Taking LetraSet photos might seem like an odd thing to do. Firstly if you don’t know what LetraSet is, it was a method of creating artwork and visuals by transferring lettering from a sheet before computers and desktop publishing were commonplace.
I’ve only just made the connection between LetraSet and Action Transfers. These used the same system but had colourful images of various themes from Dinosaurs to Star Wars and something I remember playing with as a kid.
Luckily I’m not that old I had to use LetraSet in a commercial environment. By the time I left art college everything was done on computers … thank god. However I did use LetraSet whilst at college for visualising, as the computer training given was basic to say the least. So when a friend showed me a few boxes of the stuff from his attic, the nostalgia kicked in and the idea they could make for some interesting photographs came into my head.
After taking the photos and thinking about posting them on my website I started to question the idea that they were interesting. Of course they’re interesting to me. Me and LetraSet have history. It takes me back to simpler times. A time when the idea of being a graphic designer was just a backup in case my career as a rock legend didn’t happen. But what would non-designers think?
Then I remembered, who the pictures were taken for … me. As are most of my images. It’s easy to think everyone must love pictures of jaw-dropping vistas and the natural world, but they don’t, and that’s worth remembering. Not so you only shoot what you think the majority might like, but to remember to shoot whatever you like, regardless of how many ‘likes’ it might get.
I like to think as a photographer I can appreciate photography of any kind on some higher level. But at the end of the day, I’m not going to hang a picture of a footballer on my wall, however well it was taken, because I have no interest in football.
So if you’re just starting out in photography, remember to shoot what you like, however dull it might be to most people. Right, time to get back to my LetraSet…
