Taking photos of the mundane

A few years ago another photographer said to me, “It’s easy to take a pretty picture of a flower, it’s already pretty.” I’m not sure I would go quite that far, but it has some truth as I think back on the statement. Are we just about making pretty pictures of pretty subjects? I certainly hope not.

I’m not sure what the plant is in the featured photograph, but it isn’t pretty by most flower standards. I saw this plant wandering along a trail in the Flint Hills last September. Many of the plants in the Flints Hills look rugged like this. The open prairie is a harsh environment for plants, I’d guess. I was drawn to this because it was rugged-looking and had many textures.

I’ve heard photographers talk about going out on a photographic excursion. They are waiting for the perfect light, the golden hour, or the blue hour. They are looking for pretty subjects, in pretty light, on a pretty day. I try to not limit myself to just those subjects and just those hours. I often work to make a decent photograph of the mundane. Making decent photographic art with a mundane subject in mundane lighting on a mundane day is much more challenging. Can’t we find beauty and art in the mundane? I think so. Don’t limit yourself to only pretty subjects, in pretty light, on a pretty day. Look for interesting ways to capture the mundane.