Time for reflection

Travelling gives plenty of time to sit and think. I try not to think about work otherwise I'd go mad so I reflect on other things.

This time, I've been thinking about the way I organise (maybe even structure) my photography trips. In the past it was all about turning up, getting the most and best then trying to create some good images. Things are changing. Several reasons.

SoFoBoMo has really got my mind in the project frame of mind. Some discussions/posts I've read about portfolios and projects have touched on similar themes and finally my ideas for my picture of the day blog, where I present short sequences.

Just sat at the airport on Friday, I thought of about 6 potential short projects I could do. I'm going to save up a bunch of ideas for the next SoFoBoMo so I can hit the ground running but some will be fun to try as I go along.

I've also been thinking about the sort of photogrpahy and images that give me the most pleasure in producing. These are mainly the closer views of the natural world and is developing into a longer term project for me.

Over the coming months, I am going to try and mix all three apporaches to keep it fresh and to match the shooting style to the location and time available. Thus: short, linked sequences probably from my shorter trips. Say ten or a dozen shots but all consistently presented. Then some mini-projects either from locations in which I spend more time, or that I visit a bit more frequently. Maybe enough for a mini-book each time (30-50 shots). Then a longer term thread that I can pick up at various times and places when the oppotunity strikes.

In amongst all that I'm also pretty sure I will capture some really good stuff that might stand alone, but that should be a result rather than a goal.

This may seem a bit diverse, and maybe it is, time will tell. What I hope to get from it, though, is a way to get the most out of every opportunity without thinking that I somehow missed something. I can set my style and objectives according to opportunity which should help me enjoy the whole process more. I also think a bit of diversity stops things getting stale. I hate to be locked into one mode of working for extended periods and always prefer lots of variety in scope and scale. This is an extension of that.