My photography journey # 3
Discovering travel photography, the beginning of my Rome guide, capturing a friend's wedding, and a few words on being shy with a camera.
2009 was the year, where I really dived into photography and especially travel photography.
That summer I would spend several weekends by the sea, and sometimes I would wake up early in the morning and head down to the beach with my camera.
I would be almost alone except for a few fishermen and runners, the light was magical, and it seemed to me, that no matter where I pointed my camera, I would make amazing photos.
It was a true Zen moment, and even today those mornings at the beach remain some of my favorite photography memories.
Thanks to my job I traveled a lot from Rome to other Italian cities, and each time I would bring my camera with me in order to make some photos during my free time. That year work took me twice to Torino and also to Venice.
It was my first time visiting Venice as a photo enthusiast, and of course I was in heaven. I would wake up early in the morning before having to work, and I would walk the streets with my camera in order to avoid the hoards of tourists and to get the most out of the soft morning light.
While in Venice I also visited the colorful island of Burano, and the very simple photos, which I made on that trip, are still some of my absolute favorites among my travel photography.
In 2009 I started working on my Rome guide. I had started writing, and I had made some photos for some of the places, which were going to be in the guide, including some newer architectural masterpieces in Rome.
I had already captured Richard Meier’s Ara Pacis several times (See image 1 and 2 below), and for the guide book I traveled to the far outskirts of Rome to capture Meier’s new Jubilee Church. (Image 3 below).
When photographing architecture I felt very free. I could walk around in my own little photography bubble while concentrating on lines and angles, and I would usually come home with a good selection of nice images.
One of my main challenges, while working on my Rome guide, (but also generally speaking in terms of being a photographer) was the fact, that I was - and still am - a bit shy, when I take photos.
I have mentioned it in a previous post, how I prefer to be as invisible as possible. Don’t even get me started on how uncomfortable I feel about photographing random people or even pets in the street.
I am so afraid, that my camera will bother people, and in general I just don’t like to attract attention, while I take photos. You would be surprised, just how few photos I have in my archive, which include strangers in public places. A few of them are included in this post, but as you can see, I have kept myself and my camera at a proper distance, so I would feel comfortable.
So in order not to make a huge fuss about me and my camera, I would often capture shops and restaurants from the outside, or I would capture the interiors, when there were no other clients. This obviously made my photos a bit boring, but it was how I preferred to do things.
In 2009 one of my good friends was to get married in Rome. I took part in her wedding as a guest along with my Canon, and I captured everything including the preparations, which I had exclusive access to, as I spent the night before the wedding and the morning of the wedding day together with her.
I don’t remember having planned to capture the wedding in a storytelling/documentary kind of way, but that’s how I did it. I also did a few posed portraits of the couple, but the best photos from that day were the ones, which were completely spontaneous and documentary.
It was my first experience with wedding photography, and I enjoyed it very much back then, but I think it was mainly because I did it for fun as a favor to my friend, so there was no pressure and no stress in terms of having to capture all the right moments. (Another more experienced friend of hers had volunteered to be the official wedding photographer).
That year I also went on a vacation to Barcelona. It wasn’t my first visit, as I had lived in Madrid for ten months back in 2000, and during that period, I had visited Barcelona a couple of times. It was however my first visit after having discovered photography, and it was a true joy to capture the city and especially the beautiful architecture by Gaudì.
When I look back now, I can see, how 2009 was an important year to me, as I got acquainted with so many different kinds of photography.
On top of architecture, travel photography and the wedding, I also kept photographing my friend’s children in Copenhagen, each time I went back. It had become a kind of tradition - something we all enjoyed very much.
I was still active on Flickr, and I also shared my photography on my Facebook profile. I remember, how I loved the way the photos appeared together in a Facebook album. It was as if it added something extra to them. This was in the very beginning of Facebook, and everything was so different compared to now. (So much better).
Except for the travel articles, which I had written for a Danish magazine, everything I had done in terms of photography so far was for free, for fun and out of pure passion. At that point I didn’t see myself as good enough (especially since I was still shooting in auto mode, and I was very much aware of the fact, that this had to change, before I could even begin to consider myself a “real” photographer), and as I recall it, I didn’t really have any intentions or goals of becoming a professional photographer. I already had a full time job, which I liked very much.
That was all for now. I hope you enjoy these posts. I have to say it’s quite fun for me to write them. They are almost therapeutical. It feels a bit like analyzing myself through my photography… I highly recommend it!
Please share your thoughts, stories or any other comment you may have, especially if you can relate to some of the things, I write about.
Ps: I should mention, that although all of these photos were taken in 2009, some of them have gotten a “touch up” later on in Lightroom. (Back then I was still using iPhoto…)
This is a great post, Birgitte. I can understand and relate with a lot of what you are saying. And I really like your photography. All your photos are great - but I especially really like your color work from Burano. It's spectacular.
Beautiful photos, Birgitte. I really enjoyed reading about your photographic journey. I recognize many of the places-they are familiar to me too, like the dunes of Calambrone Beach. I also relate to what you said about wanting to become invisible behind the camera. I see so many unique faces in Italy, and I regret not being bolder and more at ease ...