Pictures of Farms are great, even if they aren't real farms !
At some of the local farming festivals there are still such things as furrow drilling contests and they are incredible entertainment and very competitive. There is usually also terrier racing, which is very funny and also great to watch.
Don't be afraid to ask to take someone's picture ... you are flattering them.
Informal portraits must be the most commonly taken image, but when you get one right it can renew your interest in the subject. In the 1990's I was working behind a bar and my regular lunchtime crowd were an interesting bunch, obsessed with talking philosophy, playing domino's and drinking beer. Every bar has it's central character, someone who is known by everyone and who treats the bar as if it were an extension of their own home. Lou King was our central character. He was full of local information, fun to talk to and always ready to listen ... the perfect gent.
On this day I thought that I would bring my old 35mm Olympus OM1, a tripod and a black sheet to work ... and see what I could snap. Lou jumped at the chance as I remember ... and here's the result.
God bless you Lou, you and Jim prevented me from going crazy :-)
How to take Portraits, whenever the occasion presents itself to you.
Picture the scene, My wife and I are walking through a graveyard on a sunny afternoon. This place would usually be quiet and peaceful and a nice opportunity to film test a Yashica 635 twin reflex camera that I had just purchased. Within a few minutes we find ourselves in conversation with this charming old man, who tells us one story after another for over 30 minutes. It is Memorial Sunday and we were making our way home from the commemorations in the city centre and so was our new companion. I am struck with the urge to photograph our friend, an activity that makes my wife cringe ... but something that I have always been able to ask even complete strangers without fear.
The location was not perfectly lit as you can see. In shadow, with glaring light directly from behind ... but that's where he sat, so that's where we shoot. The image is misty, slight out of focus and bleached of colour from the glare ... but who cares ? It shows the character of a group of courageous people, the likes of whom we may never see again. The most striking part of this image [for me] is the shine on this man's shoes. This day is very very important to him and he has spent at least 24 hours preparing for it.
I hope that I find something as important to me ...
