Blog

When and how I got into the hobby of photography is anyone’s guess. My mom used to yell at me for taking pictures with her old Minolta film camera. Mind you, this was because I was so small and could only capture images of my family member’s torsos. Not exactly aesthetically pleasing. I’m sure she was elated when the advent of disposable cameras came around because she didn’t have to worry about me wasting expensive 35 millimeter film.

Truth be told, a lot of my pictures from back then are incomprehensible nonsense. Most people could tell they were photos taken by a little kid pretending to be a visionary photographer. I do, however, like to claim that I invented the “selfie” as I managed to work the primitive self-timer on the family’s Polaroid.

I like to think that I’ve learned something about taking pictures since then but then again… you never know. Whatever the case may be, I do love sharing my experiences with people but it can be hard getting individuals to warm up to the idea or photography. The biggest reason most people come up with is that they say they don’t know what to photograph. The pretentious photographer in me wants to shout: “Everything and anything!” That’s ridiculous though because I know that not everything looks so snappy on film. Also, it’s a lame response.

So you’re probably saying, “what’s your point?” My point is that it wasn’t until I moved to the Fox Cities and started going out to take pictures on a regular basis that I realized that what you might not think will make a good or interesting picture, usually does.

So, during my stint blogging here at Fox Cities Magazine I’d love to take you to different places in the area I like to photograph and share little tips and tricks along the way in my own quirky style. I hope you laugh, cry (okay, maybe not cry), enjoy my pictures and go out and snap some of your own. If not, that’s okay too. Just to drive my point home about not needing to be a pro photographer with a schmancy camera to have a good time and take an interesting picture – here’s a shot of some snowflakes during one of the few bad blizzards we got last year.

So next time it snows (hopefully that isn’t for a while) just put your camera’s flash on and point upwards. That’s all there is to it. There’s today’s tip. Have a lovely day and tomorrow.

Local photographers, where are your favorite photo opps in the Fox Cities? Leave a comment below!

—By Andrew Scholz