What Type of Photographer am I?
I get this question a lot: "What do you like to take pictures of?" And I'm never sure how to answer it. I like to take pictures of all kinds of things: planes, dogs, architecture, and Shy Guy; really, I like to take pictures of anything. And I feel bad that I don't have that one thing that makes me a specific type of photographer. Am I supposed to be a particular type of photographer, but I haven't found my fit yet? Or is it something more simple than that, that I'm just a photographer? I don't know, and I don't know if I even care. To further the point, I can't even say why I like photography; maybe it's the fact that I can't draw, paint, or sculpt.
We are placed in a square building the entire time we grow up, and yet we are constantly told to think outside the box. And, if we are lucky enough to get out of school with the ability to actually "think outside the box," we are immediately put back into boxes. Most of us are even unluckily enough to get put into literal boxes surrounded by countless other boxes in a warm cube farm.
So, if you are one of the people who asks others what and why they photograph, stop for a moment and take a picture of something different today. And it doesn't matter why you are a photographer—trying new things with your photography will help you look at what you normally photograph differently. And here is a really big secret: you don't have to photograph outside the box! Check out flickr for an idea of things you like and replicate them. Or if you hang out with other photographers, ask them what they like to photograph and give it a try.