One thing I really like about my LX3 is the manual focusing. There is a “focus” button on top to do an auto-focus over-ride which can help make manual focusing faster. But what is even better is an on screen DoF scale. The focus range changes with aperture and focal length to make hyperfocal focusing quick and easy.
I always go back and forth on reprocessing old photos I have taken; time spent revisiting old work is time spent not making something new. However, how many times have you looked back through old photos and discovered something you previously overlooked? Looking back also reminds me of things I tried that didn’t work out, but also things that turned out better than I thought they would.
Or in this case, I can apply what I know about processing now to a photo I really like, but never liked the way it was presented. I don’t spend a lot time going through old photos, but maybe I should.
I went on a trip with work this past week. My idea was to make a series capturing the feeling of living out of a hotel room. My original intent was to make a diptych similar to what you would get out of a 1/2 frame 35mm, but I only got as far as one photo. Having only one photo, I almost cropped to 1×1 but in the end decided to leave it in 4×3 because that is how it was composed. On one hand I am disappointed, I know what I saw in my head that I wanted to capture but I did not do it. On the other hand I am satisfied with what I did with the time available to me.
If you are judging art, then you are missing the point.
I can’t remember where I read this, but it really helped me to understand some things about art, and to change the way I view it.
I value constructive criticism because I want to be a better photographer. But I am not sure there is a lot of value in comments like “it’s too light/dark/yellow”. What are you supposed to say to that? “Uh, thanks?”
Modern art is baffling to me. I stand in the gallery looking at what seems like graph paper painted onto canvas, and think “I don’t get it”.
Once I decided there is nothing “to get” I discovered how much I can learn from other artists, even art that is not photography, just by looking at what they have made.
For those of you affected by the violence this morning in Aurora, there are many of us who will be praying for you.
When you don’t know what else to do, take a walk.
If you are a perfectionist like me, you are waiting for everything to come together, all at once, and in good order. But the light is never just right, there are too many people in the way, I don’t know how to run a blog, I’m afraid I will be embarrassed. If you are like me, you suffer from ‘paralysis of analysis’ and can never get started.
I came across an article by Matt Mullenweg a couple months ago; it’s what really pushed me over the edge to actually publishing my photography and taking this seriously (again). My current goal is to post a recent photo once a week. It’s a lot of work, but what I keep coming back to is the idea that I have to post something; it doesn’t matter if it’s exactly what I want, it just has to be there.
This way I learn from my mistakes. The other way I don’t make mistakes because I don’t do anything. “If you’re not embarrassed when you ship your first version you waited too long.” So I guess it’s okay to be embarrassed.
I pay too much attention to technical details, often to the exclusion of all else. For example, I will worry about blowing the highlights, only to end up with a bunch of under-exposed photos. I constantly work to remember the overall goal so I do not get lost in details that do not matter. It is important to understand the way things work, but not at the expense of the photo.
How did we get get here? This is my second try at publishing. This time it will be different. Or will it? After having burned out, this is my attempt to reconnect with photography. I hope to be transparent here, like other photographers I look up to, who have inspired me not to give up and to not become distracted.