xzmattzx
What are you shooting with and what would you like to shoot with?
I am using a Canon A590 IS, a simple point-and-shoot camera. (This is one reason why I don’t think I deserve to be asked about my photography.) I just added a Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 for underwater pictures; I was in south Florida a couple weeks ago and went snorkeling, and wanted to take pictures out there. In the future, I’d like to have a better point-and-shoot; I’m not going to be a professional photographer, so I have no need for something big, and I don’t feel like carrying around something huge.
If you could sum up your style in one photograph what photo would it be?
This one is probably a good one, of the Ellicott Building in Buffalo. It reflects my interest in history, since the building is important, but it also displays my evolution into doing better, by showing an interior. The only thing that this doesn't reflect is my ties to Delaware, but there wasn't a single Delaware picture that I thought personified me.
Talk about your inspirations and influences.
My influence is history. I'm not an artsy kind of person at all. My background and personality is more scientifically-based, and my pictures and threads end up reflecting that. I go for passing along information instead of giving a feeling.
A few members come to mind as inspirations. Flar is a big one in a couple ways. First, his showcase of a ton of places in Ontario got me to see that there was a lot for me to explore up there when I’m up there. Additionally, his threads convey the history of even the mundane, small, and regular places. This is something that I try to do as well. Taller Better (mainly on SSC, on here as well I think) is another inspiration. His photoblog of Toronto shows a lot of just his daily routines and randomness. In it, he took the time to stop and notice the minute details of buildings. This has gotten me to sometimes cover the detail on a place myself. TB is also good at showing the insides of buildings, something that I have been trying to do when I can. Other members have influenced me by showcasing places I would've thought nothing about, or found angles that worked, but there are too many people to name.
Where have you not been that you want to photograph?
Where to begin? First, the one city in the world that I would like to vacation in the most is Sydney. So taking pictures there would be great. I’d love to see London as well. I'd like to start getting into Europe in general, and the history in London makes there a great start. I'd like to see Ireland a lot as well, partially for the great scenery and partially for the pubs and culture. Back in this country, I've planned in my mind driving all around the Desert Southwest and exploring that area of the country, especially Arizona. I'd like to see what some of those random desert towns look like there in Arizona, but also in New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and California. Included are places (not necessarily desert towns) like Tucson, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego. I've been to Las Vegas and San Diego before but would love to explore neighborhoods more extensively at some point. (The same goes for other cities that I've already been in, especially when on sports road trips with friends; Miami is a good example). I'd also like to dip my toes in the water of border countries besides Canada if I'm going to revisit places, so I'd like to see some Mexican cities if I go back to San Diego, and I'd love to go to the Bahamas if I go back to Miami.
Talk about your most popular (in your opinion) photothreads.
Few of my threads get enough responses to go to the third or even second page. (This is yet another reason why I think I'm not as qualified as other people who have participated in this.) A few got a lot of responses quick, and they were an indication of places that are romanticized or are intriguing. Camden NJ, Oil City PA, Ohio cities, Buffalo neighborhoods, Niagara Falls neighborhoods, Washington DC neighborhoods, and a little Wilmington photo essay from the summer are ones that for the most part went onto a second page and/or got rave reviews.
Talk about your photothreads that didn't get the response you wanted.
I remember doing one photothread a few years ago of Port Dalhousie, a very charming neighborhood in St. Catharines, Ontario. I figured that with all of the Canadians on SSP, and possibly the good reputation of the neighborhood, that it would do pretty well. I got one response. Some of my San Francisco threads from the past year didn't do too well, either, off of the top of my head. Generally, I expect threads of bigger/more notable cities to do better than your average small town, but sometimes my bigger city photothreads fall to the bottom of the page pretty quickly.
Any tips or personal wisdom you'd like to pass on to others?
Look for history everywhere. A lot of places have their own little story to tell. If you keep that in mind, then taking pictures of that place can help you give a sense of what it's like there. I'd love to see more people, even the artsy people, include a little slice of history in their pictures. Captions every once in a while are nice for someone like me, as well.
Who should we ask these questions of next?
Evergrey. It was between him or Stepper777, and I have seen Evergrey's work on SSC for several years now, so I'd like to hear what he has to say. Hopefully Stepper gets the nod eventually.
Thanks to VZ for wanting to know about me! I hope I didn't disappoint anyone.