you have any questions.
p.1 #6 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
Ive never done a project like this myself, so I dont have any direct experience with it. Still, the idea is certainly appealing maybe something for later, when theres simply more time. Projects like this are very demanding, and the results only come much later.
My approach would be to focus on just a few truly outstanding subjects, maybe five or six. They should be very different from one another a lively square, a close-up of nature, a wide landscape. The key is that they clearly stand apart and offer the viewer plenty of variety.
Each subject could then be photographed in different seasons and moods: summer, autumn, winter (with snow), spring, plus fog and night. Always from exactly the same perspective, so that the changes really become visible. That way, each subject would form a small series of about five or six images. With six subjects, youd end up with around 30 photos.
Whats crucial, though, is that the subjects must remain interesting in all seasons. If a place looks almost the same in summer and winter, it wont add much. Each photo should stand on its own as something strong and engaging. Better to have fewer subjects executed to a high standard than 20 or 30 locations that never get finished and eventually get abandoned.
Additional variations could also be worthwhile: at night under the stars, in the rain, or even at Christmas time if theres something distinctive there. There are many possibilities but everything should be truly outstanding and of high quality.
Those would be my thoughts, and the way I would approach it photographically.
p.1 #8 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
Id actually take my camera with me every time I visited. I might not use it, but sometimes something so wonderful just happens and if you have your camera, you have a chance of capturing that moment. And it may indeed be an experience that moves your project forward in a more meaningful manner.
A couple more thoughts occurred to me: Look through some series style coffee table books by famous photographers; most have done at least a couple. Also, could be really interesting to do a year in the park thing and have it separated by seasons?
p.1 #9 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
If there is a compelling scene at the park then I suggest seasonal shots.
What makes the park so popular? How about images of people that visit there? Capture the pure emotions of photographers seeing a rare bird, or a child wobbling along a path.
Take some shots low to the ground and use a telephoto to compress images.
It sounds like a fun project. I would definitely keep a notebook handy with ideas fleshed out - that may mean you leave the camera in the bag or self-impose only one or two images per outing.
p.1 #10 · Any tips on a photo project about a place?
Years ago I spent 3 weeks in one area with just the same thoughts, it wasn't planned, I just kept wanting to capture more special, specific photos, which either depended on sky or on the fall colors peaking.
It didn't get boring, and instead of the different places I had planned, I stayed in a small area, returning for sunrise, and 'second sunrise' due to the location and then late afternoon and past it.
There have been other projects since then like that, but none as memorable, long lasting or focused. Other factors were involved but all made for a special experience.
You can a variety of photos that way when you stay a while (days, weeks)
