what do you shoot?

I went to Tybee Island to shoot a sunrise with some other photographers. When we arrived we set up our tripods and got ready for that first light. I shot for a while but soon found myself wanting to shoot the other photographers that I was with. I had spent the better part of 5 days shooting people and realizing how much I enjoyed that interaction. So, I went up to my friends and began shooting. I tried to stay out of their way because most were interested in shooting the sunrise.

I found Harry with Nick in the background working some of the waves as they arrived on shore. I enjoy this shot because it shows Harry working very intently with his shutter release in hand. I am not sure whether Harry even knew I was doing this, but at this point I am sure he wouldn't have been surprised that someone was pointing a camera at him. At this workshop we spent together we shot each other so frequently it became comfortable and expected.

I wanted to show this shot because I was talking with a friend about what we like to shoot. My friend said he is becoming more interested in shooting people and less interested in traditional landscapes. We both agreed that shooting people in beautiful landscapes is a great idea. I think this shot meets this description and will be a souce of future projects for me when the opportunity presents itself.

If we take what we like to shoot a little bit further I am intrigued by what your favorite project would be if you could shoot anything? Would it be shooting landscapes in Tibet, a celebrity event in Hollywood, or a big time commercial shoot? For me I would enjoy shooting Scarlett Johansson for a day (nothing wrong with dreaming big). I am interested in documentary style photography so this project would not be a stylistic photo shoot in a studio setting. Instead it would allow me to shoot her naturally in a natural setting hopefully conveying her personality. I definitely appreciate some of the masterful shots of people like Scarlett Johansson in studio, but I believe that many fall short of capturing the true personality because they appear too staged.

This idea came to me while looking at a photo of Robert Redford at his home in Utah. He was leaning back in a chair that appeared to be set up on a wall overlooking his glorious view. The shot attempted to look normal and laid back, but the chair looked awkward in its location. This photographer might have only had a few minutes with Mr. Redford and did what he could but imagine what he could have done with an entire day. That is interesting to me.

If anyone can put in a good word with Scarlett I would apprciate it. What would your dream day in photography look like?