To shorten your waiting time for the next real football game, I have a nice story about... Away game of FC St. Pauli in Berlin to tell.
Before the game, I was wandering through the stadium at the old forester's house looking for a motif when I saw Benedikt Pliquett on the edge of the field. He was tying his shoes. I found the color contrast between his pink shoes, the orange tarpaulin and the green lawn interesting.
My camera must have rattled its mirror a little too conspicuously, because Bene Pliquett looked up and probably wanted to know who was taking photos of what. Since I was standing just a few meters away from him and looking at him in a friendly manner, he now knew that a goalkeeper tying his shoes was the motive. Thanks to my fan shop hat, he probably identified me as being on the right side and quickly put his gloves down so that I could easily read the lettering that he had obviously painted on himself.
When he had finished tying his shoes, he turned around again and asked: "Is everything in the box?" He took his gloves, grinned and left.
Sometimes things that initially seem inconsequential turn into interesting events. Something I'm from Jay Maisel learned: not to look for a specific motif, but to empty your brain and get involved with what comes your way. You never know what will come of it. That's why photography doesn't work if your head is full of other thoughts.
And what if a photo idea doesn't develop into anything compelling? So what! You take digital photos anyway – just delete the file again. There used to be a wise saying: “One good photo per roll of film is a great ratio.” Why should this ratio from the analogue era have improved in the digital age? So please: be more courageous to take a bad shot – I don’t have to show everything online… 😉
Hey Stefan,
Those were/are wise words. They contain the entire photographer's philosophy. However, people are often inclined to suppress them. Thanks for the reminder.
Greetings from the Bavarian Forest
Roland
Glad you have a similar opinion 🙂
I've been following the blog for a while and I have to say, I'm thrilled 🙂
Often it's the simple things that make a good photo.
Today the motto is: “One good picture per memory card” 😉
Jay Maisel...
I don't know if I'm confusing him now, but I remember a photo from New York where (probably) said Maisel waited forever until a purple curtain finally billowed in a breeze. He had an ugly gray-brown facade and windows in the sights of his 1000 mm mirror telescope when he discovered the curtain and was lurking...
“And what if a photo idea doesn’t develop into anything compelling? So what! You're taking digital photos anyway - just delete the file again. (…) So please: have more courage to miss – I don’t have to show everything online…”
That's it! And legions of users just don’t get it. What the delete key/recycle bin (symbol) in the camera and computer are probably good for. Instead, after purchasing the new camera, after a few days, people shout on the Internet: “Already 10.000 triggers...” At worst, the missed shots are shown. Unfortunately, PHOTOS are rarely included...
Ralf