This post marks a return to one of my favorite themes - that just about anything can be the subject of an interesting photograph.

This weeks assignment is: Boring (yup you read that right).

Please post any photos, comment about anything or ask any questions about photography.- Also, treat this as a photography (or anything else for that matter) open thread.

An Unusual Landscape

When we think about landscape photography we tend to think of the grand vistas typified by the photography of Ansel Adams and the legions of photographers who have followed in his footsteps. Big beautiful mountains, rolling fields, forests, picturesque buildings are all a part of the landscape tradition.

This approach involves finding a view that makes for an interesting composition and then either waiting or returning when the light is at its most flattering (almost always around dusk or dawn - usually the former because there are less people and traffic). If the clouds are doing something interesting that is a real bonus. I have done my share of this type of photography and have great affection for it. Nothing beats being in the middle of a beautiful nowhere at 5.00AM, with no other person in sight, on a warm summer’s morning, with a tripod a camera bag and an hour or so. Best therapy there is.

We learn by trying different things though. These photographs are of what is little more than a wasteland alongside one of the many railway tracks that run through our county. Passenger trains, trains for the mills, and even the notorious bomb trains all have their own lines that go through here. This patch of land borders the latter.

I wanted to see what I could learn by taking photographs of subject matter that was generally considered ugly but in light that was generally considered appealing. I had read loads of stuff about the importance of good light but knew that I could not really understand the subject without trying this experiment. This was my way of attempting to determine the relative importance of light vs subject matter in an image.

Some people think these images are pretty awful and others really like them. I am happy either way - they did what I needed them to do. For what it’s worth I like them but that is because I learned something through them and not because I feel that I must rush out to buy frames to put them in an exhibition.

As some of you know, in addition to taking photographs I paint and make collages. I used these and others from the same set on a series of such works. So, if these look familiar that may be why.

Assignments

Last Week's Assignment - Textures

Photographs and comments.

This Weeks Assignment - Boring

This may be a bit tougher than some of the previous ones. The idea is to make an interesting photograph out of what many would consider to be a boring, or at least average subject.
An image search for photographs by Edward Weston could provide a good jumping off point - he had an incredible eye and could find the photograph in just about anything.
Also think in terms of light. It is worth going outside just before sunrise and looking around - in this light just about anything looks good. Try a close up shot of a fire hydrant in this light if you are skeptical.
For an altogether different approach take a photo of something mundane then see what you can do in the editing process to make it interesting (this one is a bit tougher imo).

Where to post images

I'll put up a new thread tomorrow, around noon ET, specifically for the uploading of photos relating to the assignment. If you want to post them here and/or on tomorrow's thread that is fine. Also feel free to post any other images of anything on either today's or tomorrow's threads. The assignments are purely optional.

Here is an apt quote for this weeks theme:

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun

-Picasso

This is an open thread so have at it. Post photos, questions, thoughts etc. - anything whatsoever to do with photography or anything at all for that matter.