Why do I love photography?

What if you took pictures of what you did each day, how would you photograph it? What angle? How would you compose it? How would you make it 'interesting'?
I usually feel comfortable photographing people. And I never stopped to think that photographing something i'm NOT good at or NOT familiar with, could also help me and make me better at photographing people (something i'm already comfortable with and fairly good at).
So making breakfast this morning, I decided to take a few pics of what I was doing. And ya know what? It made me stop and think..."ok, i'm making french toast. How would I make that an interesting photo? What part of making french toast could I photograph to capture the viewers attention?" Stopping and thinking is good. So after taking pics this morning, I now have the experience of doing it and that proves that I can successfully capture a seemingly blah moment and make it interesting.
I love photography. Plain and simple. It makes me want to be a kid again; to play, have fun, be creative. It opens up a world of possibilities where anything can happen and your in control of it all! Thats pretty cool! And THATS why I love photography!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit."

Do you wait for people to comment on your Flickr photos?

What makes a photo interesting? The subject? The lighting? The composition? Well, if it inspires you, photograph it. Shoot what you love. Post it! And if nobody looks at it(flickr shows you how many 'views' you have), so what? Get your stuff out there! I'm constantly trying to keep myself positively charged. Today I was watching Chase Jarvis on youtube and it inspired yet again, to keep moving forward. Look at everything, and then look at it again! Never stop feeding your creativity!

Usually I get an impulse and it always leads to discovery. I see a photo or think of a cool lighting idea. The more you expose yourself to different ideas, and different photographers, the more versatile your thinking becomes, IMO.
So flowers and a radio? Whats so cool about that? Because any one of those shots could be an amazing photo! And then it could spawn a great idea and that could lead to ...who knows where? Ideas are possibilities and if you want something bad enough and work toward it and think about it all the time, pretty soon, I believe, opportunities appear seemingly out of nowhere. Ideas =Possibilities=Opportunities=LIVING YOUR DREAMS? Sure, why not!

Keep pushing yourself, try new things even if they dont work out. Keep going.

Long title, I know. What I learned today? Thing one is that I still cant get my background white without blowing it out. I did learn a different way of setting up my lights in spite of that. I have 2 AB800's and one 430exII. So I used the 2 Bee's to apparently , blow out the background and the 43o to shoot into a silver umbrella for a key light. I had a white reflector as fill. After it didnt work, I turned the 2 Bee's back at me for rim lights. Better. Even better was when I used one B800 as rim light w/barn door and the other in a large softbox as key. I put my 430 to work w/snoot as fill for subject right side. There are so many lighting combinations. I think the blown out white background was due to the subject being too close to the background.(2-3 ft-not to mention its just a 5ft seemless roll. I got frustrated, but I kept moving my lights around. I wanted to make the background black,but again, not enough room. I could have used 2 more Bee's w/grids and a strip box and a boom. Sure. But I can still get good photos from what I have. Its all about placement and knowing how to get the look your going for. Also, I search for blogs that interest me and that I can learn by. http://mola-light.com/blog/
http://www.squeezethelime.com/. So I keep searching and learning and trying new things. When I feel like its too much or i just can't seem to get it right(blown out white background), I put my head down and forge ahead. I'll get better. Its what I love to do and you dont get better by trying once or twice. When I get down, I get online and read about other people who were down, but kept on going. http://www.growthink.com/content/7-entrepreneurs-whose-perseverance-will-inspire-you

Out of Ideas? Just play!

I usually dont have a lot of time to spend photographing just anything, so I try and make a point to have something in mind before I take my camera out of the bag. Disciplined? Well, maybe not. Today I just wanted to photograph something. I knew I didn't have a lot of time and I'd probably end up taking more pictures of myself(which I did). But I wanted to be creative! And I wanted it to happen RIGHT NOW! When I get like this, I dont like to sit and think about what to do, I like to jump in and start shooting! Whatever comes to mind. So thats what I did. You can set yourself up for failure if you dont prepare yourself ahead of time by allowing yourself "time to play". Just try things you normally wouldnt. Just out of curiosity and "I wonder what it would look like" kinda thing. Its how you had fun as a kid. The thing to remember is, its not the result, its the 'playing', that is the key. Learn to PLAY. Thats where ideas come from. And dont worry about if you got any good pictures while you were playing. Heck, you were playing! You had fun! That was the whole point!

Your work DESERVES a " Second Look"

In an effort to constantly improve my photography, I'm always looking at other photographers work to get ideas. The more I photograph, the more I find out what I like and dont like. But I find that when I first go through my shots, I'm very particular. Very picky. I just want to get "the best ones" of that shoot. So I'm kinda in a hurry to filter out what I dont like, whats not 'eye catching' at the moment and move on to ones that are. Whats left? Hidden beneath the "eye catchers", are always photographs that deserve a 'Second Look'.

Moments

My favorite time to photograph someone is when their totally immersed in something they love. Today, my Mum was playing a Casio. She plays the piano and has for years. She has been unable to sit up at the piano, so our neighbor kindly let us use her Casio. Mum started playing today. The moment I saw her strike the first key, my feet headed toward my room to grab my camera. Call it instinct. I shot quite a few frames. Trying to tell a story. To express what I saw. To translate or communicate to others through my photography what was happening. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, so might as well let it do the talking. It would take me forever to try and explain what a photograph can say in ' a moment'.

Inanimate Objects

I get bored and nobody is around so I do it. Nobodys looking. So I pull out an inanimate object and take a picture. And yes,it teaches you about photography. How do I light a light bulb? Whats interesting about it? Can I make it interesting? Who am I talking to?
When I photograph a person, you get to know certain lighting set ups and you typically fall back on them. Not that its bad. They work and you can make slight adjustments and create amazing work. Key light, fill, hair, rim,etc. However, photographing something that is 'not' what you usually photograph, again, causes you to think. Not 'how should I' light it, but 'how CAN I' light it. Your creative muscle is like any other muscle. You dont use it, it will atrophy. Our comfort zone doesnt teach us anything. We're not meant to get too comfortable. When you do, its a signal. GET UP! Its not so much about choosing a certain path, its about not standing still.
"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. "

Red Gel

Not a big post today.My brother is in town visiting. So I took advantage of it. I wanted to use my gels and see if I could create a different look. Basically trying to see where I could put the flash w/gel to get more creativity. Its really limitless. And I only tried a couple of angles. None of which I was found of. Still going back over "Light Science & Magic" as a reference for my lighting techniques. So with that, going online and looking at other photographers' techniques, I'm sure I'll get some more creative ideas. When all else fails, grab the Dr. Seus hat and put the gel right behind the subject @ 1/2 power to completely gel the white seemless. Muuuuwwwwah! Instant cat in the hat on red background!

Nockamixon State Park-Sunrise

What did I learn 'this' time? Wear gloves, a hat that goes down over your whole head, bring a thermos full of hot chocolate and if its this cold, stay in bed!! I also think I got some cool shots.
Constantly feed your creativity. We originally (me and my brother) went to get a sunrise, but we didn't get the right spot. No problem. What we found was really cool. It was cold, ok, but the fog was rolling in and that made some amazing pictures! I was enjoying the sunlight spill onto the water and reflecting everything in its path. I remember seeing pictures of things that inspired me and that gave me ideas of what to shoot today. What to look for, how to use whats around me. I think letting go of shoulds and have to's, is good for the creativity as well as good for the soul. It frees you. Its like an awwakening. Dreaming with your eyes open.

What I learned today

I was asked to photograph a children's birthday party today. It was fun. I really needed the photographic exercise. Everything I shoot, I learn from. I'm used to shooting indoors with my Bee's. So take me outside with natural light and I have to start thinking on my feet. Like i said, good exercise. It forces you to make split second decisions. What am I going to capture? A scene? A close up? Where's the sun? What angle should I capture it to catch the mood? What background would work better? Where are the colors that would make it stand out more? Am I shooting only head shots? What I found was, after I started to relax a bit, I started looking for these things instinctively. AT first I was nervous and off balance because I was 'out of my element'. I really had nothing to fall back on, since I hadnt photographed a childrens party before. What did I learn? 1) Dont be too picky. Shoot alot! You never know when that magic moment is going to present itself. 2) Dont' chimp too much or you'll miss that magic moment and all the other moments too, come to think of it. 3)Kids are people.(I knew this one already) Little people, but you can talk to them and ask them to smile. 4)make sure ALL the extra memory cards are 'formatted' BEFORE you need them. Ya, I had to use a recovery disk on some when I used a card that wasn't formatted for some reason. 5) Dont be shy. Your the photographer! Introduce yourself and let everybody know who you are, what you do and ALWAYS have business cards!!!
Well, I dont have rights to any of the photos I took, to be able to post them here. So instead, I'll post some photos that were taken today of my brother, who was hamming it up.

Portrait Light Practice

I've been working on portrait lighting. I need a few basic set ups so I can get consistent results. As long as my set up is proven effective, I can work on clothing and poses and details. What I'm finding out is, practicing lighting also means, to me, sculpting the person who's portrait your creating. I like the drama. Soft light with a bit of a rim light or hair light for separation. Sometimes, just one light. I think its still all a matter of your creativity. If the portrait works and whoever is having it done likes it, thats all that matters. I just go for something extreme. I used to think certain lighting set ups were boring. But I also used to think if only I had one more light..or a snoot instead of a barn door. I'm like a kid. I cant wait to get my stuff, but after awhile, I see a picture by someone else who has different stuff and then I want that stuff too. So now, I'm learning to use what I have and do it well. These two portraits were done with 2 AB800's, one thru a beauty dish and the other thru a barn door. The color portrait was done the same way, except that I used a translucent material to shoot the Ab800 as fill.

Light Science & Magic: Take One ACTION!!

I just finished reading "Light Science & Magic". It is jam packed full of 'light' knowledge. If you ever thought you needed a book on lighting but weren't sure which one to choose, let me suggest this one. From beginning to end, its all about your light. How light behaves and what to do about it. Light management. And its not a book you read once and put down and go "ya, ok, I got it." Its a reference book to go back and re-read when you get stuck or need an idea about how to light something shiny or reflective. Light still confuses me, but now I have a path to go down. It makes more sense. Instead of using a bunch of lights to light a subject, I first ask "how do I want to light it? What effect am I trying for? Where do I want the highlights/shadows to fall?" Then you go about working out where to put the lights and then the camera. Its a strategy to manage light.
Well, aside from working on my lighting skills, I have decided on taking a 30 day challenge (instead of the 365 day challenge) with my friend, Linda. We started November 1st and I have two submissions. The glass bottle, jar, whatever is also my first attempt at lighting glass after reading "Light Science & Magic". The other picture is of some doogus wearing a Dr.Seus hat playing a casio. Ya, he's got a couch with his name on it waiting for him in the first therapist office he comes to. The good thing about the 30 day, instead of the 365 day challenge is I can include my photo friends from Florida and we can share our photos. It also helps you build up to the 365 challenge. Shooting every day helps you in so many ways (that I've read from others who've done it)that I can't believe I haven't tried it sooner.
Ok, dare I blab some more? No. Enjoy the pics, I enjoyed taking them!!

Allentown Halloween Parade

It was cold, but what a fun time. The parade started at 2pm and went on for a few hours. There were marching bands, clowns, hummers,Shriners in mini cars and ya, one of the bands played "Thriller". Its a Halloween tradition,right?
I'm not used to photographing an 'event'. Its a different feel to it. With landscape or still life, you adjust for the light and composition. With a moving subject/subjects, you need to act more like a ninja to capture a different kind of shot. It forces you to think differently. You have to be more spontaneous. Its good practice and improves your skill, even if you dont think you got any good shots. You tried and did your best with what you knew at that moment. Skill comes with practice.Lots of it. And hey, everybody makes mistakes.
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”"

Silence the critic

I visited Ironton Rail Trail in Whitehall Township a few days ago. There is much to see along the bike/walk/jog paths. As I walked along the path, my critic immediately started. "Theres nothing here. You wont be able to capture that scene. You need a wide angle lens,not the one you brought. You photograph people, not landscapes." The perfect traveling companion. Such has been the creative journey. But on my journey, I remember all the creative influence I've gotten from reading different inspirational blogs http://www.zarias.com/, http://strobist.blogspot.com/, and http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/, just to name a few. Its not your equipment that matters. The most expensive cameras can yield a 'snapshot' while the simplest pocket size camera can transform a scene into an incredible thing of beauty. Its what you bring to photography that will show up in your work. Thats what I believe. So I started taking more photos. I just saw something and took a picture. I composed what I thought was interesting. The critic chimed in"thats not good. Why did you do that?" But I kept shooting. Why? Because I'm learning there are two voices inside..the critic and that other guy who first picked up the camera and said "lets go have fun". I believe that as you grow with photography, your photography grows with you.