Is it just easier to take good photos in some countries? Enoshima Island, Japan. Kodak Ultramax 400 / Canon EOS 500
is it easier to compose appealing images somewhere where architecture is meant to be carefully thought and unique instead of somewhere else where houses look like copypasted and there are streamlined glass buildings with absolutely no originality in a wasteland of Walmarts and parking lots?
I guess you already know the answer
There's beautiful architecture all around homie
Not in suburbs in the US, sorry
Come on, you know that's not true. You might take amazing pictures in those places for a number of reasons, but you gotta admit there's not a single drop of "beautiful architecture" in there
The US is more than just suburbs though. Some countries are bound to be more beautiful than others but that doesn’t mean you can’t get beautiful pictures of beautiful architecture in the United States. If you can’t take good pictures in the US you’re frankly just being lazy and not going out enough.
Your argument is right, but it has nothing to do with what I said.
I didn't say there isn't good architecture in the US. Of course there is.
But it's an objective fact that the logic that guides the US's production is not that of uniqueness, carefulness and attention to detail. It is meant to be as reproductible and simple to produce as possible so that it can be mass produced.
It's based on infinite reproductibility and bland "simplisticness". I think this word doesn't even exist, but I'm not talking about something that's simple (which can still be beautiful and unique etc.), I'm talking about being simplistic, about being bland and carelessly made because it's not something that's planned to be simple for stylistic choices, but because it's simplistic as a mere consequence, as a collateral effect of being made to be easily made and cheap and bland so that it caters to most audiences since it has no personality on its own. Because it's seen as a mass produced item that needs to be marketable to large audiences at cheap prices. It's profit margins and marketability that are in play here, not architectural beauty.
And infinite reproductibility and "simplisticness" go in the directly opposite direction of meaningful, unique architecture, attention to detail.
Yes, there's nice architecture in the US. It's the exception, though, not the rule. The rule is bland streamlined products. And no, suburbs, giant parking lots, Costco stores and giant mirrored glass buildings are not great feats of architecture, they objectively suck.
God you people are unbearable travel more in a country because I’ve seen great pictures all the time and beautiful ones photographed by foreigners as well. Anything to insult a country huh? Maybe we can say the same for Brazil. Favelas aren’t the best to look at either.
Real
It's easier to take a good photo of a spectacular subject than it is to take a spectacular photo of a good subject.
Also nice shot.
Japan is so hot in r/analog right now
When has it not been?
Yeah that weak yen has made it a hotspot
Also made tourism over the past few years has increased by a lot. A lot of places are slowly being closed off to prevent damage to old buildings
Pain.
I feel like the first place anyone thinks of when someone says "I'm going on a photography trip" is Japan. The cherry blossoms, the temples, the mountains, the cities... Add to that the old stereotype of Japanese tourists with a camera in hand at all times and the incredible Japanese camera industry that supplanted Germany as the numbers one manufacturer of consumer and professional photographic optics decades ago and never stopped developing, and it's hard to separate photography and Japan.
Most of the time it’s easier when it’s simply a foreign country.
I think it may be just exposure.
I know I have gotten a bit bored of my downtown area because of how many times I’ve walked around the area, but an hour out, I find myself in another city that I can snap away at.
It’s possible that being abroad makes it feel like you’re not coming back soon for whatever reason so you end up more focused on getting good shots for memory’s sake.
For me, I really don’t enjoy shooting people in cities, so seeing cars zipping by in a city really elevates my desire to get good photos.
To quote the guy that taught me:
If you want to take more interesting photos, go more interesting places.
For me, it's when you can see the history. Whether it's architectural, or within the landscape, age makes all the difference.
Some countries are more photogenic than others.
For sure. Even the light seemed better
I have noticed this. The sunlight seems to work so much better in some countries. I think it all depends on the proximity to the equator line and other environmental stuff.
It has everything to do with cloud cover. The geography of Japan creates partly cloudy skies which gives a slightly softer light that wraps better, but still produces nice shadows. Wyoming and Montana are the same, Dallas Texas is the opposite. It's mostly clear skies which limits the hours of good light to the morning and end of day.
The quality of natural light is definitely a thing, and there are a few things that influence it: - the angle of light - near the equator line you have the sun directly above, but near the polar poles the sun is never directly overhead - related to the above, the distance the sun rays travel is also affected by the angle: the lower the angle, the more atmosphere the light has to travel through, resulting in a warmer and less powerful light - cloud cover, moisture and other particles (dust, smoke, etc) are absorning and scattering the light
Your normal surroundings are boring to you
I reside in grey Berlin, so everytime I go to another country I feel that exact way: Why is it so easy taking good photos here :D
I haven't been to Japan, but I can say that it is usauñlly easier for me to take pictures when aboard becasue everything catches my atention more, I'm more focused on seeing what's around. When I'm in my familair places, my city, etc... sometimes everything seems too mundane to be interesting.
I think cars and terrible architecture everywhere make the US in particular harder than other places.
I wish that cars would disappear at least once every time I go shoot.
I've visited Japan a few times and have always pondered this question ahaha
In my experience, I think Japan just has the right combination of architecture, history, walkability, and other small things to give it a lot of charm.
A lot of the architecture is very deliberate and a lot of it is very unique without looking too gaudy. The cities have a lot of colorful signs that fill up backgrounds quite well. They also have a lot of green spaces that make good contrast between urban and nature. There are so many flowering plants and trees even in their cities.
Their history also has a lot of close ties with their architecture, and just like nature, it makes for a good contrast with old and new in the cities.
The biggest factor I think as to why Japan looks easier to take photos in though, is because of how pedestrian friendly it is. It's no joke to say you can get to most places easily there just by walking and using public transportation. I come from a car-centric country so a lot of my travels are just between Point A and Point B, it's not practical to keep stopping to get a good shot of something when you're in a car. In Japan, it felt like there was more freedom to take pictures. It didn't get in the way to take detours. If I saw an opportunity for a good shot while on my way somewhere, all I had to do was stop walking and take the shot.
it looks like it's not the case
Lol thanks, any constructive feedback?
Ive seen it said that if you want to take interesting photos you need to stand in front of interesting things. Also the novelty of the scenery probably goes a long way towards motivating you to photograph well. I live in Western Australia and to be honest I couldn’t be arsed to take a beautiful beach sunset photo if my life depended on it.
I just traveled to Enoshima few days ago! It's a beautiful place!!
It was such a lovely day trip! So many nice photo opportunities
I photoed this building too!
https://imgur.com/a/0wHVOVk
Hey cool! Such a photogenic island, I took so many haha
Why is the film community so obsessed with Japan? Imagine if we lost our shit over Albania or something instead.
I mean, I’m sure Albania is beautiful, I just wanted to share this photo I took in Japan
Oh it's not bad or anything and it's not like you've done anything wrong, but there's just a ton of pictures posted here and on other analog spaces that were taken in Japan and I don't really see any other country get that same sort of treatment.
Imo Japan just has a really cool aesthetic. The cars, lush greenery, ancient Buddhist temples, backlit signs, small streets and alleys, etc. It just looks super cool! Especially to a foreigner (me). I’m in Kyoto rn, boutta add to the plethora of Japan photos on this sub lol. 10 rolls deep so far.
Yeah it’s definitely idolised, I think the weak yen has also given tourism a huge boost these at the moment so seems like everyone is there right now
I think it's because lots of its historical sites are very muted or earth tone in color, with red as a consistent accent color, so they make very easy subjects with nature in the background.
haha it's only a matter of time before the film photographers follow the hoardes of travellers "discovering the hidden gem" of Albania.
I think most walkable cities without stupid amounts of urban sprawl look good
Easier yes. But you still missed by cutting off the roof.
Seeing a place with fresh eyes always makes for a great roll of film
Ultramax FTW
Dang, I made it to Enoshima beach but not island. Looks awesome!
Such a nice area hey, one of my favourite days
Very nice photo!
Love the photo. Title is a bit odd- it’s a picture so of course it depends on what you shoot
Fair point. It just seems easier to find interesting subjects somewhere like Japan. Home feels uninspiring sometimes and not mundane in a good way. Familiarity makes it hard to see what’s special I guess I’m trying to say
Yeah it’s just easier to take pics when in a new place. Your eye is more alive
Tbh I take back what I said. Some countries are more photogenic and traveling does of course shift our perception because we’re struck by so much unfamiliarity. I think it’s helpful to tell ourselves that it’s not about where we are though, because there’s still ample opportunity wherever
This is very close to a japanese print. The grey object on the left side looks like it was inked.
It's easier to see a different perspective from a country you aren't from
Yeah, it feels like it.
Yes.
Southafrika (capetown) is easy because its sunny soo long and so bright
Any country with a highly developed arts tradition? Japan has that for sure.
It has to do with the light. Every place has its own light.
Love the photo, and I feel Ultramax 400 is an underrated film stock. Colors pop very nicely.
Hard to take a bad photo in Japan
So 💯 I get overwhelmed on what to try and take pics of, when I’m in Japan. Everything is so well thought out, and meticulously made. It’s kinda a photographers dream imo.
I think it’s the aesthetic blend of nature and traditional architecture, not just Japan.
Americans will live in one of the most beautiful and resplendent countries on the planet and then not travel outside of their suburban sprawls/strip malls and complain that their country is ugly.
My brothers you literally have the national parks - your land is such a lack of premium that they just leave old buildings standing most of the time and move on. This means that if you don’t care to photograph outstanding beauty then you have a worlds worth of urban decay. Hate both of those? Photograph people in their homes and document their lives. Either way, no excuses! Try harder
I’m not American but I do see your point. Sometimes what you’re familiar with just doesn’t seem as interesting though.
Yes it is. Try taking cityscape photos in the gray of Montreal
3 missing replies
Good photos of Japan are easier to take while in Japan.