St Helens 23rd July 2024
Shooting from the hip is one of those controversial subjects in the photography community, which is precisely why I don’t listen to the photography community. I realised a long time ago that I don’t want to belong to communities. I’m not a mixer among other enthusiasts. Seeing somebody enthusiastic about something I’m enthusiastic about makes me less enthusiastic. Perhaps I see myself in them: my traits, habits, delusions, failures… Do I really breathe through my nose and snort when somebody says something controversial about a shutter setting? No, I don’t think I do. I also shoot from the hip. I shoot from the ear. I sometimes hang the camera upside down between my legs. I’ll shoot from any body part, with a camera at any angle, to compensate for a world which doesn’t sit still for me to photograph it. I might suddenly see something happening off to my side. I’ll spin the camera and fire even as my body is facing the other way. Another thing you’re not supposed to do is crop you
