27 Sep
2010
Posted in: General, Patagonia
By    8 Comments

Shoot what inspires you


This one is short and sweet.

Don’t worry too much about creating photographs that are beautiful and inspiring. Don’t worry too much about getting oohs and aahs. Don’t worry too much about ensuring that your work is original or creative. Don’t worry too much about whether your photos are “art” or not. Don’t worry too much about whether your photos will sell or if people will like them or if A-list celebrities will hang them on the walls of their million-dollar mansions. 

Just shoot what inspires you, and above all, have fun.

Although I often advocate trying to avoid overshot icons, if you are moved by beautiful iconic scenery, by all means photograph it. Who cares if it has been shot a million times before? That doesn’t mean you can’t have your own unique and intimate experience.

Just shoot what you feel like shooting. Believe it or not, that’s what I do. I shoot what moves me, and if others don’t feel the same way, too bad for them.

My most memorable experience this year occurred while photographing in Patagonia. I backpacked for several days, climbed a steep mountain, and traversed a glacier in the dark to reach a remote mountain pass high in the Andes just in time for a stunning sunrise. An army of marching clouds broke against a distant peak bathed in the golden light of dawn, likes waves on a rocky shore, while winds high above me roared with the fury of a thousand avalanches, so loud they broke the sound barrier. I’ve rarely been so moved in my life. To me, this photograph captures forever a memory that will in time fade into oblivion.

"Cerro Gran Gendarme" - Patagonia

"Cerro Gran Gendarme" - Patagonia

You don’t need to travel to the ends of the earth to stunning places in order to find scenes that move you. They are all around you, waiting to be discovered. They can be places, things, or even ephemeral moments in time. Just make sure you have your camera ready, and shoot when you are inspired. 

 

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About Ian Plant  (275 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.


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8 Comments

  • Julie Rorden September 27, 2010 at 10:34 am

    Magnificent image! Thanks for sharing it and your words of wisdom. Though I love to travel, living on the western most edge of the Rockies and next to a river that spills into a huge freshwater lake, inspirational scenes are abundant. Yesterday afternoon, for instance, I had every intention of doing a brisk 45-min walk along the river. Nearly 5-hrs later, memory card full, I walked through the front door with a big grin on my face.

  • Ian September 27, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Great story Julie, thanks for sharing!

  • Yendys September 27, 2010 at 5:27 pm

    This seems like a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do post. :)

  • Ian September 27, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    I don’t see how telling people to do what they want and to enjoy themselves is a “do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do” post. Unless you are suggesting that I don’t do what I like or enjoy what I do. Because I can assure you, I do both! Thanks for commenting.

  • Gary Marks September 27, 2010 at 9:03 pm

    Nice post Ian. Was thinking about this just this week after getting back from a vacation out West. Most of the photos I took are special only to me and I am absolutely ok with that. You words are timely and reassuring.

  • Ian September 27, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    “Timely and reassuring” are not two words that are often used to describe me, either singly or in tandem, so I guess a double thanks is in order Gary for the extra kind words!

  • Chip Allen September 28, 2010 at 10:30 pm

    I’m still a newbie at photography but from the outset I’ve always just shot what caught my eye. Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia there is plenty of that and my only worry most of the time is doing justice to the beauty all around me.

    • Ian September 29, 2010 at 5:34 pm

      Hi Chip, always nice to hear from a fellow Virginian!


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