I wish I could travel to exotic lands, strange places with unusual formations in earth and villages and faces of people of a sort new see in exotic costume.  Location...get the location and shoot a decent image and folks will like it.  It is different and new.

Shoot a sunset or landscape and unless unusual for some reason or the other, you compete with every other similar shot out there.  Technique is needed in excellence to make this shot somehow standout above the rest.

I saw some of the shots which stand out above the rest today. These photos stand out because of location..that is it in a nutshell.  The photo quality is not the reason for wanting to see the photos...yet most are done pretty well.  Location does it.

For a sum of cash you can take a Russian icebreaker ship to the North Pole.  Yes, right to the pole! Along the way you get wonderful shots of ice, more ice, more ice and polar bears, bears and cubs, bears eating seals, a walrus of two, strange plants on unknown land near the top of the earth.   This is location.

I just viewed an array of shots taken by a friend who appreciates nature and artistry and creativity.  These photos were of the Artic and the things mentioned.   She tells me the mental images hold the vastness in a truth no photo can reveal.  I have not been there but must agree that is true.  

So, give me a ticket. Give me the way..then I will wow a few folks with photos from that exotic location I will likely never have opportunity to visit otherwise.    I wish we all could have such a chance and opportunity.

In the meantime, what we do is the best we can with what is around us. The wonderful macros we see, the creative images..all that makes up the stuff of LWITG and other images we love..most comes from us common folk, common enough not to be in the exotic location but good enough to record it well in photo.  And, for me, certainly the homeland you have may be very exotic...whether in Romania or South Africa, northern parts of Scotland or a wonderful flower in Roby's South America.  

You know, Tom, I was just talking to a friend the other day about just this kind of thing. I live in a beautiful area (close to Yosemite) and there are dozens of people taking photos around here, competing to get their shots seen. When you do see that exceptional shot, it is usually a place that most people have never seen, or are not able to do the extensive hiking (or mt climbing) to get to those places. There are tens of thousands of lakes in the Sierras and most people will only see the ones within a mile or less of the road.
One of the reasons why I love RR is the diversity of it's members! So many people from so many different places and each shares their land as "they" see it, I love that! It has really made me think alot more about the "locations" where I end up shooting. Sure I like to try to get that "postcard" shot, but more then that, I like to share the places and things I've discovered while exploring the backroads and empty spaces. It may not be icebergs and polar bears, but when I come across something unique and beautiful or fun, I can't wait to show someone else and see their reaction.
I would love to have expensive equipment and an unlimited budget to travel the world and shoot, but that just ain't gonna happen in this lifetime! LOL ;p
Oh, yeah.......... if you do happen to get that ticket.... I'm sure your gonna need an assistant to help carry your gear and catalog your shots, so keep me in mind okay???? LOL :P
Kim

Kim, if that ticket comes along you will get a call..The ticket....happening in this lifetime,  likely not. : )

I so agree, the shot that makes it might be just around the corner in the trail or a mile up beyond the road.  Then again, some here show me when I browse what is new in photos that it is often just a matter of my eyes seeing what is here.  Oh, I want that ticket, for sure!

And I want to see what is here, what is exotic even if tiny or unseen in my more mudane views.

The many parts of the earth and humanity  represented by members here makes for a wonderful excursion, to the exotic and back again to find we are all pretty much alike in humanity.   Thanks for the  reply.

Hello Tom, I know what you mean, I have traveled every backroad within a 50 mile radius of my home and have taken 30,000+ shots in the last year with only a very small percent of them interesting enough or good enough to share.

I was fortunate to have that ticket given to me and was able to go to Belieze, I had only had my camera for about two weeks with just the kit lens. I stayed on the island of Ambergris Cay, north of San Pedro.  Circumstances didn't permit a lot of time for me to take off on my own and there are unlimited photo ops there, but with the kit lens I was limited to what I could shoot, not that I didn't try anyway, LOL. 

I would love to go back and take a photography vacation there, but those trips just do not come along more than once in a life time. So until a cash winfall comes my way, I'll continue trying to get that great shot of what's available to me here. And as time permits venture out of my box to find that interesting, beautiful scenic spot, or something unque to shoot and share. 

In the mean time, I hope my skills as a photograper will grow, my artistic eye will develope, and I will actually be able to find that perfect POV through the lens, LOL. 

Thoughts of a few fables and proverbs come to mind....
Aesop's tale of the dog and his bone....the old saying that the "grass is always greener on the other side"...and the story of the "shoemaker whose children had no shoes.

There are things to photograph...all around us...regardless of where we might be. Often, I too tire to find things to photograph....when I do, I take a break.  When I come back, many times I see what I had missed before, and I have a new appreciation not only for photography, but also for the world around me.

Images to capture are right before us....scenes of beauty, scenes of wonder , scenes of sadness....Many times we fail to see them....as another saying says..."We often fail to see the forest for the trees"

Also remember...when you yearn to get that shot in that exotic locale....the person in that exotic locale yearns to get the shot from your backyard.....

Speaking as someone who is stressed even at the thought of travel, I don't feel remotely envious of those folk who live in or go to exotic locations.
In fact, belonging to RR allows me to travel the world and see all sorts of people and places without having an asthma attack up a mountain or collapsing on the 2 mile hike to the last gate at Gatwick airport before I've even left the UK.
In return for this privilege I can show others the little things that make me utterly content to be where I  live.
Andrea

I can't remember seeing much images of Henri Cartier-Bresson in exotic locations... And the images of Diane Arbus didn't look much like postcards. Even Ansel Adams didn't have that many images with palm trees and tropical beaches, or ice bergs for that matter... ;o)

maybe this would be an idea for a "mini" challenge..

Ohhhhhh........ I like that idea!  A challenge to see the exotic close to home! What kind of rules are we talking?
I'm up for it!

I did not say "exotic" is best..just that when photos are viewed, it is often the exotic which is given accolades over an image which is less foreign to the viewer which might be far superior work of a different sort.  Now, if superior and masterful work and exotic to the eye, that viewer will likely find it pleasing.

I like the idea of the challenge.  This thought did not enter my thoughts but I do like the idea, and for me at the moment would be a challenge, indeed.

Ya know tho....some of my most commented images are from close to home..as a matter of fact..my  most commented image was shot from the front porch...

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1552063

Bruce, that shot is exotic to me! Beautiful....    My most commented was not  from some strange place but one which for the time was familiar to me..a fine zoo.     As for Ansel Adams, well, camping in the desert for days on end to get the "perfect lighting" is a bit exotic or perhaps esoteric to the rest of us.    That is how he got the first part of those images.

oh well, still, if I get a ticket to somewhere I will likely go...and I am with durleybeachbum on this one..stressed even thinking about it.   I have roots and find those difficult to move in comfort, even for a while. 

Bruce, that shot is exotic to me! Beautiful....    My most commented was not  from some strange place but one which for the time was familiar to me..a fine zoo.  Of course, I do not have an exotic one to post and see just how that might fare. : )  

As for Ansel Adams, well, camping in the desert for days on end to get the "perfect lighting" is a bit exotic or perhaps esoteric to the rest of us.    That is how he got the first part of those images.

oh well, still, if I get a ticket to somewhere I will likely go...and I am with durleybeachbum on this one..stressed even thinking about it.   I have roots and find those difficult to move in comfort, even for a while. 

This forum is a mouthful!

I read and here's my quick response, knowing I will come back later after mulling it over.

I can't agree more getting to the exotic places. I so wish to see the Yosemite, Old Faithful, the deserts and The Ditch near Vegas and the ever falling snow of Minnesota! And a BISON! People keep telling me African sunsets are beautiful and I agree but after looking at other sunsets I realized they may ALL be the same! So i challenged some folks in a recent upload to go do "their sunsets" and I believe I have a point. Sunsets are good anywhere! Depending on humidity, clouds, ambiance, water (reflections) and the height of the sun. Realizing this my frame  of mind changed a little about the exotic places. Sunsets are but one example.

Having said this, most of my pictures are taken within 4 miles of my home, even the ones I upload, are within 20 miles from my home. I feel so put to shame when Carin (meisiekind) uploads her Canada pics, New York and so forth in such a blase fashion along with the most expensive resorts in Africa. BUT I am not going to tell her, LOL.  I keep shooting because I observe like gradient and girsempa that most great pics were after all not that exotic to the photographer.

Another thing about South Africa. Most people do not realize I have my whole photography menu set in an area little bigger than ONE of the States in the USA! The rest of Africa (pardon if I generalize) is good for capturing hordes of little emaciated black children all over - in war torn countries.

Most probably my best pic was of a giraffe annoying me, for following me while after an "exotic" Sable Antelope.

Do I differ from you Tom? Yes and no! If I may add my point of view in this relaxed debatable format: I would love to be in those exotic places but I also realized we all regard exotic areas to be the doorsteps of others. Thank you for bringing up this interesting point.

Are we in for challenge Bruce?

Okay..... I have one more thing to add.
I started thinking about some of my better shots (mostly in other peoples opinions), shots from my commute back and forth to work an hour away. The Sierras are beautiful, but your right about Ansel Adams, he spent months getting his famous photographs. A lot of times I feel our best shots ARE when we are at the right place at the right time!
Even if you got that ticket to some exotic local, who is to say that you won't be stuck inside during a monsoon or a blizzard. The perfect example: Last year I was suppose to go to Alaska with a friend I grew up with. We had it all planned out and at the last minute I had to cancel. She ended up taking a cruise up the inside passage by herself (gutsy, don't know if I could have done that) and came back to tell me that she had a great time "on" the boat, but it rained the entire time and she didn't see a fraction of all the things we had looked forward too! Low clouds, socked in, and she never saw any of the mountains or much wildlife (except onboard, if you know what I mean)!
So I guess what I am saying is that you really need to think of it as where do I want to go, what do I want to experience, not necessarily what kind of photos could I get if I went there, because you may only have your memories to share and not that "once in a lifetime" capture.

Oh.... that was a bit of rambling, huh?

Now wait a minute... You got me all confused. Do you mean photography is the same as 'taking a picture of something... beautiful'..?
A scenery... a flower... an animal... a girl... a baby... That's it..? Is that all there is..?
If you want to write, you don't just write beautiful letters...
If you want to paint, you don't just paint beautiful colors...

I've seen images that some of today's best photographers have chosen as their best and favorite works... And I can assure you that most of those images won't even get two comments on Renderosity. You know why..? Because those images aren't 'beautiful'... Those images are not easy, they don't make you say Wow. They are not meant to be beautiful; they are meant to tell you something of life as it is or how the photographer sees it, ordinary or not so ordinary, it doesn't matter. Those images are not aiming at effects or 'moods' (one of those other words I've grown to dislike). In fact those images are so 'not-beautiful' that nobody here would notice them... And yet they were made by today's most estemed photographers.

What do you want to express with your photographs..? That there are beautiful places in Scotland? That a bald eagle is a beautiful animal..? That a lilly is a beautiful plant..? That the sea has beautiful water..? Come on guys..!

Edit: thought I'd throw this one in as more food for thought..: There is more self-expression in one single child's drawing than in a whole day of Renderosity photographs... How's that..?

The final "food for thought" might be pushing it a bit but the point is made. The expression in a child's drawing may be quite revealing if you catch them before old enough to play computer games all day while  imagination and expression are innocent and true.

   Actually, in a way you proved the thought in my opening post...more comments to the beautiful, whether location or serendipity or planned beauty and easy on the eyes soft on the heavy thinking.   That would be the normal "everyday person" reaction?  (whatever an everyday person might be)   I don't prefer fluff but do see it getting more play than deep "thinking" photos...( finely done landscape by the best of the best is not fluff but often more for wonder than serious comtemplation).

Ready to find exotica locally?  I am ready to try.

here ya go......

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2747293

If you want a more formal set up..let me know

Thanks, Bruce. This should be fun...but unlike Piet,  I will have to go further than 4 miles or stay right in my backyard.  

I posted on tonight about 15 miles from home...but I spend a LOT of time there

Ah, Tom has hit on a point which I have made a few times in the years of popping in and out of this forum..... I've always thought that while you can take amazing pictures close to home, the ones that get the big bucks and publicity and competition prizes (think pulitzer here) are the ones that are in places where people generally don't go, but could if it was down to time and money.

And ironically, IMO, they're pretty easy photo's to get once you're there...... look at the pitiful faces in Africa..... and look how it would take just an hour of being amongst the people to get a dozen photo's with just as much impact.  Ditto extreme places etc etc.

I've just had a glance at the challenge.  Good, I might even hang around a little while to see how it goes. lol.

Mike

I don't agree with you Mike. If it was so easy to get those photo's, news agencies could send any amateur with a camera... much cheaper than their best professionals that they're sending now. There ARE billions of photographs of those 'pitiful faces'... but only the very best generate a certain impact.

Those agencies expect immediate and guaranteed results when they send someone on a mission, and they know they're going to get those results if they send a seasoned professional. If they sent me, that result would not be guaranteed... do you really think it's that easy..? And if you think that they have all the time in the world to fulfill their mission, think again... time is money, and every wasted second is a second too much.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the ability of the photographers - I completely agree that they're sent there usually BECAUSE they're good. 

But the only difference between an amateur and a professional a lot of the time is the fact that the professional gets paid for it.  I don't believe I mentioned the photographers themselves anywhere, only the difference between 'them' and 'us' being the fact that they are 'there' and we are not.  I've seen photographers here in the Renderosity forum and gallery that, given the same location, could equal top newsworthy shots, and probably in the same timeframe.

And do I think it's that easy?  Call me cocky, big-headed or any other term, but yes, I DO think it's easy.  I can work to a deadline, I can take good pictures (when I can be bothered and put some effort into it).   That's exactly the point I'm making.,.......that some of the time it IS that easy, and some of the time (and from reading interviews in magazines and on the net a lot of people who have taken iconic photos) it's down to pure luck - right time, right place. 

Like I said to a friend while I was in the States - you've got to be in the Rockies to take a good photo of the Rockies.............

:-)

Well, I've seen some of the goals in the World Cup that I could have scored as easily as the ones who made the goals, but (as you said) I wasn't there and they were... ;o)

Ah, now you tease - there is a massive difference between footballers and photographers!  But if you have the latent talent of a world class footballer and you practice like a professional footballer who says you couldn't? Glad we came to agreement!
Lol :-)

Of course there's a difference, but there's a similarity too: if you can deliver on a constant basis, you can get chosen for the team... the minute you fail to deliver, you're out of the game. It's as simple as that. And that has little to do with luck or tight time, right place...

Just logged on briefly for a quick browse while on holiday in the south of France and came across this thread which I have read with great interest, there are some very interesting points raised here and it got me thinking... so firstly thanks for that stimulation and secondly I feel I should add my tuppence worth... I realise there's now a sticky dedicated to the topic so this may fall on deaf ears but just have too many thoughts not to chime in..

I disagree with Tom that location is everything although I can see where you're coming from. I think perhaps that line of thinking is most closely related to landscape photography and of couse starting with better/more impressive raw materials (i.e. the scenery) is likely to aid the final result. However, as I'm sure you're well aware there are a multitude of variables to consider and a particular spot one day might look entirely different on another, depending on light and weather for example. And then of course there's the technical proficiency and creativity of the photographer to consider. An average, not-so-serious hobbyist photographer may find themselves in an amazing spot with interetsing lighting, conditions, etc. but if the shot were viewed by a professional it's likely s/he would be able to spot technical flaws. I see landscape photography as an opportunistic style, and the shots which really stand out will do so because of the conditions/lighting etc BUT this should be accompanied by technical excellence or the more knowledgeable members of your audience will lose interest in the work..

I find I agree with much of what girsempa has said, however I think a distinction should be made about WHO we take the pictures for. Is it for ourselves or others? Do we take them because they interest US or we think they may be of value/interest to others? This may be the line between amateurs and professionals, to an extent. Personally I'm no pro, and while I'm enjoying the change of scenery provided by my current travels I'm not 100% convinced that the shots I've taken would be of any truly significant interest to the locals of these areas... it just so happens that much of what I've been shooting is new to me, and hence of much interest... which links me back nicely to who I take pictures for - based on the above comment - me, although since I'm with family there is also the consideration of taking plenty of 'memory shots' and 'family snaps' (so I guess it changes with circumstance but in general I believe there's no right style or way to go about the subject and you should shoot what interests YOU, and without even thinking of it there's a chance someone the other side of the globe will look and find your work 'exotic'). As photography is a passionate interest of mine I of course have taken my photos while taking into account all the usual technical considerations like composition etc. but the main reason is so that I can look back on them in years to come and remember exactly how it was to be there (there's another can of worms right there - photography as replacement of memory... let's not go there here tho eh? ;)) and to bring these vistas which are interesting to me back to my study at home..

In terms of aiming at improvement I think not changing location and staying put can have dramatic effects on your photography if you're prepared to work at it. It makes you look at things you've seen hundreds of times and really get creative with them. If the shot is just blatantly 'there', right in front of you, the temptation is to get lazy and just let the scene 'do the work for you'. But in working to make something apparently mundane interesting to your eye, there's a good chance as a by-product that it'll be interesting to others too, and you may just force yourself into new realms of photographic expression. There are so many styles to explore and I'm a believer one should be interested in everything. It makes you more rounded and you can then apply your knowlege according to your own particular tastes, which of course vary from person to person...

Anyway I think I'll leave it at that even though I've a few more thoughts on the topic as this is becoming quite the lengthy post... it's a bit 'stream of consciousness' so I hope I haven't wandered too far off topic.... cheers for the thought-provoking thread and responses... in time I'll have a gander over the sticky thread which has resulted from this and maybe get involved, but right now I'm off out to explore the possiblities of the warm early-evening provencal light =)

Adam 

....my god I didn't realise I'd rambled on quite THAT much - apologies!  =S

Meowgli, no apology needed.  The idea of the thread is to bring out thought and if it take more than a few sentences to do that..just fine with me.
 

Now, go enjoy that special light and I hope it is special tonight.     Tom.

Shoot a sunset or landscape and unless unusual for some reason or the other, you compete with every other similar shot out there.

This is indeed a fact of life....

So, give me a ticket. Give me the way..then I will wow a few folks with photos from that exotic location I will likely never have opportunity to visit otherwise.    I wish we all could have such a chance and opportunity.

I agree, but there is one little problem, If we all had the opportunity as you wish, then we would all return back to the original problem....

Shoot a sunset or landscape and unless unusual for some reason or the other, you compete with every other similar shot out there.

I guess this sounds rather cold, but I personally believe that technique and style will always give the best results.
To me, any location anywhere in the universe would only be a wow! if it was an original scene the viewer had never seen before, and this is because of what it is and has nothing to do with the artistry of the photographer.....with some scenes, it would really be hard to take a bad shot.

Personally I would like to concentrate on originality on scenes that are not original.
Go out on a dull day into a boring town and I believe any half decent photographer could capture imagination if they face the right direction.

I'd love to go to other places in the world too, don't get me wrong, Tibet has always inspired me with it's strong contrast of colours against a dusty terrain.... but if I wish too much on photographing a place that I have no idea if i'll ever be able to afford to go to, i'll never find inspiration in the places I can afford to reach.

I was planning on taking trips myself to cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome to get shots of all the historical places. Then, I realized that the people living in those countries got it covered pretty well. What could I add except another POV. Now, I am planning trips to places that few people have ventured. Clearwater East and Clearwater West are lakes formed by impact craters millions of year ago. I can only reach it via a seaplane out of Montreal. The lakes get their names because you can see down 60 feet into the lakes. Should make for some impressive shots! Now don't you all go running off to these lakes until I visit them ;-)