I never really took pictures before I had this website; family snaps or a lovely view, perhaps, but I didn't just photograph objects for no reason other than that they looked interesting or pleasing. Now, my eye responds differently to what I see so I tend to spot the way light is falling or see a shadow or notice rain on leaves as I wouldn't have done before, and thanks to the wonders of the digital camera I can have a go at capturing those images and if they don't come out, no harm's done.
Five days without the camera last week meant I missed it and the chance to play with it. Having it back yesterday, I spent a while arranging these little acrylic memo holders and seeing what they looked like in different combinations and from different angles, and the childlike sense of fun I got from something so simple was lovely - like playing in the sandpit or finger-painting or drawing with no thought of accuracy.
The important thing about this was that I kept 'the critic' out - nothing had to be 'right' or perfect, it's all just experimentation and if the result happens to be pleasing, so be it, if not, no matter.
Because I have absolutely no technical knowledge about photograhy at all - I haven't a clue, in fact - my usual perfectionist self leaves my photographer self alone to get on with it, and that's quite liberating. I do other creative things in which 'the critic' really does hold sway, but playing with the camera is just play.
So that leads me to wonder how other people play. What do you do with no thought of technical or aesthetic correctness, where your inner critic (if you have one - maybe you don't!) is firmly excluded and your mind free?
