Solitude and my photography

When I think about my most favorite photography themed trip, I only have two categories, Solo trips and collaborations are my main two categories here.

Of those two categories though, solo trips are my favorite.

I do enjoy both types of trips, I am just more inclined to solo trips over trips involving others. I don’t know if this is a desire to enjoy the freedom associated with solo travel, if it is some sort of childhood learned behavior or that it might just be therapeutic whatever it is I just love solo photography.

In fact I love it so much that I almost never collaborate with others on any sort of project whether it be a video or photo shoot or even to just hang out as they say… This is partly because I grew up pretty much by myself and learned to enjoy solitude instead of hating it.

When you spend enough time alone, you come to learn the freedom it provides and you actually crave it. So for me, I will operate alone for the most part. Now this is not without its pitfalls either. You see, when you don’t collaborate with others your projects typically won’t grow past a certain point. If you are the kind of person who has big ambitions for your projects, then operating like me is probably not the best idea.

The standard recipe for success is pretty simple. Dont tell anyone your going out shooting and then go. Lol… I was only half joking here, if your serious then you will just go.

Another thing that is special about solo photography is that you can explore at a pace that is inconceivable by others. You can go as slow or as fast as you want and can even get into areas where multiple people just would not be feasible.

To be fair though, it is not without its pitfalls too. For some people, being alone with your thoughts is actually terrifying. So if you need interaction with others, then what I am doing here is not for you.

When I wander the streets with my camera, I am at peace. No one the make sure your not leaving behind or holding back. No judgement about equipment, it is just the process. If you have not found your zen activity then I recommend you start looking at what makes you really happy and focus on that.

Industrial Landscape Photography in Jasper TN

The other day while on a business call, I had to travel through an industrial area and my eye just started picking up these images. Now I cant get them out of my head till I go shoot them.

This is the life of a photographer… once you get a composition in your head, you cant let it go till you shoot it.

It is interesting to me that I work like that. I will get fixated on a photo I want and nothing else will make me happy till I get it.

I am pretty sure that I am not alone on this either. I think it is part of the creative mindset. The photos I have in mind are of the industrial landscape that are local to my area. I saw the area in the morning light and it had this ethereal or maybe apocalyptic vibe. Like it was abandoned but was still intact and could be turned on at any moment. This is because I like those kinds of movies too, I guess.

So here is the plan, get back over there with a camera in the early morning light and shoot a bunch of stuff and then see what I got.

I found the air a little less foggy upon my return, but the morning light made it look good nonetheless so I got out and started getting images. The first stop was a plating factory that was in full operation and had a bunch of steam coming out of the factory. I had to shoot over a 6’ tall fence to get my image. It took several tries to get the one I wanted, but I finally got it.

Then I moved to work compositions around the railroad and associated infrastructure. The balance of the images are centered around this concept. I even hit pay dirt when a local switch engine showed up to move some tanker cars around!

My favorite image though has to be the image of the abandoned cattle gate. This is urban decay at its finest and I love this sort of thing for some reason. I hope this post and images inspires you to go back to something that caught your eye and get a photograph or two of it.

Until next time, get your camera out and go take a picture with it.

David - The Georgia Photographer