Photographers: Let’s Get WEIRD In 2025!
I don't want to keep taking the same photos again and again. It's time to get a little wild.
Hey, everyone!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It’s 2025, and it’s going to ROCK.
This year, I invite you to take more chances with your art and to stop chasing clinical perfection in your photographs. I want to work a little more in the fringes, and see if I can make some weird photos. You should too!
Why do I want to get weird?
First, let me show you one of my “really good” photos. This is a photo with fantastic focus, exposure, and resolution (it could printed 40 feet long and the resolution would look incredible.)
It’s a really good photo. It’s one I can sell.
I enjoy the process of all of it, but at the end of the day the photo holds no resonance for me. It’s not one that speaks to the deeper questions I have going on in my brain hidden in the dark corner of the subconcious.
As an alternative to the brightness and perfection of the wildflower scene, look at this photograph I made in Nebraska last year:
This photo is one that’s messed up. The focus and exposure, framing… none of it’s perfect. I was getting hailed on and afraid that I seriously might get a head injury if I stayed out in the conditions too long.
I had this one shot, and that was it - and I absolutely love it.
It speaks to me in a way a photo with more technical proficiency doesn’t always do.
It’s kind of different, isn’t it? It looks nothing like 99% of the photos you’d ever see from this location. The image contains something primal. It reminds me of the chaos going on in my mind and speaks to something deeper within me.
I like that. I need more of it. I’m sick of seeing “beautiful” photos over and over again. Engaging in more unique photography is bound to improve ALL of my other skills too. The more we learn, the better we get, and if we never try to stretch ourselves and do crazy things, we won’t grow.
So what does that mean in practice? I have a plan you can steal if you want to shoot more unique photos in 2025:
Go out more when the weather isn’t stereotypical of the standard of beauty we often use. Fog. Rain. Snow. Apocalyptic murder hornets filling the sky. You know - the good ones.
The fog and my use of slow shutter speeds creates something dreamy and surreal. Shoot more with unique lenses. There’s a lot of old, cool glass out there, and even some newer lenses that are very affordable. They can add unique characteristics to your photos that might make them stand out in a photography world full of stunningly fantastic, modern lenses.
This photo was taken with a lens with a design that gives “swirly” out of focus areas… so here it’s the entire photo! Be more spontaneous with photography. Pick random times to go out. Go places you’d never normally go.
I woke up early on a random morning to drive out to this spot. I hadn’t planned on going anywhere, but the randomness of the moment fired up my creativity. Do some “unlearning” in an attempt to get weirder. This really means breaking all the freaking rules and doing things people say not to do. So let’s get crazy with shutter speed. Double exposures. Triple exposures. What would happen if I lightly spray paint a lens filter with glitter spray paint? LET’S FIND OUT! You know what I mean?
This is a in-camera double exposures. First one is a wildflower field. Second one is a pond by my house. I added some touches in editing to make it more “painterly” and love the final vibe. ‘
My most recent YouTube video is a good way to use an example of these four steps. I went out during fog (which is unique to my area). I shot with the Ricoh GRIII, which is a brand new camera for me. It has a 28mm focal length, which is probably among my weakest focal lengths… so using it exclusively is a little different for me. I also left at the last minute, not thinking I was going out, and I tried out shutter speeds for motion blur I’ve rarely used. I tried to “unlearn” a little of what makes a good photo by taking a bunch of blurry ones! You can see examples of this in the video I made:
I do have to give credit where it’s due, and that’s by making sure I mention
from AOWS.His photos and videos have inspired me to work more on paying attention to more difficult conditions in the hope to create more inspired, unique photography. I love his work, and I think you’ll love it too:
I’d LOVE to hear from you in 2025! Share an image. Ask a question. Just say hi!
jerredz@gmail.com
Leave me a voice message as well: https://www.speakpipe.com/jerredz And I would love to feature you in a YouTube video like this one: