The Big Picture - West Midlands

Could you take a photo a day? - Interview

A photo a day sounds easy doesn’t it? But, every day without fail - and keeping up the standard?

We saw some of Trav28’s photos of Birmingham on the The Big Picture and really liked them, but we then found his blog - where he has the stamina to post a photo each and every day. We had a quick chat with Trav - also known as Chris - to find out how he keeps it up - and why!

When did you first start taking photos?

I first started taking photos at 14 when my aunt gave me her Minolta SLR. I didn’t really take it too seriously, mastering manual settings was a bit of a pain – I was more into movies and comics so that kind of consumed my time.

I picked up photography on a more serious basis as part of a BTEC in media at East Birmingham College. I learned dark room techniques, developed my own negatives and printed images in the darkroom there. It was a fantastic course and spurred me onto doing a degree at the University of Central England.

I needed to find my own voice or rather eye so it was only about 6 years after finishing my degree that I found Flickr and moved from using film to digital and became more experimental and a lot more passionate. I found my style and started to engage with photography and enjoy it once more.

A picture a day is a big commitment - do you find it easy to keep it up?

It’s a massive commitment! I keep my options open, and use images from my archive if the weather is less than great or I am stretched for time, but it’s something that has taught me a lot about how I approach photos and how I store images up for later. I bracket my shots and work different angles so I can build up a “bank” of photos surrounding a particular subject. Digital gives you so much freedom but I find myself still thinking about exposure/angles/composition.

I do find it difficult sometimes, if I’m feeling less a bit under the weather the temptation not to follow it up is quite massive but then I think I have started this thing so I have to keep going!

How do you decide on a day’s picture - is it just the photo or does it have something to do with your mood?

I think the day shapes how I think when I choose the picture. The thing is with photography, or at least for me, is it’s a form of therapy. You can channel all these thoughts into an image and it allows you to make sense of events in your life or stuff that may have happened weeks, or even years ago.

I find there is a lot my personality in these images and I do reflect on how the day has gone or if someone has said something inspiring or a item of news has affected me. Mood and feeling are a massive part of the equation.

What’s your favourite thing about sharing photos on the internet?

I think it’s the sense of community and the feedback from others. I am still learning about photography and there’s a new trick or style to be picked up so I find photography on the internet a two way process. It’s fantastic for sharing and receiving knowledge and it is also satisfying when someone understands the message or theme behind the photos I take.

Viewing images from other people in different places and countries is enriching so for me it’s all about learning too!

Could you take a photo a day? Why not upload them to The Big Picture - tagging “photoaday” as you do - and we’ll be able to watch them unfold here.