A boring photo of the Oregon coast.
It is great to be out in nature with a camera. Unfortunately, most times that I am able to get out the light and the weather isn’t all that compelling. This tends to create boring photos due to the lack of something interesting going on to capture. It is also the reason why I tend not to shoot a lot of photos anymore because I would rather take no photos than create a boring image.
It is better to choose not to create sometimes. If I always held myself to the expectation to shoot something new it would be a ridiculous expectation. Most days are going to have unexceptional conditions which tend to make for unexceptional images. I would rather wait and have the patience in-between shots rather than try forcing something to happen out of nothing.
A bland image of Bridal Veil Falls.
A boring photo is likely to mean nothing to me. It makes for fine stock imagery to have a blue sky over a landmark, but it doesn’t connect me to the location. It is monotonous and I don’t care to capture it anymore because I have already proven I can shoot that well enough. I just don’t care enough unless I won’t have the chance to return again at some point! (while traveling on ‘once in a lifetime’ trips are the exceptions to this rule)
If I keep shooting things that don’t mean anything to me it affects my mentality. I start to wonder how long it will take and how many images in-between I will capture before getting another compelling shot. This may just be myself, but my psyche takes a major hit if I start shooting a lot of boring photos. I don’t want to be a boring photographer!
They exist out there and just so happen to be the majority of content. Boring photos are easy and accessible to create, but in order to have meaning and be shooting work that is interesting we have to have patience and the discipline to focus on what matters to capture. Create high quality photos that will stand the test of time and has real interest to someone that might view your images. Even if it is just for yourself!
Mt Adams on a 'blue bird' day.