Picture this: Thanksgiving!
Nov. 19—At an interview recently, someone told me they get a big kick out of "going through" old photos, but that despite having shot thousands of photos more recently with is phone, very rarely does he look at those.
It was a blunt reminder of the nature of photography in the modern (read: smartphone) era. More photos somehow equals fewer memories.
And so we are primed for the holidays, the first being Thanksgiving. I am good friends with at least one photographer who says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, and I can kind of appreciate why: family, friends, and good food that reminds us of childhood.
One odd thing about these holidays is that more-or-less everyone has a list of foods they "have to have" or the holiday isn't right without it, and these foods aren't really a staple for the rest of the year. I know you are thinking of yours as your read this. Is it a casserole? A salad? A potato prepared a certain way? Desserts?
In any case, Thanksgiving can be a fun photographic opportunity, since it is full of food you like and, hopefully, people you like. And the food isn't a moving target, so you can take your time — at least until it's time to dig in.
My photographic challenge to you is this: make beautiful photographs of that beautiful food in some way that you hadn't ever thought to do before. Take the group photos and the selfies, sure, but be a little creative, take a few more chances, and try to amaze yourself with your photos!
