KHA

Don't forget that some nationalities travel because it's the only way they get to experience warm weather . . .😎

Yeah, reevaluating old shoots can definitely be an informative part of the learning process, and of becoming conscious of your own style. There are so many things I see in photos when I take time to look closely at them that I didn't see the first time. And I just want to clarify for the record on my shoots, in case there's any confusion, that I am happy to take and include shots from people of all political persuasions. In the case I was speaking of in my initial post, there are so many shots I haven't posted yet from that shoot, that ones I like more from an aesthetic or journalistic perspective will generally take higher priority over the rest as far as posting order, but I do intend to get to the others eventually (if I keep uploading here). Initially I was trying to upload them as quickly as possible from a hotel lobby the same day, so I hadn't even had a chance to do a full review of what I'd gotten; I just picked out a couple that quickly caught my eye, then had to leave for the day.

Yes, definitely the same here. And generally the more someone is trying to get my attention, the less I am drawn to them as a subject. At least when it comes to photography. Video is kind of a different story.

Does it speak to you? Does it have personality? Does it have any unique qualities? Does it make you think? Does it make you want to stare at it for a long time? Do you notice something new every time you look at it? Pick it like people pick a lot of things they decide to let into their lives. Because you want someone to let your picture into their headspace. And their headspace is crowded.

Now, I'm not really the one to be talking about matters of quantity since I have curtailed my uploading due to other creative projects (and pricing concerns) and as a result have very few photos on Alamy; but, I would say don't lock yourself into any arbitrary maximum number for events because they vary so much. If you have striking shots from multiple angles, I would certainly post them. If they are mediocre, I personally would think twice unless it was something unusual like a celebrity shot. But then again, I see plenty of mediocre shots on news sites all the time, since of course they have other considerations like speed and whatever might be available at the time and in their budget. But the fact is, at an event with people (or other distinct things), you just never know. Case in point: I took some photos at a protest a while ago and recently found out a pro-Trump counterprotester who started posing like a model whenever I turned the camera on her is someone known as "gun girl" or something like that. She's known for having walked around after graduation carrying an AR-10 rifle on Kent State campus to promote open carry, and evidently has similar controversies elsewhere, including recently when she got a cold reception at another campus, which is how I found out she was "known". So now I'm thinking of uploading the shots of her at some point in the future, even though they had not been a high priority before. I do have to see if I consider any good enough before I post them, though. But now I'm open to considering shots where she may just be in the background that I wouldn't have before. So the bottom line is, you never know who is in the crowd; who is just a face in the crowd today but notorious tomorrow; who might see a picture of themselves or someone they know and want it, etc. So I would say if you have good shots, the more the better. People, places, things, and situations that are insignificant* today could become significant tomorrow. And you might be the only one with the shot. Or you might be the one with a certain PERSPECTIVE on the scene that no one else has, and that a buyer is seeking. *EDIT: I want to clarify that I meant "might seem" insignificant, because of course no one is insignificant.

I just wanted to check in quickly and apologize for never having gotten a chance to read the later posts on here. I've been busy with some other creative projects over the past several months, so I've had to reprioritize my creative foci. But thanks to all who took time to contribute their thoughts, and I hope to get a chance to take a look at them all at some point when I have more time on my agenda. Good luck with your shooting, everybody!

Confess your sins to the warthog, not to me, honey.

I've been meaning to acknowledge newer replies, but I haven't had a chance. But I just quickly want to respond to Starsphinx. You make some good points. But ultimately, we're all souls in bodies here, man. Spirits in the material world, as the Police might say. The elemental rule of life is -- don't do anything to any creature's body that you wouldn't want done to your body. Because you may be gifted that body in the next life. Or perhaps even later in this life, as your body is subject to change in ways and through experiences you might never have imagined when you were young. That's the game, man. When you figure it out, you advance one step further around this seemingly endless board. Gotta run. I have a zoo shoot to plan!

This is a good way to look at it, thanks. I'll have to take a look at that link when I get a chance.

Thanks! I think I have it. Short trip!

This all sounds great, and glad the topic is serving a need! If you want to see more of it, speak up and start those threads! I appreciate your attention to the dignity of animals, and as I photograph more and more of them, I notice a lot of them really eyeing me up, which makes me more conscious of their levels of consciousness. After posting recently in another thread about feeling guilty about a duck family that retreated under a car when I got too close, I had the opposite experience a week or so later, when a duck walked up so close to investigate me (or maybe it was just after food, but it had no interest in the Slurpee I proffered, which is all I had on me!), that I retreated a little a couple times because I thought it might take a nip at me! It just hung out inches from my lens for 20 minutes and let me shoot away, from all angles, and even moved a few feet away when it was time to urinate (or something), which I thought was considerate. I was worried it might be sick because its behavior seemed so extraordinary to me, and I thought it might just be coming up to me to die or something! Alternatively, it also occurred to me that maybe it just loved the spotlight, and walked up to me and my camera for the same reason a lot of humans do!

The place I'm planning to go prohibits commercial photography and tripods without arranging licensing through their media office, but I'm doing editorial. (And yes, I mark my editorial, "Editorial", because I want there to be NO DOUBT!) Perhaps it's those without principled stances who need to fear consequences . . . 🙂 True passion makes you fearless.

Thanks for all your responses. I do think it's a good idea to try to convey emotions (and facts, of course) about this issue through the medium itself, so I will keep that in mind with some of my framing. My previous time shooting the zoo, I specifically tried to find framing that would downplay the zoo aspect. But I feel better now about shooting after hearing the various ways some of you approach it ethically. And for any of you out there who are vegetarians, I just have to mention, in case you haven't heard -- a huge milestone for us has been reached this week: KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN HAS LAUNCHED MEATLESS CHICKEN!! A personal dream come true for me, decades in the waiting. I won't be able to try it until they roll it out across the U.S., but I've been missing that one-of-a-kind KFC Regular, Extra Crispy, and BBQ batter all these years, so I'm excited that even that behemoth of meat has come around!

I wanted to get some opinions from any fellow animal-rights-conscious/vegetarian/etc. photographers out there. I've only done zoo photography once (and never aquarium), many years ago, having since decided I wasn't comfortable shooting (or even visiting) animals kept in what must seem like prisons to a lot of them. However, it occurs to me lately that stock photography of zoos could potentially be used by those campaigning for the rights of animals. Thus, I'm thinking of changing my stance. But I'm wondering if it would be hypocritical to profit off animals in these conditions. And of course, the photos could also be used to promote the business of animal confinement instead of question it. But I do know in some cases zoos do good work to take care of animals that might be in danger otherwise. So I'm trying to weigh all the factors. How do some of you approach this?

Just yell at the skies like Grandpa Simpson till they bend to your will! No — I've learned to appreciate all kinds of skies, and I do my best to work with whatever Mother Nature gives me on the day. (Other than having slowly learned not to waste my time shooting buildings that will have angles too much in shadow in the afternoon of a cloudless, sunny day. Just too much contrast to try to compensate for, even with fill light in Lightroom.) The positives of flat gray or white days can be nice, even light; having subjects or elements of subjects really stand out against the neutral background; and sometimes lending photos a brooding, Impressionist, painterly look. Play the hand you're dealt. And if it's absolutely unplayable, that's just Mother Nature telling you to go home and tend to admin! Now I'm off to spend the day doing admin and clearing off my computer so I can actually upload the 128 Gb cards I seem to be filling every few weeks now . . .