It's Been Too Long

"Opening Night"

I know you're shocked. Or maybe not. No sunset shot today, no towering architecture, no flowers, no historical ships. This is my image for today, and it's been too long since I've explored the streets of downtown Hamilton with the Nikon. It's been too long since I've had something so different to share with you all. I kind of did a little jig when this image demanded my attention!

Joined our local Hamilton Flickr Group last weekend for a photowalk. And I'm glad, very glad, I did. Not only did I get a chance to connect with a fabulous group of people for a few hours, wandering the streets, being inspired by the different things that would stand out to different people, but I was reminded that it's still fun to hunt for those "photographic gems" that are available to us if we care to look hard enough.

Several telephone and hydro poles were sporting this particular poster... for a rave or music event... and the eyes would follow you no matter where you stood. They really got my attention, and the graphic face emerging from the shadows screamed to be photographed. In my experiment to see how far the eyes would follow me, I wandered past the pole, then looked back in the lens... I realized if I got my exposure right, I'd get the "open" sign in the dark window of the dance studio behind it. Take what you will from it, paper vs neon, the solitary vs the city bustle, blue vs red (ha). Is it the most stunning image I've ever produced. Nope. But it was so much fun to take, and I can't wait to print it up. And that's the point.

If it's been too long since that was you having fun, being excited, creating something you can't wait to share, causing you to give an unrestrained giggle of accomplishment, then maybe its time to revisit something you once had time for. Doesn't have to be photography, and it doesn't have to be complicated. Just has to bring you joy. 

Thanks to the HFG for the great night, for John who got us into the local fire hall with our cameras last minute (and to all the firemen out there, stay safe and thank you for all your hard work at all hours of the day and night)... 

..... and thanks for the Ramble here on the blog, gang! Have a good one!

Days End II ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Sunsational Exit"

(1/200 sec.@ F/8, ISO 160, 18mm fl, Late evening light, 18-55mm kit zoom)

No, nothing fantastical has been done to today's post. An yes, it's still Exploration Thursday! But instead of posting an image I played with in PSPx3 to see what effects I could explore, I thought I'd post about getting out there and exploring where you live.

Ever get in a rut creatively? It happens. You start thinking you can't do the same ol' thing anymore. Everything feels redundant. And seeing as you don't have the money to hop on a plane with your gear when the mood strikes and fly off to Patagonia to be inspired by the views and come back a creative genius... what's a photographer to do? Especially if you have other hats you wear everyday too, you're a wife, a dad, a corporate accountant (strike that, you'll have the money to go to Patagonia), a nurse, a postman, a farmer... you're limited to the time you have left to wander about with a camera.

Time to change your thinking and explore your immediate area. And at different times of the day is the perfect way to start. The image above is one of the most eye catching I've taken all year so far, and all because I did a little planning and went back to an area I thought I was done photographing for a while, but this time at the most magical time of day. Suddenly I was no longer just "at the park"...

Also, expand who you are creative with, or learn from. I have a wonderful friend/photographer from flickr who the hubby and I finally met for the first time in person the same night I went out to photograph the sun setting. He knows the area like the back of his hand, and knew when the light would hit what section of the bay, and for how long. He had me shooting from vantage points of the park that I had yet to consider, and it truly got me thinking of all the new possibilities I had yet to consider. I know I'll be meeting up with this gentleman again, there's much to learn from someone who has been doing photography for 40 yrs.

Stuck in that rut? Change the time of the day you explore and work. Change the way you approach it. Change who you exchange ideas with. Change the location. Find one small thing to change and your creative juices will thank you.

Thanks for letting me ramble, and have a great Thursday folks.

Still Learning!

"DeGroote School of Medicine"

At the start of January I made a conscious decision to take myself back to school as it were, to read, dig through various learning sites, and tweak all the areas of my photography AND small business skills that are in desperate need of tweaking if I'm ever going to expand my horizons as a serious photographer. I am even now on the lookout for a couple of specific night classes or workshops to hone two areas that have always intimidated me. I knew I had two choices. I could waffle around and learn what works and what doesn't by accident, or I could take the bull by the horns and make a serious effort to be the photographer I know I can be. Anyone out there know anything about bulls before I step into the proverbial ring?

Part of this learning process has brought me back to older, earlier photo files. Specifically images that on the whole would be considered very successful if only I hadn't ______ (pick any flaw here). Now, this isn't dwelling on the negative just for the heck of it. This is being realistic about whether I have been growing, learning, and improving since then. This is about taking stock and figuring out where I'm still struggling. I must admit, doing this very simple step has been enlightening. And it's not as awful as I thought, since being real about my weaknesses has strengthened my resolve to start getting it right. And not by fluke. Although I too love a good "happy accident" where everything comes together in the lens despite my disjointed efforts.

The image above is a reworked version of one I took two years ago, on a photo walk with the Hamilton Flickr Group on the McMaster University campus. This may have been one of my first attempts at night photography from back then. I was able today to correct the distorted perspective gotten from my wide angle, decrease the noise overall in editing, and sharpen it much better than in the original. (And even now it's not that sharp, lol) With this first attempt reworked I can still see where I went wrong. I had paid no attention to my aperture (sitting at F/5 if you can believe it) which meant  lost clarity as the building faded into the background, and since I had a tripod with me, should not have needed my ISO to be at 400 either, and wouldn't have needed to excessively reduce the grainy effect like I did to get it looking cleaner. I know now, to enable my remote shutter release so as to avoid touching the camera and avoid any camera movement whatsoever when using a slower exposure on tripod. And my speed would have been set to an ISO 100 to allow for more light, and less noise. I also have learned since that night, that you never walk away with one shot or composition, you keep shooting, you keep changing your angles, your point of view. Then I would have had more than one image to show from that part of the walk. (In fact, it's almost second nature to me today.) And all this is just grazing the surface. Man I was so green... and still am in so many areas.

We artistic types often times will move on to some new inspirational lesson, something that excites us, leaving the flops and failures in the foggy past where they can't squelch our enthusiasm. But after working on this image from the past, and isolating what went wrong AND what went right, I find myself deeply motivated and inspired. In fact, if I can convince my poor hubby to brave the -18 degree temps with me in Hamilton, Ontario tonight, I may go practice a bit, just because I can.

Thanks for letting me ramble on! And have a good one folks!