Mixing photography with other interests?

Roger Hicks · Aug 8, 2006

I must be missing something here. What else do you photograph, other than the things that interest you?

Some things make very boring pictures (such as range shooting) but you can make some really nice still lifes with guns and a portrait of a lifelong shooter with a gun often makes sense.

Switching completely, there are Land Rovers: yes, I've photographed Land Rover racing (I don't race myself) and my own LR off road in Eastern Europe, Portugal and elsewhere.

Similarly with motorcycles. I've recently done a module on photography and motorcycling for both Motorcycle Touring in Europe (www.mctie.com) and the Photo School at www.rogerandfrances.com, but Karl (the web-master) doesn't seem to have put it up yet.

Then there's food. Actually I've done this commercially, shooting (and writing) cookbooks.

Come to that, I even put cameras in still lifes: take a look at the galleries on www.rogerandfrances.com.

But most of all, for me, there's travel. A friend of mine used to say that if he couldn't take his camera, he wouldn't bother travelling. I wouldn't go that far but I can't readily imagine NOT taking a camera with me when I travel. In the last 12 months I've been to China, Spain (twice), Portugal, Britain (England & Scotland) and Florida, and I'm expecting to go to Germany at least once, maybe twice, in the next couple of months.

Cheers,

Roger

raucousimages · Aug 8, 2006

I love driving the backroads and 4X4 trails of Utah and Neveda in my Jeep with my kids and a 4x5.

Tom Stanworth · Aug 8, 2006

Most of my interests came before photography and led into it; nature, hiking, camping...generally exploring, travel. My job takes me to some unusual places and the cameras come too!

What really takes up my time is my family...and they dont get spared either!

Tom

GraemeMitchell · Aug 8, 2006

DBP said:
Have you tried carrying an old 6x9 folder?

Or even a sharp lil point and shoot (contax t4) in the jersey pocket.

Terence · Aug 8, 2006

Having degrees in structural engineering and historic preservation, my photography usually gravitates towards old buildings and bridges.

Being an avid hiker/backpacker, I have quite a bit of landscape work as well.

Using old view cameras got me into woodworking, to repair what I had and make what I didn't.

As a kid I was fascinated by trains, so I have a lot of photos of those too. Train bridges? I must have a thousand photos of them.

Having been raised by a father who worked in the defense industry I also gravitated towards military subjects. Fortifications? Not as many photos as of train bridges, but not far off either.

All of this led to a love of history and travel. I don't worry about what clothes to bring on vacation. I fret over which tripod, what lenses and how much film is "enough" without being "too much."

Mix? Entangle is probably a better word.

Roger Hicks · Aug 8, 2006

Terence said:
All of this led to a love of history and travel. I don't worry about what clothes to bring on vacation. I fret over which tripod, what lenses and how much film is "enough" without being "too much."

Mix? Entangle is probably a better word.

Yup.

Abstemious van der Genever

David Brown · Aug 8, 2006

Others have commented in this thread on taking photos of things that interested them, and Ive certainly done that along the way as interests came and went. But this one has gelled into a project that will likely result in a much more significant body of work. Im really thrilled with this.

I have had a lifelong interest (adult life, anyway) in church architecture. Why? A whole other story. Anyway, about a year ago, a couple of other apuggers invited me along to go shoot at an old church in north central Texas. We had a great time and got a few good shots. A bit later, we went to yet another old church in a different part of the state. At that outing, I was told that they were thinking of making these old country churches in Texas a photo project, and would I be interested?. Of course!!!

Well, to make a long story short we have evolved into the Texas Church Project.

See: Dead Link Removed

The other apuggers are Matt Magruder (scootermm), Mike Castles (photomc), Lee Carmichael (lee) and Jeremy Moore ("Jeremy Moore" ).

Matt Magruder has done an article on the project for the Large Format Journal, which should be coming out soon. Well let you know when it does.

Jeremy · Aug 8, 2006

umm.... i too enjoy shooting church architecture, but david already let that cat out of the bag

anyte · Aug 8, 2006

I don't typically photograph people but I find I have the patience to monkey around with portraiture when it comes to my youngest child. It helps that he loves being in front of the camer.

I've always been a creature of nature - bicycling, walking, hiking, camping, and peeping at animals. I tend to watch for birds when I go out hiking and I tend to take my camer when I go out hiking.

I have also blended my love of anthropology with photography, though the photographs were not for me and I did not use my own equipment.

NikoSperi · Aug 8, 2006

Don't you SEE my avatar?

Tony Egan · Aug 9, 2006

Apart from my family, live music photography. In my youth I desperately wanted to be in a happening blues/rock band but never had the chops/courage to take it far enough. Early twenties I started in photography and by mid-thirties had switched to visiting the camera stores in new cities and towns instead of the record and music shops.

I play guitar and sing in church every Sunday which is my only regular gig now! Practice is jamming in front of the computer waiting for scans to finish. My Les Paul custom is right beside me now...

DBP · Aug 9, 2006

I understand photographing musicians, but how do you photograph music?

bsdunek · Aug 9, 2006

I would think that to be a good photographer, one would have to be interested in something else. This would give you the enthusiasm to photograph such things.

Like many of you, I have too many interests. My time and money spread too thin. Some of them are: flying, fishing & hunting, old guns, old farm equipment, old farm buildings, old factory buildings, old cars (guess I like things old, like me!), gardening, cooking, travel, church, and many more. My wife has many of these interests also. She does art work with copper and/or glass, which I catalog. She's also a great photographer.

Carol · Aug 9, 2006

When I was given a small telescope and had my first view of the moon, my immediate response was "how can I get a photo of that?". So my two hobbies intertwined to became astrophotography. However that sounds far too grand for what I do. I'm really just a sky-snapper.

DirkDynamo · Aug 9, 2006

Jeremy,
if you do get into screen printing, it might be good to know that there is some overlap between photography and screenprinting. i do both and didn't realize it until i set up my darkroom, but 'burning' the screens is basically contact printing a design onto the emulsion. have fun with it

glbeas · Aug 9, 2006

Also the photosensitive emulsion is very similar to the gum bichromate process. I believe some of the older types of screen emulsion actually was gum bichromate.

Jeremy · Aug 9, 2006

DirkDynamo said:
Jeremy,
if you do get into screen printing, it might be good to know that there is some overlap between photography and screenprinting. i do both and didn't realize it until i set up my darkroom, but 'burning' the screens is basically contact printing a design onto the emulsion. have fun with it

Yep, I'm planning on building my first press in the next couple of weeks and I figured I already had the UV box for contact printing so I could use that to burn my screens.

Tony Egan · Aug 10, 2006

DBP said:
I understand photographing musicians, but how do you photograph music?

A Maharishi once told me I had the power to channel music through my photos. While I can not hear it myself an elite group of mystics and gurus apparently are able to experience several milliseconds of music when they look at my images. I believe several APUGers have been studying in the foothills or Nepal in order to perfect this technique and join this select group. I suspect Peter Rockstroh may be one of them....
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Claire Senft · Aug 10, 2006

My zither has only one string...photography. I photograph whatever pleases my eye. I have spent much time, effort and money to reach a very low level of competence in photography. Why should I dilute my advanced state of nincompoopery by having a second interest?

Digidurst · Aug 10, 2006

David Brown said:
Others have commented in this thread on taking photos of things that interested them, and Ive certainly done that along the way as interests came and went. But this one has gelled into a project that will likely result in a much more significant body of work. Im really thrilled with this.

I have had a lifelong interest (adult life, anyway) in church architecture. Why? A whole other story. Anyway, about a year ago, a couple of other apuggers invited me along to go shoot at an old church in north central Texas. We had a great time and got a few good shots. A bit later, we went to yet another old church in a different part of the state. At that outing, I was told that they were thinking of making these old country churches in Texas a photo project, and would I be interested?. Of course!!!

Well, to make a long story short we have evolved into the Texas Church Project.

See: Dead Link Removed

The other apuggers are Matt Magruder (scootermm), Mike Castles (photomc), Lee Carmichael (lee) and Jeremy Moore ("Jeremy Moore" ).

Matt Magruder has done an article on the project for the Large Format Journal, which should be coming out soon. Well let you know when it does.

What an awesome project! Man, I sure miss the ole home state now. Is there a book coming out of the project?

But back on topic, another avid cyclist here. I ride for distance, pleasure, groceries, and books. I love having a camera with me while on my bike because it is SO easy to pull over for a shot.

roteague · Aug 10, 2006

Interesting project ... I do hope there will be more than just a "token" of color work in this project. I'm going to bookmark this site, so I can follow along.

RAP · Aug 10, 2006

Right now it's fitness; I run/walk 40 to 50 miles per week, (I'm walking more because of a pulled achilles tendon), swim 1 to 2 miles per week. I have been thinking about entering tri athlete events but need to work on my cycling and maybe get a decent bike.

Also surfing, paddling, fishing, when time allows. Stock market, real estate to add a few more.

Jeremy · Aug 10, 2006

roteague said:
Interesting project ... I do hope there will be more than just a "token" of color work in this project. I'm going to bookmark this site, so I can follow along.

Robert, there may be more color from me; I think it has to do with whether or not I take up analog color printing which will mean I'll have to shoot a lot more color film. You'd have to ask David about whether or not he's going to shoot more color.

I also believe there will be a slight overhaul of the website in the upcoming months, but I'm sure there will be an official-sort of announcement on apug when/if that happens.

Mixing photography with other interests?

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