Naff ideas
A few naff ideas - not an exhaustive list.
Done too many times; so if you decide to do any of these, make it really good!
- Churches
- Trees
- Water
- Bare blank walls
- Doors and windows
- Rubbish
Too naff to talk about; if you do any of these, don't show your photography tutor;
- Sunsets
- Pets
- Babies
- Boyfriends + Girlfriends
- Local tourist attractions, eg. Glastonbury Tor if you live in Somerset
- My car, motorbike, or bicycle
- My bedroom
Too difficult for various reasons;
- Children - they move too quickly, or else look posed if you make them keep still.
- People in action, especially indoors or under low light - sports photography is too specialised for most beginners and usually involves complicated and expensive equipment.
- Formal portraits - unless you have specialist studio equipment and know what you're doing.
- Wildlife - again, too specialised.
Too vague; but may work ok if a focused approach is taken.
- Relationships
- People in their environment
- Leisure
- Work
Too conceptual or abstract; these tend to be based on non-visual ideas and there is a struggle to illustrate something which does not lend itself to photography;
- Time
- Mankind
- Life
And here are a few suggestions, hopefully not so naff: Most of these naff ideas could be done in a new and interesting way, but it is useful to know the clichés. A theme like Rubbish or Decay could create photographs of flaking paint or rotting wood with wonderful texture and colour. There are a number of great photographers who have tackled this theme - Aaron Siskind (i), Edward Weston (ii), etc...
The theme Cars could be treated in many different ways, for example a black and white photo documentary on their environmental impact / a glossy colour project concentrating on details of vintage cars / an action project on stock car racing, and so on.
Two more tips
- It's not what you photograph but how that's important
- Go for quality, not quantity
Links
- Aaron Siskind http://www.aaronsiskind.org
- Edward Weston http://www.edward-weston.com