I wasn't kidding when I said I would be blogging this week! I know it's been awhile, but I would like to discuss the weekend Edison Photo Society (EPS) shoot in Columbus, OH this past May. Typically, there is always a weekend shoot for EPS members. A location is decided upon early in the year and members can come and go as they please and shoot whatever they want. That is exactly what happened this year. For those of you who don't know, I'm a huge fan of Columbus. I love the vibe of the city, the different areas and suburbs, the restaurant scene, the arts scene, the list of countless things to do, etc. It's no wonder that my wife and I decided to get married in downtown Columbus. The weekend of the shoot, I arrived in Columbus between 8 and 9 a.m. I knew a few members were starting at Inniswoods Metro Park, so I thought that would be a good place for me to start as well. It was a warm and sunny day and the sun was shining bright by the time I had my gear ready to go.
For those of you who haven't been, Inniswoods is a massive park located within a nature preserve. There are streams, woodlands, wildflowers, gardens, rocks, structures and more located on the 123 acres that the park boasts. The items I just named obviously provide a wealth of shooting opportunities, especially for the nature shooter. While nature is not my preferred subject matter, I did enjoy the morning and walked away with some interesting shots. The park is so big and I roam very slowly, I didn't cover much ground. That didn't take away from my experience and I would be happy to shoot there again someday. At this point in the day, it was already turning into a much better shoot than Loveland Castle.
After meeting up with some of the EPS members at Inniswoods and grabbing lunch, it was off to the Franklin Park Conservatory. Franklin Park Conservatory was built in 1895 and is located just a few miles from the heart of downtown Columbus. Franklin Park Conservatory is set on 88 acres of land and houses more than 400 species of plants from around the world as well as a special collection of glass from the world famous artist Dale Chihuly. In addition to numerous exhibitions and workshops, Franklin Park Conservatory is also a premier event space. Numerous weddings are held outdoors every year. This was only the second time I've been to Franklin Park Conservatory; the first was a few years prior and I was only there for a wedding. So, this was the first time that I was actually exploring the entire grounds. I wandered around for a few hours, doubling back every place I went hoping to find something I missed the first time. Again, plant life and nature is not my first choice of subject matter, but I enjoyed my time and got a lot of interesting shots.
I doubt I'm the only one, but I can only look at so many pictures of flowers, plants, wildlife, etc. However, I try to approach the subject in a non-traditional way and I hope to make an interesting image out of something that usually comes across as bland or ordinary in a number of photographs. I'm not saying there aren't artists out there taking amazing and unique photos of flowers and plant life. There are; I just think in general, a lot of shots are not worth a second look. I also try to look for other things in the surroundings of the plants and flowers to photograph. There some very interesting subjects and if you just take a moment to look, you'll find them. By doing this, I feel like I capture a place in a unique fashion - a way that I'll remember my experience. I take that approach every time I pick up my camera. I purposely try not to take the standard shot. When viewing my travel photography you might not see a lot of typical landmark shots, but you should definitely get a sense of my experience and what makes a location unique and exciting. I took this approach on Day 1 of Columbus as well as Day 2. Why the subject matter wasn't my favorite, I had a great time, I was very happy with the shots I did get and I would gladly shoot these locations again in the future. Thank you Columbus, for giving me another reason to love you.
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