06:57.
An autumn sunrise. Light bouncing through the windows. Highlighting a section of the sign. Outside the window I see trees moving. A good chance of rain during the day. Customer hurries in to grab their order before escaping back out of the door.
My ¾ empty cup a testament to how I tend to nurture my coffee instead of drinking it. In a few minutes I start my day, head off to work. While I am there I put my creativity away. Lock the door on it.
I’ve been capturing the ordinary since I started doing photography. What I saw on a daily basis were the things that ended up on my camera roll. People on their way to somewhere. Either walking, driving, cycling. Or waiting. Buildings, displays in windows. And signs. I really enjoy signs – all kinds. Traffic signs, signs on fences, posters, etc.
My first few years as a hobby photographer had some patches of anger in it. I live in a small town which is a bit more conservative. Not really used to a person walking around with a camera. Street photography wasn’t ideal. None of the familiar elements you would see online. No tall buildings with yellow cabs zipping by. No performance artists near a fountain. Or flocks of doves flying up as people walk by.
How could I make good or interesting photos if I didn’t have these elements in my images?
I didn’t understand it but as I continued taking photos of ordinary things I saw I had all these things – but in different shapes and sizes. I didn’t understand that capturing the ordinary serves a few roles and ends up making you a better photographer.
This is the first part of my newsletter which is schedules for tomorrow 3PM CAT. For the US it means my newsletter in your inbox just around breakfast time. Not a bad way to start the day (and hopefully you’re having a nice cup of coffee to go with it : ) )