Does anyone still keep a 'shoot list' of things to capture?

[Jansos]

I remember when I first started with Alamy about 4-5 years ago, I would compile a list of things to shoot and tick them off as time progressed. My early days enthusiasm has worn off a tad but does anyone still keep a list of things to snap? Does it help? Thx! 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Jansos

[gvallee]

7 hours ago, Jansos said:

Sounds fab, I'd never get my other half out of her chair though! 🤫

 

Fair enough. For a trip like this where you're together 24/7, you HAVE to be into the same things or you'll kill each other!! 

[gvallee]

5 hours ago, Sally R said:

I started such a list when I first started doing stock photography. There were many ideas, from events, locations to still life ideas.

 

Now the lists are in my head. However, if I think of a location I will do some research. Sometimes I use google street view to get a sense of the orientation of things relative to where the sun will be or what are the best angles and subjects based on different weather scenarios. However, when I get to a place sometimes things seem different, and what I thought would be a good photographic opportunity doesn't seem so good after all. Instead I find other unexpected opportunities that I wasn't even thinking of. I recently had to visit the Department of Transport and thought while in that location I'd also walk around the area with my RX100 and get some images of local scenes, businesses etc. Not much was jumping out at me though. Instead I ended up photographing the froth on my coffee at a cafe where the barista had artistically created the head of a monkey in the froth! So I think in the end it's a mix of some planning with serendipity for me.

 

I also enjoy just wandering and discovering along the way and would just love to do what Gen is doing. As I've been feeling lost recently in life generally I have spent a few days just wandering in my car and on foot and followed my intuition without any real plan, thinking things like "This road looks interesting, I'll just see where it goes". I've discovered new things this way and photography has been like a therapy that focusses me on something creative. So I do enjoy exploring without a plan as well.

 

Sally, my extensive travels taught me one thing (among others): don't have expectations, don't have pre-conceived ideas. It was particularly obvious when I travelled 3 months on my own in Brazil. Sometimes I was getting really excited about the next destination and it was a let down. Conversely, I would turn up somewhere merely because it was on my way and was enchanted. There is a danger of over preparing a trip. Of course a rough itinerary is needed not to go blindly to a region in the wrong season for example. Good thing other half and I are flexible because on this trip, we've been totally blown off our initial plans, first with flooding, then bushfires, then Covid. It turned out we loved the unscheduled places. 

 

I know you've been through personal grief recently but trust me, the sun will shine again. You have a strong hobby that makes you happy and it's very important. I see too many people having zero interest in anything really. I even heard 'retirement is monotonous'. What?? It is what you make it be. Concentrate on your uplifting arty side. I hope we can meet one day if I ever make it to WA. 

[Allan Bell]

Keep a shooting list?  Yes!   But not for photography.😉

 

Allan

 

[Jansos]

18 hours ago, Sally R said:

.... I also enjoy just wandering and discovering along the way ....... As I've been feeling lost recently in life generally I have spent a few days just wandering in my car and on foot and followed my intuition without any real plan, thinking things like "This road looks interesting, I'll just see where it goes". I've discovered new things this way and photography has been like a therapy that focusses me on something creative. So I do enjoy exploring without a plan as well.

The dérive as Guy Debord would call it! Aimless wandering works well for me, too!

[gvallee]

6 hours ago, Sally R said:

 

Aww thanks Gen. I'd love to meet if you ever make it here to WA. Yes, having a meaningful, creative hobby is so important. I just had dinner with my brother earlier and I was saying I think about photography everyday and even if I don't have my camera with me I'm looking at the light and the things around me in terms of photography, and he said he thinks about sound recording and mixing everyday, because that is his passion. And yes, it helps to remember that the sun will shine again, even if it's a bit of a struggle at times.

 

I'm glad you have been able to enjoy all the twists and turns and unscheduled places. May you continue to have many more enchanting discoveries along the way, which I'm sure you will!

 

Perhaps you could have a joint project with your brother. You provide a montage of stills/timelapses/videos or whatever and he puts the sound on it? I've done it amateurishly with timeline in Photoshop and it was a lot of fun. 

 

https://fb.watch/3XJt1gd4Zo/

Edited February 28, 2021 by gvallee

[Phil Robinson]

I have lists of certain subjects I want to cover - 'projects' you might call them, like trying to photograph every statue in London, and interesting Art Deco architecture I haven't got to yet. But generally my stock photography follows the 'wandering aimlessly' technique. (It probably shows)

Edited March 1, 2021 by Phil Robinson

[geogphotos]

I used to have a job in an Urban Studies centre doing trails for children. At the time there were all sorts ideas floating around about urban exploration using emotions to devise routes, following straight lines as near as you could, creating predetermined random routes ( first right, third left, next right, and so on). 

 

More recently one of the 'psycho' geographers ( not all that keen on the term myself) walked across the entirety of Mexico City counting paces and taking a picture every eight steps. I did feel bad pointing out the dust bunny he had just above centre of every single shot.

Edited March 1, 2021 by geogphotos

[meanderingemu]

Not a list, but when i meander around a new place, or am getting there through public transport,  i will put a mark on my phone app "Maps.Me" if i see something of interest that i need to come back later. i'll do same if i read about something in my researches.    I was also slowly getting better at making annotation of what it was, as i often had a points i would come back and wonder what it was i had seen.