Again, I gotta thank y'all so much. These last two days of comments and compliments have been insane and overwhelming in the best way possible. I had no idea how many people were paying attention to what I was doing. I've just always thought of this photography thing as just a replacement hobby for skateboarding, and that's basically all really... and when I think about how much I used to complain about Winnipeg when I was skateboarding all the time, it is crazy to read that now I have helped some people in some small way to see Winnipeg as a more beautiful and vibrant place than they used to.
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FAQ: I'm completely self taught. I've never been to a lecture, taken any class or workshop or attended any photo walk (until just recently intruding on some @tourismwinnipeg & @fromhereandawaywalks this past month 🍻). I learned everything from reading, studying other photographers, particularly Cartier-Bresson (probably obvious due to my effort to capture "stridebys" like he did... still failing), going out making tons of mistakes, failing, and YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE, YOUTUBE. I've learned to appreciate the "rules" of photography, when, where and why to break those rules, and I've also developed my own sets of techniques and rules of my own that work for me. They are nothing new mind you, just a way of seeing things in my own terms. One of those things is I like to actively be looking to do is to shoot photos in "layers".
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Really it's just a way to explain what I'm looking for when out shooting. I remember last year trying to explain my thought process, and while I was saying it... I felt kinda crazy? But I'll give it a go here if I can. I try to add layers to anything I'm trying to shoot, but especially with heavily shot locations. In that last shot of the cathedral, it is the exact same shot that everyone has taken, the only thing I added was a sunrise. The one before that of the bridge, I added high angle and a sunrise. This shot I added reflection, a sunset and a lower angle. The more of these elements that you combine together, it USUALLY helps to elevate a shot of an otherwise frequently seen and photographed location. I'll elaborate more tmr w/examples bc I'm outofsp