Taking A Different Photographic Approach


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Hello everybody, and thank you ever so much for joining me again for this issue of Saturday Selections.

Recently, I spent a few days in Vienna and decided to devote two of them to photographing in a style inspired by Stephen Shore. This was before meeting up with a few others from the TPE tribe for a weekend photo walk.

I conducted this experiment to explore the outcomes of imposing limitations on my photography. With a 50mm lens at f/4.5, I approached the shoot with the mindset of Stephen Shore.

At first, it was quite fun. I found myself taking photos of things I normally wouldn’t look twice at. But over the course of the two days, two interesting things happened.

First, I had to consciously stop myself from shooting in my usual style. And that was surprisingly difficult. I was in a completely new environment—exactly the kind of place I’d usually love to photograph freely—so holding myself back felt a little strange.

The second thing that happened was even more curious. Looking back at the photos I made during those two days, I’m not entirely sold on them. At the time, I was trying to convince myself they were pretty good. But in hindsight, they don’t really gel with me—especially after I met up with the others and began photographing in my usual way again. That’s when things started to feel more natural and in sync.

What I learned from this is that while it’s valuable to explore new approaches, in this case I went about it the wrong way. I was trying too hard to photograph exactly like I imagined Stephen Shore would. But perhaps a better approach would have been to ask: what is it that I like about his work? What feeling do I get when I look at his images? And how could I carry that feeling into my way of seeing?

Oh—and while I was in Vienna, I got an email from Obie Oberholzer. In it, he shared something a well-known art buyer once told him about the most important element in any photograph.

But that’s a story for next week.

The PDF List

The list continues to grow with all of your wonderful contributions!
Please carry on - even if you made a suggestion before - the more the merrier

Here’s how you can help:
Send me a quick email with:

  1. The name of one of your favourite photographers
  2. A link to their work

Once I’ve gathered enough recommendations, I’ll share the finished PDF in an upcoming newsletter.

Let’s build something that inspires us all to see photography and the world differently.

2025 Photo Events

The Boston walk is sold out.
The walk in Vienna was great!

I'll let some of the group tell you about it

There will be some more trips planned for this year.
One in Baltimore in early October, and probably a return visit to Vienna for a portrait workshop among others.

There's also going to be an open live stream about black and white photography coming up soon. I'll be answering questions about getting stunning black and white images - drop me a line if you would like to submit a question. alex@thephotographiceye.info

Stay tuned.

Photographer(s) Of The Week
The Vienna Contingent

It's always great to be around photographers who are sharing ideas and approaches and encouraging each other.
The two and half days we spent in a very wet Vienna were awesome and I'd like to showcase some of photos from that trip here for you to enjoy.


Weekly Challenge

The last challenge was to upload images inspired by Stephen Shore.
I recorded a video on those here:

video preview

Thanks to everyone who uploaded images!



This week, showcase your local city or town - be creative and show us what makes it unique.
Upload the images here https://www.picdrop.com/tpe/CFuXGhhyX3


Community Recap

A long chat about street photography and the people who we end up photographing

video preview

Get a seven-day free trial, which includes classes and previous interviews with professional photographers here

Thanks so much for taking reading along. Have a great weekend.

Alex


The Photographic Eye Saturday Selections

I'm Alex, the creator of 'The Photographic Eye' on YouTube, sharing my 30-year photography journey. I'm here for photographers who want to think differently about their craft. Every Saturday, I send out 'The Saturday Selections', a newsletter with a unique, actionable insight to help you approach photography as an art, not just a skill. Ready to see photography in a new light? Join 'The Saturday Selections' and let's redefine your photographic eye together.

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