Floral Friday!

"Ready For Anything"

Another peony from my wander around the much loved perennial rock gardens of Sam Lawrence Park, in Hamilton, Ontario. Today is rainy, gloomy, and cold. So I dedicate this image to all of you weathering something you'd rather not. Hang in there. The sun will shine again, that's a guarantee!

Have a great weekend gang! See you Monday!

Why I'll Always Love My Kit Lens

"Where Beauty Grows"

There are some things you'll always love no matter who you are or how you change. Some of my favorite things without question, that I have always loved are old Danny Kaye movies, Anne of Green Gables, the color green, Scrabble, Cortland apples, Patti Lupone, pizza, fresh bread, Spike Jones, the smell of anything drenched in Sweet Pea....and Peonies. Hence today's image, taken over at the Sam Lawrence Park perennial rock gardens.

In regards to photography I have a list of favorite things too. I love towering architecture. I love old architecture. I love sunset light, unique perspective, negative space, the challenge of composing around chaos, and B&W processing. I love Nikons, prime lenses, soft depth of field, lines, contrast, tripods, remote shutter releases and... my 18-55mm kit lens. Hence today's image taken with the most moderate wide angle lens Nikon ever created to accompany a DSLR. But it will always be at the top of my list of favorite gear. Why? Cause it allows me to get photographs like the one above.

Normally I would use a telephoto for a near macro-ish close-up like this, but it doesn't allow me to get the breadth of the massive blossoms while getting up close. Maxed out at 18mm's means I got close and inclusive, the barrel distortion you get slightly at 18mm's means an added depth to this deeply petaled beauty. Every petal stays fairly sharp, this lens doesn't make me struggle with what DOF I can get away with depending on the rest of my exposure like the finicky tele or 50mm fixed lens. And I can handhold this lens in a wide variety of lighting conditions and subjects no problem. That allowed me to get right up next to each peony I photographed and to move around freely, composing on a whim if desired as I framed flowers up in the camera. Tripods are also on my list of favorite things, but sometimes you just don't feel like being held up as your creative flow kicks into gear.

As new and marvelous lenses emerge on the market, don't forget your foundational gear. It's where you are most skilled, where you naturally respond the fastest when shooting, and where your comfort level and creativity feed off each other for consistent results. When it comes down to it... every piece should feel like the equivalent of wearing your favorite pair of jeans, that's when you know each photograph was about what you saw, and not about what gear you used first.

That's why I'll always love my kit lens. It does exactly that every time it's in my hands. What will you always love about your gear? Think about it, and how it adds your photographic process. And have a good one folks! Thanks for the ramble!

What's The Plan? ~ Floral Friday!

"The Peony And I"

I find myself wondering what my next direction is in my pursuit of photography as a vocation. Sure I have some small projects on the go, and some sessions coming up. But as the fall season approaches and the lazy days of summer dwindle, I feel compelled to have a game plan. And so far? I don't mind being honest...I'm stumped.

The social connections around the Internet have made it very easy for folks starting out to find information, support, education... everything that can jump start your career. But sometimes all I see are very talented people with cameras spending every waking moment maintaining profiles, threads, and streams, and I wonder - All these photos, all this talent... is anyone actually printing them? Selling them? Pursuing something more? Is anyone venturing out of web land long enough to really be a photographer? Am I?

Not easy answers to find, and never the same answer for everyone. All I know is I need a plan, a road map. And then I need to supply myself with everything I need to endure the journey. I have the feeling I need to seriously up my game. The question becomes how?

I posted this image today and thought about the simple act of getting a great peony photo. It wasn't that simple. It was actually a process. I must have wandered around getting shots of every peony I owned, started with simple compositions, typical close-ups with the bursts of petals only, and then the approach evolved. I had to watch my perspective, get creative with the composition, and be aware more of my gear possibilities. Wait for light to soften, time things well, and change how I saw the blossoms all together. And when I got the above shot, I knew.

I guess I just answered my personal "how". I need to change my perspective, try a new approach, be ready with my gear, and use what I already know. Timing will be important, wait for conditions to be right, and stop thinking inside the box when it comes to my pursuit of photography. Huh. A good starting point anyways. After that? Who knows.... I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for the thoughtful ramble gang. Have a good one.