Adam Basti

What Kind Of Photographer Am I?

After reading over the description for this week’s blog post, I knew pretty much immediately which photos I wanted to use. When looking back at the types of photos I’ve enjoyed taking the most, I have noticed that I enjoy taking photos that are more interesting and artsy as opposed to a photo that might tell a story. I have also found that I enjoy taking photos that require some exploring, whether that be through a city, a cool museum or somewhere abandoned. Even before I got into photography and videography, I have always been someone who enjoys exploring and going out of my way to find things and places that others might overlook or not want to explore. One big thing I want people to associate with my photography is a feeling of emptiness and loneliness but also a feeling of exploration and adventure. I took my first two photos on the same day and within about an hour of each other. As I was walking through downtown Greensboro, I stopped to observe a building and thought that the juxtaposition of the fire escape and the sky might make for a good photo. Later, as I was leaving downtown and driving towards a restaurant on the campus of UNCG, I noticed a large open field with a few abandoned structures and took a small detour to explore them leading me to discover an abandoned bus covered in graffiti. One big thing I have learned from one of my other photo classes as well as some of the media I consume (How To with John Wilson) is that being observant and paying attention to things that others easily overlook can lead to some very interesting opportunities and photos. Lastly, when I read that one of the three photos would have to be a self-portrait, I immediately knew which photo to use. Last week, after photographing a secret show at a museum in Greensboro, I took additional photographs while on a tour of the museum. The museum, which was filled with oddities and creative art pieces, was not only a place that I found interesting but also comforting as well. While walking through the museum, I felt as though many of the pieces seemed to showcase the same sort of creativity and artiness that I want to embody in some of my photos. Even though I find myself gravitating towards photographing things that are more hidden and artsy, I do also find it very fun to photograph events and/or places that have a large gathering of people. I have found myself doing more of it for one of my other photo classes and in doing so I have realized that I enjoy capturing real world moments and would like to explore it further. Luckily, in the next few months there seem to be a lot of big events coming up that I think will help me improve this style of photography.
 


Comments

8 responses to “What Kind Of Photographer Am I?”

  1. Hi Adam! I think these photos are very you. You find beauty in the unknown and broken things. The mood of these photos you have chosen to go great with the feelings you are trying to portray. For a lot of photos, I’ve seen from you, you are able to evoke this feeling of abandonment but also beauty. Being able to get a glimpse of these abandon places through your eyes is very cool. When it comes to the photos you’ve shown us, the empty space in the building photo gives it this big empty feeling which correlates to the place. The colors in the abandon subway train are very eye catching. I like the composition of the photo, the lighting adds to the gloomy, abandon feeling of the photo. As we grow in this photo journey, I am excited to see the places you go and the photos you are able to capture.

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  2. Hey Adam! I enjoyed reading your blog, and I can definitely see that you love to explore and go out into different places to find things that others might overlook. I really like how you mentioned that sometimes paying attention and taking a step back from the bigger picture can lead to interesting opportunities to take pictures. I think that really shows in your photos, especially with the abandoned bus and the way you noticed the fire escape against the sky. I also really like how you can recognize that your personal photography style and the types of photographs you enjoy capturing professionally can be different. I don’t think a lot of people can identify what they personally like to photograph compared to what they enjoy capturing for other purposes. I think knowing that about yourself can help you grow as a photographer. I’m excited to see how you continue to explore both of these sides of your photography!

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  3. Charlie Roberts Avatar
    Charlie Roberts

    Hi Adam, I like all three photos but the middle one is my favorite of the photos, as it captures the spookiness of the places you love, such as the abandoned places you said. The self portrait is also nice, it reminds me of another classmates, as it shows you are a click of a gun type of photographer and takes pictures of whatever you feel and whatever captures your eyes, the first photo is a bit bland for me, I like the repeating patterns of the stairs, but there is way to much sky space for me, it is a nice photograph, but I believe it could have been better and more interesting. Also, going back to the middle picture, I like the photo, but it could be a tad lighter, but then again, the darkness does help with the moodiness and the tone I think you were going with when you first took it.

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  4. What’s up, Adam. You really do love capturing the essence of abandoned places, and it shows; your images always capture the eeriness of places like that, and they look amazing, especially the dark tones and shadows that aren’t as exposed and remain dark to give that feeling. I also think that’s the beauty of exploring and being a photographer: you get to find areas that are on the brink of collapse or very sketchy mills, and then mixing photography with it creates such a creative and dark mood for the location. Having a niche that makes you enjoy what you do makes all of this just so fun, and I know you just enjoy it because you get to create art you love. I’m super glad and really impressed by all the images you’ve shown us over the last year together, and I can’t wait to see what else you may have up your sleeve.

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  5. What’s up, Adam. You really do love capturing the essence of abandoned places, and it shows; your images always capture the eeriness of places like that, and they look amazing, especially the dark tones and shadows that aren’t as exposed and remain dark to give that feeling. I also think that’s the beauty of exploring and being a photographer: you get to find areas on the brink of collapse or very sketchy mills, and then mixing photography with them creates such a dark, creative mood for the location. Having a niche that lets you enjoy what you do makes all of this so much fun, and I know you enjoy it because you get to create art you love. I’m super glad and really impressed by all the images you’ve shown us over the last year together, and I can’t wait to see what else you may have up your sleeve.

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  6. What’s up, Adam. You really do love capturing the essence of abandoned places, and it shows; your images always capture the eeriness of places like that, and they look amazing, especially the dark tones and shadows that aren’t as exposed and remain dark to give that feeling. I also think that’s the beauty of exploring and being a photographer: you get to find areas on the brink of collapse or very sketchy mills, and then mixing photography with them creates such a dark, creative mood for the location. Having a niche that lets you enjoy what you do makes all of this so much fun, and I know you enjoy it because you get to create art you love. I’m super glad and really impressed by all the images you’ve shown us over the last year together, and I can’t wait to see what else you may have up your sleeve.

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  7. I really enjoyed reading about what you like to photograph and how you’ve found your style through exploring different places. I really liked your photo of the abandoned bus. I think it stood out because of the graffiti and the fact that it was abandoned made the photo feel really interesting and mysterious. i can definitely tell from your photos and your writing that you enjoy taking more artsy photos and exploring places that other people might overlook. I also liked how you talked about finding opportunities by just being observant. I think that is such an important part of photography because sometimes the best photos can come from things you weren’t even planning to photograph. I also thought it was interesting that you want your photos to create a feeling of emptiness and loneliness while still showing exploration and adventure. I think you’re doing a good job of developing a style that feels personal to you.

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  8. Good evening Adam. These photos are great and I think they represent you perfectly. When it comes to the building photo, I think you could’ve lined up the horizontal axis a bit better. It’s slight slanted to where it doesn’t line up with the architecture of the building. I also think you could’ve zoomed in more. The ratio is great and the empty space is nice. But if you zoomed in, you could’ve had more emphasis on the leading lines; as well as detail of the building. Keep up the great work Adam!

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