Something that I like to challenge myself to do (for creative reasons) is to go out to meetings of other photographers. You might be thinking "why is that a challenge?" and that's exactly what I'm going to point out.
So I've been to a few meets so far all promoted straight out of Instagram and brought to life in popular city spots that are familiar to people. There are lots of different creatives that make it out, from musicians, artists, to fellow photographers. Each of us has a reason we want to come out, whether to meet others face to face we've only known online, or to network around and get to know the real pushers behind the scenes. I enjoy all of these and really love the bringing together of the community. It's always comforting to have like-minded people around to inspire you and motivate you.
What I personally take as a challenge in these situations is the coverage of the same event. Think about it, here you've just congregated maybe 20, 30, or 50+ people to a singular area, and one of the "events" is to take photographs of it. You're bound to have similar images and ideas that all look a like. This is the challenge.
Composing a photo and branching away from the herd, is a lot easier said than done. In the creative world, an idea you may think is unique is in fact, stale old news that everyone else has already thought of. Many things that I find that end up as "killer" images or "fresh" work, are things that come out of spur-of-the-moment energy. The things that are not replicable. The energy that each person brings about and shows at these gatherings is incredibly powerful.
Below I've included images from a Instagram meet that I attended yesterday in Sacramento. I heard about it through my friend Jose (@haveyoumetjose) and Will (@goodthompson). It was put on and attracted a good size crowd all interested in shooting one of Sacramento's most famous landmarks, the Tower Bridge. While many of us certaintly did take photos of the bridge, we also took to different paths and created with our surroundings.
Here I'll show you my perspective from the event and introduce you to others that were present.
Instagrammers included (Check out their work!!): @haveyoumetjose @lionxhearted @yannik_albert @ev.pop @russosabroad @caliallstaring
The Bridge picture that was 100% Obligatory.
@haveyoumetjose Scouting shots
@haveyoumetjose Grabbing time and capturing it
Excellent location for portraits at sunset
Timing is everything
Looking into the distance
Urban Decay
Our lovely flag model @ev.pop
@russosabroad Tiffany's outfit was on point for shooting in the sunset
A wave of the flag by Evelyn @ev.pop
Behind the scenes for Evelyn's shot, with the help of Jose and Xing (@caliallstaring)
Chase models as well as shoots excellent shots take a look at his work at @lionxhearted
Jose going all-in with lifestyle and fashion shots. His portfolio is incresing every day and getting Hotter by the minute.
Priorities. Fashion and Photography
The exact capture I was going for, thanks for nailing it Chase
Our gang after cleaning up the shots that no one else got
@HaveYouEverRanOverJose?
The hunt for the perfect shot, won't keep these guys from getting run over by a semi.
If you liked this post and was helpful in any way, please let me know below! I'm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/avkinder and also on Instagram at @avkinder_
Andrew