Do you aspire to photograph extraordinary subjects in exotic locations or are you content to shoot ordinary subjects in nearby locales?
This past winter (well, it’s almost past), I have really enjoyed photographing birds. At times, I have longed to be able to capture awe-inspiring images of hawks and eagles, of ospreys and owls and have thought about the travel and equipment that might be required to do so. Does that make me an adrenaline junkie, always searching for more, someone who requires increasing amounts of excitement to be content?
For the moment at least, I know that the answer is “no.” My pulse still quickens when I see a robin or a cardinal. I will take shot after shot of geese and ducks flying and landing. I am willing to kneel in the mud to try to get yet another shot of a sparrow. Here is one such shot of a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) from earlier this week that I really like.
I am content with the ordinary and strive to capture and display its beauty. Cristian Mihai, a wonderful, easy-t0-read blogger, wrote a posting yesterday on beauty, entitled Beauty will save the world that I really recommend. It caused me to think more deeply about my photography, about my goals and motivations. What is is about beauty that prompts a desire to respond, to share it with others?
I started this posting with a false dichotomy, with alternatives that are not mutually exclusive to stimulate thought, the kind of inner examination that I have been conducting. There is no simple answer—sometimes it is sufficient to simply think about the question.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Great post, Mike, and very good food for thought–also in the link to CM’s post. It helps us all to think a little harder about why we love this art form so much.
Thotful post. There is a wonderful sense of discovery when I find beauty in the normal things around me. This has become the foundation for capturing the beauty of more inspiring beauty in new locations. In both situations the quickening pulse you describe is quite a thrill.
There is a famous photography book (I wish I could remember the name right now) and the first challenge is to go and shoot something within 50 feet of your front door. To be a photographer you must see the beauty in everything- and even the ordinary can be extraordinary.
Exotic locations are only exotic to us because we don’t live there. Our “ordinary” robin or chickadee, or our icy lakes with beaver dams are exotic to someone who has never lived in North America.
I can forget to breathe at the sight of the year’s first dandelion, so i don’t have to go far to find incredible beauty. On the other hand I do enjoy seeing what people in other parts of the country and world consider beautiful. I find that I usually agree with them.