the shallows

I went to the botanic gardens at the weekend, for the first time in a good few months, although it used to be a regular trip for me. Although the sun was out for a while, it was still pretty cold and i was thankful for that, because it seemed to have discouraged the hordes of families that usually descend upon the place of a weekend. Of course I’m glad that it’s a well used resource for the city, but i’m entirely selfish in my preference for peace and quiet for wandering and shooting ;)

The thing that happens when you revisit somewhere over and over again is that you exhaust the ‘obvious’ shots pretty quickly.  But i do think there’s a difference between pushing yourself to get something different for the sake of being different, and giving something a try even though you’re not sure it’ll work. I think that’s how you develop your own style, because if you’re always trying to achieve that perfection you’ve seen elsewhere, it’s not your vision that will come through. I’d go as far as to say that aiming for that preconceived notion of what is perfect may get you some stunning images, but they could be what i can only describe as clinically attractive – all the right bits in the right places, but no depth.

Of course i still get suckered in by the pretty (oh, the mini narcissus in the alpine house…!) and i do indulge myself in those shots. I just hope that I can get beyond that, too.

I’ve realised after writing this, why i used to blog about photography without posting images. By saying that stuff, and posting a photo above it I’m basically saying that’s what i’ve achieved, and that makes me squirm because i just don’t know if i have. Of course i like it myself, which is why i took/processed/posted it, but i hope i don’t sound preachy…