Llanelli, South Wales

Take a Fresh Look Around You

I recently went to the west of Ireland on holiday. It is certainly a beautiful part of the world and, for the photographer, both a pleasure and a challenge. The weather, coming in across the Atlantic, changes so dramatically, even within a single day and the light is constantly changing. During our stay, I took more photographs than I have ever taken on holiday, using both conventional film and my digital camera.

Still, when I arrived home and loaded the digital images onto the computer, and also when I picked up my slides from my processor, I was struck by the fact that many of the pictures could have been taken just about anywhere. Although they had a definite 'Irish' feel to them, the basic subject matter, composition and colouring could have been used, with a local accent, almost anywhere in the world. This is especially true of South Wales, UK.

This made me sit down to think about it. Whether we are highly skilled professionals or weekend family album 'snappers,' we photographers will travel to the ends of the earth to get 'that image'; that one picture that really does paint a thousand words and more besides. Yet the following day, we will walk out of our front door only to find 'that image' right in front of us. Do holiday destinations really have the monopoly on beautiful sunsets? If so, into what category does our town come when the tourists arrive? Is this simply a case of familiarity breeding contempt?

With these thoughts in mind, I decided to take a fresh look at my surroundings. I was assisted in my endeavours by undergoing heart surgery earlier in the year. As part of my rehabilitation, Irish holidays aside, I have to take regular, daily exercise. I mention this for the benefit of other photographers who may be suffering from some debilitating illness. Even if you are not ill, most people benefit from regular exercise and walking around the block is much more fun when you take your camera.

So, with my back-pack full of camera equipment, I was almost ready to explore the local environment. Before I left home, however, I set myself a goal. I felt that setting off with camera in hand would be too easy. There would be too much of a temptation to just snap away at anything that took my fancy. I began by looking at the chapter headings in one of my photography books and noting some of the main photographic themes. I set myself a target of getting at least one image related to at least six different themes. I could still snap up anything that caught my eye, but I wanted those six images. I did ease the pressure a little by listing more than six themes. In fact, I listed twelve, but this was as much a case of getting my creative juices flowing as it was a matter of making life easier.

For those who are interested, I decided that, as I live in a rural area, I should look for both landscape and nature images. I also wanted to photograph something architectural, a subject area in which I need practice. In addition, I thought it would be good to look for a photojournalistic image. I discovered that this could be either a picture showing a decisive moment, or an image that made a statement. I felt that including this theme would be a particular challenge as I intended to walk over hills and fields. I was right. I only managed to capture a statement at the end of my walk. Finally, I felt that a macro shot would be achievable and, that being the case, it might be interesting to add an abstract to my target.

I was pleasantly surprised at how the very act of establishing a goal helped me to find suitable subjects. In addition, the creativity engendered added to the excitement. Although some of the photographs were a little disappointing when I looked at them all together, I was happy to see that I had, indeed, achieved my goal: one reasonable image under six different themes.

I also learned how little I knew about my local area, how many photographic opportunities I pass by every day. I now intend to repeat this exercise regularly. Try it yourself. You never know what you will find.

Michael Jenkins www.mjmontage.co.uk

Llanelli, South Wales Images

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