What The Hey Day...

Beach Cocktail

When you work for yourself, there's no one to make you tow the line. No one to breath down your neck to be productive. The only person to have that job is... yourself. Bummer. 

 Lost Count

I'll admit it. I'm the worst for avoiding work mode some days. And the other days then become stressful because you try to catch up. All on your own. And then ultimately you forget to inject your day with doing the very thing that inspires all that work in the first place. Sigh.... So yesterday I gave myself a "What the Hey" Day. An exercise in going with the flow. To inject some choice joy into my work.

Shell Game

Yesterday I made a choice to force myself to pick up my camera. To photograph the first thing that delighted me in the very next room. Then I mentioned it on Twitter and Facebook... and others feeling the same thing, responded. Then I went out on a limb and asked said strangers to join me doing the same in their own homes. 

And to post said photos of found objects.
Said strangers become new friends.
Said found objects became inspiration and creativity.

I believe I will now stop saying "said"...

Getting through the self-employed day = deliberately choosing to have fun honing your craft.
Start small.
Gain momentum.
Make friends.

I'd say my "What The Hey" Day was good for the soul. And for the camera.

I think a "What The Hey" week might be in order...

Who wants to join me?

New Book Review! ~ Exploration Thursday!

Thought I'd do a quick book review today. With a reminder that the author has no idea I am blogging about it, and I am not recieving anything from anyone for endorsing this book. I just really, really, really like it. Really.

I recieved this book as a gift from the hubby, knowing how much I have loved the other three books of duChemin's. And as usual it is infused with David's charm and great ways to approach your photography with the intention of having something to say with each image you make. In fact, if I was only allowed to describe in one word the theme of this book it'd be "intention"!

How you intend to draw the reader in. How you intend to convey those key parts of the scene. How you intend to tell the story you captured. Intention. This was the gauntlet thrown down to anyone who holds a camera.

How I wish this book had been written 5 years ago when I was first waffling through finding my own appraoch to photography. If you pair this book with David's earlier book "Within The Frame", you'll have the inspiring and challenging recipe for understanding just what makes an engaging image tick, and what needs to motivate the decision to take it in the first place.

If you're looking to take your photography more seriously, and are struggling with all the aspects of the various tools composition, and design, and intention have to offer... then I seriously recommend procurring this book.

Study what you love, practice it thoroughly. I'll leave you with my favorite quote from this book, which you can purchase at any bookstore or online here.

"Perhaps the steepest learning curve in photography is learning to see as the camera sees" - David duChemin "Photographically Speaking" 2011

Right Back Where You Started ~ Mono Monday!

"Salt & Pepper Skies"

Ever feel like you're being taken back to school in order to move forward? To go back to where you started just to get to where you're going? Caught yourself wondering if the author of this blog has a clue in her pretty little head... never mind, don't answer that last one.

I feel like this is what's happening with my photography lately. After reading several books on photography and art over the holiday season, not only did I feel inspired to keep photographing what I love, but to do it with the intention of creating themes, stories, and showing content with real quality. Something I had left out of the equation lately.

Yesterday I scouted an area about an hour from me where I knew there were some fabulous structures and examples of architectural design. I really took the time to make photographs that will lead to more photographs, if that makes any sense... I had never been to the area before with the camera, so I simply went with the intention of bringing home visual notes if you will, photos that will remind me of the approach I want to take the next time I go back. Not that I didn't get photographs I like, I did. But I'm determined to learn to bring more to the table visually. To do that I had to make sure I could remember to shoot with purpose.

And that starts with the beginning. What lines are powerful? What shapes need featured? What POV is the best vehicle for why I saw what I saw? Is there something I'm neglecting? Should the photograph be improved by switching the time of day? Switching what season I take it in? And do I keep it simple in Processing? Or do I choose to present certain ideas through editing?

Today's photograph is a start. Nothing more. I have loved the look of these urban condos since their early construction. And they tower over the other residential buildings, perched way up in the sky. The glass and metal patterns reflecting the sun, nearly blinding the camera's sensor, but accentuating the wavy aesthetic of the architectural design. I immediately think of them as salt and pepper shakers! Taken from an adjacent parking garage, I chose to compose the shot to eliminate the scrubby landscaping below, instead, giving them a feeling of isolation, which is how I think it would feel to live so far above everyone else in a building so different from the surrounding habitats. I think I knew right away it'd be B&W, it resonates with the lines against the cloudy skies and adds to it a more formal feel.

But in the end, it's a simple photo. I'm okay with that.

More photographs from yesterday to come, some better evolved, some revolving around one simple concept. But I knew what to do and how to shoot, when I remembered to go back to the beginning and went from there.

Thanks for the ramble... have a great day!

If I Had To Be Honest ~ Telephoto Tuesday!

"The Bomber and The Catalina"

Maybe I'm an odd duck. Let me rephrase that... I know I'm an odd duck. But there have always been a few things in the photography world that have puzzled me or that, despite mass interest, I've been reluctant to endorse as a photographer looking to create a career as opposed to a hobby. I thought I'd get them off my chest today. But please know they're only my opinions, and if you are coming from a different place in your photographic journey they may not apply to you in the same way.

Firstly, online photo communities that have a cost to join. Now if you're just getting started and need to surround yourself with various talent and styles, and haven't pegged your true niche yet, or strengths, these are a great tool for learning. Discussions happen, tips are swapped, and there might even be contests that keep you motivated. But honestly, after you've grown, you're simply paying to remain inside a tidy little photographic playground where the only others there are exactly like you. You generally won't see companies lurking these member-only sites looking for future talent, especially local businesses who can connect with you right away... it's JUST more photographers. There's no one who's looking for stock photos, they have sites of their own where you go to them instead. So I'm sorry, but after a while, these feel like a dead end to me unless they have something to connect anyone who'll ever need a photographer in some capacity. Meeting other photographers from around the world is fun, but there's so many free photo communities that offer that, that the paid members-only just seems stifling. In the end, even the free communities can be a drain on your valuable time that could be spent making face to face connections that might open up new opportunities. In fact, Twitter has brought me ten times the opportunities in less than a year, than all the other communities I was once apart of for several years combined! Why?

Because your photography gets exposed to EVERYONE.

Whew. Good to have that off my chest. Next, the group photowalk. Now before anyone gets upset, I'm greatly in favor of meeting other photographers, getting to know them, swapping funny stories and advice. And I'm also in favor of workshops that challenge you to stretch, try knew things and meet some people in the process, because these are usually groups of no more than ten, and you have a vast location to utilize while you focus on learning. I'm talking about the group walks that take place in the local park down the street and about 30 of you swarm it with cameras, and everyone is trying to get the shot no one else will get. It just seems crazy to try to accomplish so much in such an overexposed area. Maybe it's me, but I much rather prefer working alone, able to concentrate completely on my process of learning, exploring, and redefining what I love about a certain location, instead of having to time everything I do around whether someone else is in my spot, or in my shot. I can count on one hand the people I know I can photograph with that don't feel the need to constantly walk the same paths, keep up conversation, or need to compete for "the" shot of the day. Have I done group walks? Yes. Did I get great photos? Yes. But the cons outweighed the pros after a while, and if you're far enough along that you no longer need a life line, be careful that for the sake of being one of the group, you don't get held back. I've seen it happen.

Lastly, make decisions for yourself. I'm all in favor of continued learning, reading the latest photography books, following the blogs of the pros... but as you do all that decide why something does or doesn't work for you, and avoid the bandwagon mentality. Test things for yourself. Stand up for your creative vision. We're discovering as digital photography evolves that the die hard rules of photography, and processing, and use of gear are all changing too. Labs print jpegs way better than they used to, Raw isn't always necessary, sensor size/quality is still more important than mega pixels, and not everything has to be neon-like HDR or special effects to be fabulous photography. And sometimes it does. Know your camera. Stop obsessing about digital noise so much that you never get the shot with the higher ISO. These are just a few examples of what we all struggle with. Decide what's important to where you are and go with it.

Like I said, I feel like these were things I always wanted to say, and was in the mood to say them today. I don't expect everyone to agree, and my views could even be wrong for all I know. But this is the great thing about owning a blog... I get to have my say regardless. Just bein' honest!

Thanks for the ramble... and have a super Tuesday!

Using the Reveal ~ Mono Monday!

"Catalina And The Bomber"

I'm an avid reader. But you probably knew that. I spent much of this weekend, when not editing or enjoying the great weather, catching up on some much anticipated photog related literature. And I was so excited to learn a new approach, and a new phrase, crucial for having the viewer intensely engaged when they see your work and discover it's story.

It's called the "reveal"... and it can be powerful.

Although I didn't know it had a name, I'd been using it already. The image above is a good example. When I composed the shot, I knew I wanted to convey how large and powerful and shapely the Catalina was when you're standing under it at the Warplane Heritage Museum. The plane is the primary subject, very obviously, with the enormous hanger space accentuating it with great lines. But the viewer, after taking in the major part of the image, finally sees one last striking detail... the regal Lancaster Bomber in the background but not as the backdrop. It's positioned relationally to the Catalina Canso PBY-5A, so that at the last minute the viewer spies one more important detail, and is delighted by the discovery. In some instances, the rest of the comp can build towards that last remote but surprising detail. Used by cinematographers and master photographers alike, "the reveal" is a tool that can take everything to a new level.

Here's what is required though. More direct intent from the photographer, less "fly by the seat of your pants" thinking. More substance, less "found art" technique. Not that those can't be exciting for both shooter and viewer, but this adds a new dimension that conveys a certain care and intentional process that the audience responds too because instead of everything being laid out for them to take in at once and be done with it, they are asked to contribute to the piece. They are forced to work for the story's completion. This, I learned, is called "The Beholder's Share"... a phrase coined by art historian Ernst Gombrich, (and was quoted in the book I read all weekend). And this excites me, this learning that the viewer doesn't just want to be engaged in the viewing, but wants to work and contribute to what they finally arrive at visually.

I contribute this exciting discovery of how to better my craft to the current book I'm studying right now. It's authored by the talented and exceptional Michael Freeman, who's books are fantastic in both practical and artistic ways, and this great read is called "The Photographer's Mind"... if you haven't picked up any one of his many wonderful books, I urge you to do so soon. They're the meat and potatoes of all that's amazing about photography, period. This post was just one way I learned more about my craft, thanks to Freeman's book, and is where I found the Gombrich quote that in my opinion, changes how I see the purposes of visual art.

Something I'll be pursuing more of... the reveal, the beholder's share. Hope it inspires some of you as well. Thanks for the ramble folks, have a good one.