There are certain kinds of photos I avoid at all costs. I’m not interested in taking the low-hanging fruit—the obvious shots that have been done to death. You know the ones: sunsets, sunrises, pink clouds. Those perfectly staged, beautiful scenes that everyone with a cell phone is quick to snap and throw on Facebook or Instagram. To me, those photos don’t say anything. They’re nice to look at, but at this point, they’re just visual noise.
With social media, I feel like a lot of originality is being lost among photographers. People see a photo on Instagram, think it’s cool, notice it gets a lot of “likes,” and then decide to copy it in hopes of getting the same validation. But when you replicate something like that, you’re not adding anything to the conversation. You’re not saying anything that ten thousand other people haven’t already said.
Now, don’t get me wrong—no one can be 100% original. Someone’s always done something similar before, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend I don’t take inspiration from others. My work is heavily influenced by filmmakers and photographers like Stanley Kubrick, Stephen Shore, Wes Anderson, Fred Herzog—artists who’ve inspired me to see the world a little differently.
But here’s the thing: I’m not taking photos for "likes." I’m taking them because I enjoy them. As much as it sucks when a post doesn’t get much attention (and believe me, that’s most of my posts), I have to remind myself that I’m shooting for me, and not anyone else.
The Critique That Stuck with Me
I’ve gotten some critique of my work that really stuck with me: “It seems like you just wander around, high off your ass, in the middle of the night and take banal photos.” And you know what? They’re not entirely wrong. A lot of my process involves wandering around, stumbling upon scenes that catch my eye—scenes that others might find boring, or not worth a second glance.
“Don’t take a photo of an interesting subject; take a photo of something boring and make it interesting”
But here’s the thing: I think those "boring" scenes are the ones worth documenting. They’re history. As nauseating and cliché as it might sound, everything around us is changing constantly. Small businesses are being shut down, old buildings are being torn down and replaced with soulless corporate, contemporary hellscapes. The world is becoming a copy of itself, and I want to capture those pieces of the mundane before they disappear for good.
Photos That Speak to Me
Since this article is a bit tough for me to write—because, honestly, I don’t put a ton of thought into the usual "photography 101" rules like lighting, composition, perspective—I thought it’d be easier to just show you a few of my favorite photos and explain why I love them. These images might give some insight into what inspires me and how I approach my surroundings.
This shot is one of my favorites. The color is perfect, and I love the way the light from the store spills out onto the sidewalk, just grazing the bumper of the Toyota on the right side. The fire hydrant and the handicap parking signs pop in the frame, and there’s so much detail in the store window with the signs and cigarette ads.
What really gets me about this photo is the old-school vibe of the store itself, especially the “cigarettes” sign. In an age when smoking is demonized, it’s rare to see that kind of blatant advertisement. There’s also the mystery of the guy walking into the store—what’s his story?
But what I love most is the background. If you look closely, you can see the high-rise apartment building looming over the store like a predator, ready to turn it into the next victim of gentrification. That juxtaposition between the old, familiar convenience store and the sterile, modern high-rise is what makes this photo stand out to me.
This shot is heavily Kubrick-inspired, though I didn’t set out to make it that way—it just happened. The symmetry, the way the ceiling lights guide your eye through the frame, the empty stillness of the scene—it all gives off a "Shining" vibe.
I love the small details in this one. The mid-century modern wall clock, the no-smoking sign, the posters peeling off the corkboard, and the debris on the floor from the ceiling tiles—these are the things that make the photo feel lived in. It’s not just about the composition or the lighting; it’s about the story these elements tell.
There’s a lot of mystery in this shot. What kind of building is this? What’s happened here? The black-and-white only adds to the timelessness of the scene. It feels like a forgotten place, lost in time.
Cristy’s Pizza has that mid-century architecture I’m a sucker for. Neon lights? Say no more. I’m a nerd for neon lights. There’s also a great human element here—a woman in orange working behind the counter, her coworker obliviously playing on his phone (we’ve all got that coworker), and a couple off to the side, enjoying a slice of pizza.
I’m not totally in love with the lighting in this one—it’s a bit flat, not the best time of day to photograph the exterior—but I’m happy with how the interior lighting turned out. It took some dodging and burning to get the details just right, but I’m particularly proud of how sharp the menu came out.
This one’s got a Wes Anderson-inspired, head-on composition, which I’m always drawn to. It’s simple, it’s nostalgic, and it tells a story.
This isn’t even a particularly good photo by most people’s standards. It’s not even really a photo of anything. Some might call it a waste of film. But there’s something about the light coming through the window, casting shadows on the stairs, that just appeals to me.
The graphic nature of the shadows and the geometry of the space caught my eye. It’s the kind of scene most people would walk right by, but for some reason, it felt worth documenting to me. Maybe it’s not a photo that’ll win any awards, but it speaks to the way I see the world—a little slice of quiet amidst the chaos.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, photography, for me, isn’t about capturing the grand, obvious moments. It’s about finding beauty in the quiet, overlooked parts of life. It’s about documenting the mundane, the boring, the things we walk by every day without noticing.
Sure, I post my work on social media, and yeah, it stings when my photos don’t get the likes or attention I’d hope for. But that’s not why I do it. I take these photos because I like them. They mean something to me. And if they happen to resonate with others, great. If not, that’s okay too.
What matters is that I’m telling the stories I want to tell—before the world gets turned into another corporate, contemporary hellscape. And that’s enough for me.
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