Pleasant View

Pleasant View, a photo by UpstateNYPhototaker on Flickr.

When I first started taking, or making pictures as many call it, this was the type of scene that piqued my interest. Rural scenes (usually containing a barn that has seen better days) depicting a simpler side of life. As time went on I got caught up taking photos that I thought would appeal to more than just myself. While maybe those photos do appeal to the masses, it was easy to get caught up in taking photos simply because I thought the largest audience would enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong, I would like people to enjoy the photos I post (otherwise I wouldn't bother). However, sometimes I would rather have 5 people tell me that a particular shot means xyz to them rather than have 25 people just say "nice shot."

There is a particular photographer and blogger I read who has been very vocal against making and those who make "clichéd photos." By that I think he means your typical fall color reflecting on a lake, slow shutter blurring a stream etc. Or, in other words, all of the shots that I have enjoyed taking. When I first read his opinion on the subject I was somewhat insulted. I felt that those photos were the ones that the majority of people wanted to look at, the ones that the majority of magazines wanted to print and the ones that the majority of photographers wanted to take. While I believe that to be true and will likely continue to make images of that sort, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be to take a step back and realize that maybe he had a point.

Via Flickr:
Somewhere in rural Montgomery County, Upstate, NY

© 2011 All Rights Reserved. Do not use, or copy this image without my permission!