inspiration

[tomorrowstreasures]

Copied and pasted here, is an email that I received tonight. It got me to thinking about our forum and posing the question to all of you to answer.

(The email sent
From: Lola Bee
To: Susan Krupke <ttpus@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 4:19:32 PM
Subject: RE: :0)

HI!! I was thinking about you yesterday and today, too! : ) It is good to hear from you.

(The email question
Okay - question for you. What is your favorite photography subject? On your blog, you have the different letters from architecture, people and the puppies. Which one inspires your creativity the most?



(My email response was
Answer to your question - actually - it is not a thing - it is a feeling that inspires me... it can be the way a color makes me feel.... i love sparkly things and lights... i am inspired by texture - it can be the smoothness of a baby or the character of an elderly person's lines in their face. it can be a look, an emotion. it can be an event that has energy. with the puppies, it is the fascination of their growth. how in such a short time they grow to adult size and i don't want to miss a moment, just as i never wanted to miss a moment of my children's lives and tried in vain to capture and witness every moment that i could. when atley comes, (my grandson) i never take for granted how he is at the moment as i know the next time i see him, he will have changed so much... i try to capture the simplest things that happen...things that become invisible to us because they are always there. the beauty of a flower... the elegance of a bee doing it's air born ballet -all the while trying to maintain an existence...(there is talk that the honey bee is heading for extinction) :0( i love colorful spiders and the gosimer webs they spin - the way the light hits and makes the threads sparkle and shimmer. i am inspired by joy and sorrow.... all around me-there is something worth celebrating through my photography. a water droplet hanging on tightly to a faucet and losing it's battle then the fall that takes place - then the splash of that one drop.... i can remember staring at windows - watching water fall - first as it's own drop, then joining forces with others to gain strength to fall faster down the window. my memory is bad - my images gives that part of me another chance. photography is a powerful tool and an engaging art form. how i love it.

Now, if you are willing, please add your own answer to Lola Bee's question.

[Mad Aussie]

My favourite photography subject?

That's a tougher question for me that it sounds.
I used to have SLR's many years ago (a Fujica and later a Canon T70 for those who remember such dinosaurs) and have had a few compact point and shoot digitals for the past few years now (still have the Sony Cybershot and still use it), I've only been into DSLR now for around 2 years I guess.

And as much as I had reasonable ideas on many photographic principles I had a lot to learn and still do of course. In fact I don't think I'll ever stop learning as DSLR and the related Digital Post Processing is a seemingly, never ending process of learning.

Therefore my favourite subject or techniques keep evolving and shifting back and forth.
Currently I'm enjoying playing with light and shadow, but I still love taking photos of birds and wildlife.
I'm always chasing that perfect landscape that will look great on my wall in poster size.
I'm constantly checking the weather forecast looking for lightning storms because I have some targeted shots I want to achieve with that subject.
I've only just begun to delve into Portraits and soon the mountain bike race season kicks off again and I'm contracted to shoot events for at least two race promoters in this area.
My daughter just moved to a beautiful area near Sydney within easy reach of great new locations for me to shoot when I visit.

I think my favourite subject is what ever I have the opportunity to shoot on a regular basis and I'm inspired by that opportunity.

If pressed, and had to choose a favourite, I could only say that birds and wildlife have been the most constant favourite I've had in the past two years and I think I'll always enjoy taking photos of them. If we were only allowed to shoot one subject for the remainder of our lives I guess that would be my choice.

I enjoying helping/teaching others, but enjoy learning even more.

[Marko]

Another good thread .

People/portraits/animals inspire me the most though I must say that looking through the different photos that people post inspire me to TRY new things which is always a buzz.

[mindforge]

I shoot people. While I have a good friend that is perfectly fine with an old barn on a partly cloudy day, I find it dull to take pictures of a barn. I try and get into it - I just don't really like it. Now give me a homeless guy with a sign on the corner, I am trying to figure out how to get in and get a shot without him seeing me. I usually give 10-20 bucks in return for a model release afterward. But anyway, I like taking pictures of people. Even normally common scenes get my camera out. Get my kids playing and all of a sudden it becomes a great opportunity. I am not going to miss a great shot of a sunset - but it is people that really get my shutter going.

[AcadieLibre]

I would have to say what inspires me is just anything and everything. I could be walking down a street, through a park and something will catch my eye and I think, that would make such a good photo. I am always looking at my surroundings though a lens, it not the subject that inspired me it is the composition of the subject/subjects. I try and keep an open mind and I know I have particular penchant for certain subjects but try to look at everything as though I was looking through a lens.

[mindforge]

I tend to agree a bit. But even my really good still life shots of a barn or an old lantern don't inspire me after. I never really look at them and I think it's a great shot. People on the other hand are bread and butter to me.

I think for portraits. It is really about the subject. A picture of a man in a suit walking down the road is not anything near as interesting as a wrinkled homeless man with a reused McDonald's paper cup for money. The wrinkles, the dirt are far more interesting to me. I like creating a story with a single image. For me, it is hard to do with a bowl of fruit or a barn.

[tomorrowstreasures]

Today is the first time I checked back into this thread. Thanks to all of you who have opened up a bit of your soul to the rest of us.

Jan 31, my husband and I were meeting a bridal couple at the church. I brought my camera along to capture "New Year" for the 'word' assignment thread. Whilst there - the light was singing and dancing and held me captive to her show. At that moment, I fell in love with photographing details of churches. Now, I have set a hefty goal for myself - I want to go and photograph all of the areas churches. (In return for the use of - I plan to make a slide show to present as a thank you gift.) The stained glass. I have always loved it- in fact, used to create leaded glass windows before I had kids. But something just hit me that day. I think it has become a wonderful and fruitful passion.

[jjeling]

This is the first time I have read this thread. I would say the same thing Mad Aussie said in a different fashion. It is not so much a specific subject that I enjoy the most, it is the opportunity and the ability to take pictures in any fashion I feel necessary. I tend to have a 'no frills' approach, where nothing is off limits and everything is an opportunity. Primarily the reason I have not contracted myself out for events is because I will generally find one image I want to concentrate on, for sometimes hours, instead of focusing on the subject(s). More than not, I find myself in weird positions, and people look at me funny, but if they know me, they want me to give them a copy of the picture. HA! In any case, I have taken more landscape and nature images since it is where I spend most of my time. Camping, fishing, hiking, biking, driving, kayaking are my primary activities when there is free time. Consequently, that is where I get most of my pictures. When things settle down during the winter, I concentrate on more creative subjects and start to get stir crazy.