I was going through some photos from a recent trip to Las Vegas. As my friend and I walked up and down Fremont Street we passed this popcorn cart several times. Each time we passed the cart I would think to myself that the guy working in there looked like he was in a bad buttery prison. I asked if me minded me taking a few photos of him and the cart. He didn’t object and so I created a few images.
While these aren’t the best photographs I have ever taken, they do represent a reaction to something very important in my process that I am just now really figuring out. These photographs represent the recognition AND reaction to the inspiration that arises in the moment. Sometimes as we are working to find our artistic direction, we spend more time thinking and less time reacting. Thinking is what results in not taking some shots. We connivence ourselves that our initial reactions are wrong, stupid or worse. Actually, it is often times that initial reaction that leads us down a rabbit hole to finding a great image later. While I don’t think this is the case for me this time, I am sure that I am better photographer from taking these images. Even if we don’t think our inspiration reaction shots are great, the act of taking them results in greater things that a good photo. I guess I am starting to figure out that inspiration is something that should never be ignored.
Images taken on Nikon D300s with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens on Lexar UDMA media.