• Photography

    Don't Worry, Be Creative

    November 14, 2009
    20091105-_DSC6841-Edit
    Sea shell on the beach

    “Worrying about doing something new ends up stunting creative growth. Being creative does NOT require doing something new. It requires doing something that is authentically your real personal and true vision. If you take away anything from this blog post, I hope it’s that.” Scott Bourne

    What a powerful post Scott wrote for me, sort of like a personal letter. There are several nuggets in his post, I posted one of them a couple days ago. My history has included a lot of worry. As I’ve aged in years and have a few more experiences under my belt, those worries are far less frequent. I no longer work in engineering because I do not want to wake up in the middle of the night worrying about a problem that needs solved. In fact I could have used his quote back then. It nice to live the day as it unfolds before us and not struggle to make it way we want it. When I live the moment I can be more creative. Walking the beach for me is nothing new, done it a few times and love it. I’ll do it again, living the moment and see what creative juices flow without worries.

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  • Photography,  Plants

    Zoomed In

    August 30, 2009
    Morning Sunlight
    Morning Sunlight

    As photographers most of us have an assortment of lens to to choose from. Depending on what we are photographing we will use a wide angle, a telephoto or maybe a macro. By selecting a specific lens we have control of what we place in our view finders, vital to our vision. At one point I was carrying an assortment of lens that covered from 18mm to 400mm, just to make sure I had it all covered. Over the past couple of years I have decreased that range (and the weight of my camera bag) by narrowing down to 18-200mm and using 4 lens. I discovered having a wide range of focal length did not make me a better photographer.

    In the above image I used a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 at 200mm to crop out the surrounding distractions. It helped me to create the image I wanted but that’s not the only thing that helped make this image. In order to eliminate all the background I needed to move in closer. To do that I used my feet. 🙂

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  • writing/reading

    A Great Read

    August 13, 2009

    519oWf1GrFL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_If your into knowing why we take the images we do and why the images have an impact on us then David duChemin’s book Within the Frame is an excellent read. It was one of those books where I made sure I had a pen ready to jot down little snippets of good information and underlined some really good stuff. He has some great images that are worth spending time studying to see what his vision is and how he presents that to us.

    I like the fact he does not go into much technical details but really touches home with his emphasis on our vision and the emotion photography can create. His interest is in street portraiture. This interest in people goes deep and shows in his images. His writing has a spirituality tone mainly because of his spirituality, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed it. He also has a wonderful blog with some interesting writings that lead to even more interesting commentaries. I highly recommend this book. He also has a new book coming out soon called Vision Mongers: Making a Life and Living in Photography.

    When his book arrived I headed to one of my coffee shops to sit outside and read. Isn’t that what all of you do with a new photography book? Anyway, I bumped the table and splashed a small amount of iced coffee on the book. 🙁 I quickly wiped things up and only messed up the edges of the book. As a suggestion, please don’t do the same, move the coffee farther away!

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  • Photography

    Shooting Alone

    July 17, 2009

     

    Flight Crew
    A Snapshot

    I’m not ashamed to admit I carry my camera everywhere I go, you never know when photo opportunities will present themselves. When I head out for coffee or to the mall or to one of our nature areas, I will typically carry a shoulder bag with one camera, couple lenses and a flash. Almost feel naked if I didn’t have it with me. However, I realized this past weekend how differently I approach photo opportunities if I am with people or alone. Here’s my example.

    While walking with friends to an area near our hotel in search of a restaurant for dinner, I probably stopped a half dozen times to fire off a few shots, and by a few I mean 1-2 shots. But, this stopping and firing off images, which is normal for me, can put your friends in uncomfortable place. They want to eat and you’re taking photos? There are some who think I’m crazy but we know that is just not true. At other times they keep on walking knowing I will eventually catch up. I’ve even had friends point out subjects that catch their attention, “Hey, take a picture of that.” After returning to my hotel, I realized how I can limit myself in my ability to create an image. I do not approach my subject of interest the same when shooting alone or with friends. Does that mean I will stop carrying my camera when with friends? Probably not, I’d feel naked.

    Oh, and some friends will let you take snapshots of them also.

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  • landscape

    Am I a photographer?

    June 26, 2009

     

    Windmill and Trees
    Windmill and Trees

    I read a blog by David deChemin on the definition of a photographer. I resonated with his thoughts and perspective and had to rethink about using that title on myself. Am I a photographer?

    There was a time when I struggled with calling myself an engineer. I worked for 27 years in engineering and was paid the salary of an engineer, whatever value a company may place on that job. Yet, I am me, an individual with so much more than just a title or label. I now work as a flight attendant so does that make me a flight attendant? Yes, while working at that job I am a flight attendant as well as being me. I’ve been called a son, brother, husband, father, a grandfather, a friend and even a few unprintable labels. Am I any of those? Yes, even the unprintable. Yet, I am still me. So what defines me as a photographer?

    I have made money with my photography so does that make me a photographer? I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go, does that make me a photographer? At this juncture of my photography, I believe when I take the time to create an image rather than take an image, I am a photographer. When my eye sees an image within the mundane, I’m a photographer. We don’t have to make money with it. We don’t have to have a business name or business cards. Although those sure won’t hurt. In the above image, my eyes noticed the solitude of the trees and the windmill against the western clouds while driving on a farm road in the Texas Panhandle. I stopped the car and worked my way around the scene to find a view that fit my vision of the trees and the windmill. This view works for me and hopefully for others. What about you, are you a photographer?

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