Edition Seventy Two

The power of the ordinary.

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.

Sunlight from the east.

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. Conditions for street photography weren’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.

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The power of the ordinary.

Striving to take good photos is not the problem.

If you go out to take photos and think that the area where you find yourself has no potential you set yourself up for a bit of failure. Judging your images based on criteria which you see online is not a good way to think about your work. It seems a bit absurd to think that great images can only be made in big cities, tourist traps and any place except your own backyard.

This mindset is limiting. Which is a good and a bad thing. Weird right?

The photography gods gives with one hand and takes with another. You don’t want to go out and take photos because small town. Or zero impressive architecture. No neon lights. The stuff that makes photos popular on social media. You say “I’m not going to make any good photos anyway - why even try?” It is a negative side-effect which grew out of posting & comparing photos online.

On the other hand being limited can help boost your creativity. You don’t have neon lights at night — what are your options? Do some long exposure photography. No sky scrapers or flocks of pigeons? Look for the solitary bird sitting on the roof.

No neon lights? No problem.

Urban persistence.

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Antidote to the algorithm.

Have a look at the last five photos that you took.

What if the world sees this ordinary photo? Am I a good photographer if I cannot take banger photos? The idea of an ordinary photo might scare any photographer.

Throughout the social media age we are consistently reminded of the word ‘banger’. It pops up through the comment sections, YouTube videos and sometimes even in our discussions. Higher engagement is the goal.

If you have crafted a brand around yourself the audience might be expecting a specific type of photo from you - scaling bridges, the smoky street scenes or night time rainy shots somewhere in the Far East. An ordinary photo might feel like betrayal.

The ordinary image is similar to taking your foot of the gas pedal ever so slightly. Like a cruise along a coastal road. Relaxed. The ordinary image gives us a little pause.

Good photography is unpretentious.

It’s not ‘wait, don’t take the picture’. It is resistance to post. Resistance to run towards your phone or desktop and upload. Resistance to the idea of your work not being good or on par because you aren’t shooting what is trending.

Ordinary photos are an antidote to the algorithms of social media. To say to yourself as a photographer - it’s perfect to go and take photos of ordinary things. Because that is what you might be seeing today. A casual stroll with your camera where nothing out of the ordinary happens. To capture ordinary photos is essential when it comes to building a solid foundation as a photographer.

Thanks for reading : )

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