Photography in Prague
Okay, enough about horsemeat, Elvis impersonation and alien abductions. No, waitaminit, that last one wasn't mine...
I've recently been thinking about the types of photography I do to make a living vs. what I do for 'art' or 'personal satisfaction.' My main income is derived through wedding photography, portraits and photojournalism in Prague and Central Europe. I also like to troll through the countryside snapping pics of castles and castle ruins. That would qualify as the non-paid part of my photography. But I also get personal satisfaction out of every picture I take.
For the longest time I had this notion that I had to separate the 'commercial' from the 'artistic.' I suppose this idea was instilled in me early in life; perhaps it was my upbringing in middle class America, where everybody hates their work and seeks personal fulfillment through either hobbies or chemical substances. I maintained that as a photographer I would never 'sell out', 'go commercial' or some other such crazy notion.
But I really love photography. All of it. Every job, every situation, every type of work that has come my way. And photography has taken me in the strangest directions. Last weekend I was caught up in the middle of one of those British stag group parties in Prague--aka 'the Big Prague Piss Up.' I was hired to document the occasion of a stag party. I was thinking to myself how I could make something artistic out of something so, well, blatantly hedonistic. This past week I have also been simultaneously working on a document of a Czech-American family, their roots, ancestral homes, etc. On Saturday I was taking portraits of senior citizens sipping coffee surrounded by antique furniture. On Saturday night I was taking pictures of a stag hanging out of the top of a stretch limousine with an inflatable sheep in one hand and a champagne bottle in the other. Quite a contrast.
I'd like to post some of the photos I've been taking to illustrate, but the hungover and apologetic stags told me not to do so, in no uncertain terms. I suppose they have bosses, wives or girlfriends who might frown upon the staggering stags and their hedonistic persuits. In future blogs (between slices of Prague life and general ramblings) I'll post some of my documentary photos (including the Czech family portraits). Maybe I'll even risk putting up a stag photo or two. I could put those black bars over the eyes of the inflatable sheep to protect the innocent...
I've recently been thinking about the types of photography I do to make a living vs. what I do for 'art' or 'personal satisfaction.' My main income is derived through wedding photography, portraits and photojournalism in Prague and Central Europe. I also like to troll through the countryside snapping pics of castles and castle ruins. That would qualify as the non-paid part of my photography. But I also get personal satisfaction out of every picture I take.
For the longest time I had this notion that I had to separate the 'commercial' from the 'artistic.' I suppose this idea was instilled in me early in life; perhaps it was my upbringing in middle class America, where everybody hates their work and seeks personal fulfillment through either hobbies or chemical substances. I maintained that as a photographer I would never 'sell out', 'go commercial' or some other such crazy notion.
But I really love photography. All of it. Every job, every situation, every type of work that has come my way. And photography has taken me in the strangest directions. Last weekend I was caught up in the middle of one of those British stag group parties in Prague--aka 'the Big Prague Piss Up.' I was hired to document the occasion of a stag party. I was thinking to myself how I could make something artistic out of something so, well, blatantly hedonistic. This past week I have also been simultaneously working on a document of a Czech-American family, their roots, ancestral homes, etc. On Saturday I was taking portraits of senior citizens sipping coffee surrounded by antique furniture. On Saturday night I was taking pictures of a stag hanging out of the top of a stretch limousine with an inflatable sheep in one hand and a champagne bottle in the other. Quite a contrast.
I'd like to post some of the photos I've been taking to illustrate, but the hungover and apologetic stags told me not to do so, in no uncertain terms. I suppose they have bosses, wives or girlfriends who might frown upon the staggering stags and their hedonistic persuits. In future blogs (between slices of Prague life and general ramblings) I'll post some of my documentary photos (including the Czech family portraits). Maybe I'll even risk putting up a stag photo or two. I could put those black bars over the eyes of the inflatable sheep to protect the innocent...
posted by praguelodyte at 12:20 AM
2 Comments:
hey craig! love your work.....I always have Katy
""I'd like to post some of the photos I've been taking to illustrate, but the hungover and apologetic stags told me not to do so, in no uncertain terms. I suppose they have bosses, wives or girlfriends who might frown upon the staggering stags and their hedonistic persuits. In future blogs (between slices of Prague life and general ramblings) I'll post some of my documentary photos (including the Czech family portraits). Maybe I'll even risk putting up a stag photo or two. I could put those black bars over the eyes of the inflatable sheep to protect the innocent..."
Screw those limey piss up gimps guvna". There not Innocent. No one is for that mater... My name is Nigel Tobys. I represent News of the World UK. We'd gladly pay ya a quid or two for those photos. Those Latent stream crossers deserve to be exploited like they have exploited the Czechs for the past decade . They've been polluting Prague with their self serving hooliganisms & should be exposed now before its too late. Think about It!!! nigeltobys@newsoftheworld.co.uk
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