April 30, 2012
Today’s picture is one of those pleasant surprises … you know, the type you don’t expect. OK, you don’t ever really expect a surprise, do you, but this one was one of those fortuitous moments that photographers love.
Chris had been out running an errand earlier this evening. When he got home, he suggested I grab my camera and take a peak over the back fence. We’re very fortunate to live right in front of a jogging track, which has a fairly unobstructed view of the western sky. I’ve often sat at my bedroom window and watched the sun disappear into the trees, enjoying the sun in it’s final moments, but this is the first time I actually captured it with my camera. Yeah, I know, I’m really slow. Blame it on … raising teenagers? Husbands?? Whatever you want, just don’t blame me!
Anyway, I had been out there only about 10 minutes or so when a couple walked past me and crossed the street to go to the track. They began a rousing game of fetch with this beautiful animal, and I was lucky enough to get what I think is a pretty good shot …
It was a beautiful sunset, and I may share some more photos at another time, but this is today’s photo. I really like it, and I hope you do, too!
April 28, 2012
Photo a day challenge – I wanted to work on my close-up work, but couldn’t resist this little sprout.
A challenge, a drive and some photos
I have taken nearly 800 photos this month – more than any other two months combined in quite some time. I’ve learned a lot from shooting this many photos this month, and it’s kept my advancement at relearning basic shooting techniques at a steady pace. It’s also improved my Adobe Lightroom and PSE skills considerably, or at least I think it has. I still have quite a long way to go with that, but for now I’m satisfied with what I’m doing there. I’m more interested in renewing my in-camera technique than I am in learning how to use PSE and Lightroom, but I’m sure that will change as my photography eye is retrained.
But this month’s shooting has taught me that in order to improve, I have to actually use the knowledge and abilities I have already. This has led me to the decision that what I really need to do is start my own photo a day challenge for myself. I know that most people start a photo a day challenge on the first day of a new year, but my challenge began yesterday. I’m sure that some of these photos won’t be very exciting – after all, I can’t get away from the house every single day to shoot – but as long as they accomplish the goal of retaining knowledge I have and learning new things, I’ll be happy.
Yesterday, I took many more than one photo. Chris and I took off for a day of photography (and yes, I’m paying for it today; I’m still recovering from surgery at the first of the month). We made stops in Chappell Hill, Lee County and Austin. I would have loved to keep going but by the end of the time we had in Austin, I was pretty well exhausted. Anyway, here are a few of my favorites from yesterday’s drive …
First stop, Lee County …
Then, Austin …
We ended in Chappell Hill …
It isn’t so much I don’t want to post …
It’s more that I don’t think I have anything worth saying lately. I mean, I had surgery on the 9th of April, so I haven’t been out shooting much. We did go out on Monday night, only to get stuck in the mud on a lonely side road. It took roadside assistance two hours to find us. I did try to do some shooting, but most of the photos didn’t turn out. I did get this one of us being towed out of the mud though …
Over the weekend, I did get this photo of Moody Mansion in Galveston that I really like.
It may be a little out of focus because I was propping the camera on the bed of the truck. Yeah, I forgot my tripod plate again. /facepalm
I also took this photo of a rose in the bouquet my office sent me after my surgery. It was a beautiful rose!
But, other than that, I haven’t done much shooting. Soon, though … in May, I’m going back to the UK for 11 days. I’m pretty sure I’ll have lots of good photos from that trip, but before that, I am positive I can sneak in a couple of get aways locally.
Why do you shoot?
Recently, I had a conversation with an acquaintance, where I found that he too is a photographer. Always eager to have someone to “talk shop” with, I happily dove into a conversation with him about equipment, the digital darkroom and other things that always come up in conversations between photographers. He’s a nice guy, but the conversation left me asking questions of myself that I have never asked before.
For years, I was a single mom. I made really good money for a single mom – I wasn’t struggling along with two jobs barely clearing $30,000 a year. But I also wasn’t able to afford many expensive items. I bought a couple of really nice cameras, but never anywhere near top of the line, and most of the time I was “stuck” using the lens that came with the camera for a long period of time. When I did buy lenses, they were good third party lenses that I researched extensively. Only one of my secondary lenses was ever a name brand, and that’s only because I couldn’t find a third party lens that was comparable, and I got a really good deal on it. I shoot with Canon cameras, but I have never once bought an L-series lens, or even seriously considered one. Would I like one? Sure, if the lens in question was good and fit my needs. But just as important, it has to fit my budget, and most L-series lenses don’t do that. When many L-series lenses cost more than $1000, I’ll stick to good third party manufacturers. My acquaintance told me that he will only buy L-series lenses. If that’s what he wants, then I support him. But I did feel a little bit like he was being condescending in his attitude about the subject. His comment, “You get what you pay for” followed by “I believe in buying only the best glass, because these are pictures of my kids I’ll never be able to take again” really put me off. It was his tone, not his words, that made me feel that way.
It continued into the conversation of Photoshop. I won’t lie; I’m a bit of a Photoshop snob, and even though I use it, I don’t normally use it to drastically alter my photos. I say normally because I’ve used it once to fix pictures that could never be reshot (wedding photos) and once to even out my daughter’s skin in her senior portrait. I don’t consider either case to be anything major, and certainly nothing a professional studio and/or lab wouldn’t do (I should know; I worked in both in my younger days). I use Elements and Light Room; they do what I need done, and I don’t feel the need to spend exorbitant amounts of money just to say I have the full Photoshop program. My acquaintance let it be known that although he has the full Photoshop program, he only uses it to convert photos from color to black & white. By this point in the conversation I was beginning to feel a little irritated and had to stop myself from making a comment about overkill and/or over-compensation for other things. But again, I figured if that’s how he wants to spend his money, more power to him.
The whole conversation sort of grated on me just a little bit, and I’ve been thinking about it for several days. I mean, I feel very blessed to have the things I have, and I don’t consider myself the jealous type (though I will admit to coveting a certain ultra wide lens), but if the conversation bothered me that much, I began to wonder if I did harbor bits of jealously and envy over equipment. I came home and took another look at some of the photos I’ve shot recently and tried to use an objective eye to see if I thought they could have been improved by using more expensive glass. That led me to question just why I shoot photos, and for whom. I happily upload photos onto Facebook, my blog and Flickr to share with my friends and family – and the world at large, if anyone wants to look. I began to wonder if I was taking photos and posting them to impress others, or just for myself. I can’t lie – I’m always happy to see that someone has visited my blog or viewed my photos on Flickr. Am I shooting for the right reasons, or just to impress others?
After thinking about it for two days and looking at the pictures I took on Sunday (and remembering how I felt taking the photos), I have come to the conclusion that I shoot for myself alone. I won’t stop sharing my photos on Flickr, Facebook or here on my blog, but if no one ever looks at them or comments on another shot, I am still happy that I spend time shooting. This is a hobby for me; I’m not trying to make money doing it (though I have in the past, and probably could again if needed/desired). I enjoy the process of photography – preparing for a photo shoot, the journey to the chosen spot, setting up, scouting it out, reading the light, composing the frame, metering … I enjoy every step in the photography process, except maybe for post-processing. Luckily I don’t usually have to do a great deal of that.
I am still of the opinion that equipment doesn’t make the photographer; it’s the photographer’s vision, and his or her ability to follow through on that vision, that makes the difference. I’m reminded of that every time I look at some of the photos I have shot with my little Nikon Coolpix L22 point and shoot. So if others feel the need or desire to spend $3000 on a lens because they think it will make a difference in their final product, I tip my hat to them. Personally, I will continue to buy equipment that suits me and my budget, and I will put my third party lens results up against their pricey L-series lens results any time. I’m not scared.
Sunday Drive
When I was a kid growing up in Texas, the stores were all closed on Sunday, except for the grocery and pharmacy (and even certain items in both places were illegal to purchase on a Sunday; yes, it was actually illegal to buy a toy on a Sunday as recently as 1985). Kids these days are completely oblivious to the idea that the mall wasn’t open one full day a week, and are appalled at the idea of taking a Sunday drive with the family to kill time. But when I was growing up, those Sunday drives were a great opportunity for me to see more of Texas than I ever would see at a mall. I looked forward to them, and enjoyed them greatly.
Yesterday, Chris and I took a Sunday drive to Fayette County, where four of Texas’s painted churches can be found. I got the idea by looking through Texas Highways magazine, a wonderful publication for anyone who wants to see more of this beautiful state. These are just a few of the pictures I took on that drive. I shot every photo in full manual mode, and nothing has been touched in Photoshop Elements, except for the captions and filenames.
Three Things Thursday
Yes, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from my friend Giraffy at 365 Days of Awesome. Sorry, Giraffy, but I want to kick-start my blog and if that means stealing ideas, I’ll do it. 
Anyway, three things …
1. I am so excited for the weekend. Chris and I are going to catch the Hunger Games movie at the Showboat Drive In Theatre on Friday night. Yes, I’m taking my camera. No, I won’t be taking shots of the movie itself. Yes, I’ve read all the books. I can’t wait to see the movie! On Sunday, we’re going out to shoot photos. Can’t wait for that either.
2. I’ve set up a Flickr stream – you can find thumbnails on the sidebar, which should link you to everything I’ve posted there. Let me know what you think about my work.
3. I’m considering future photographic purchases – new lenses, filters, tripods & heads, etc. What’s in your gadget bag that you just cannot live without? Give me some suggestions, and I’ll keep them in mind as I make my list.
I hereby declare tomorrow PhotoShop (Elements) Friday. I will post something to do with PSE every Friday. It might be a tip I learn, or maybe a photo that I’ve processed. You just never know … stay tuned to find out!
I’ve come to a cross-roads
As you can tell, I haven’t blogged here in some time, for a variety of reasons – I’ve been busy, my daughter’s truck blew the engine back in September and I haven’t really had time to do much in the way of photography, the holidays, work … you know, all the usual reasons why people don’t do something they enjoy. As is always the case when this happens, I sort of sunk into a bit of a depression, and I lost interest in photography, quilting and other outlets I normally enjoy. After the floods in Australia last year, the price of cotton has gone sky high, and I find myself returning to photography. When I first started this hobby 25-ish years ago, I never thought it would be considered a “cheap” hobby, but with the advent of digital cameras and large hard drives on which thousands of photos can be stored, once the equipment is purchased, photography can actually be an inexpensive hobby. Now that there is little in the way of consumables, one can buy a decent camera, a lens and an inexpensive computer and enjoy the hobby with very little future cash outlay, if that’s what one desires.
And so, here I am, again, nearly a year after my last post. I considered deleting this blog in it’s entirety and setting up a new one, but in the end decided to stick with it. After all, this blog is about my journey back into photography, and if I got sidetracked in the process, there’s no reason to be ashamed or try to hide it.
That’s not to say I haven’t done any photography at all. I have taken my camera out a few times to get some shots, the most memorable being my first ever trip to London in September 2011.
I think this is my absolute favorite from the trip. It just really speaks to me. I didn’t do any post processing – this is how it was captured. I’m very pleased with it.
I can’t tell you how many pictures of Big Ben I tried to get. This one had a washed out sky, and the shadows were nearly black. This one didn’t take a lot of processing, but I did lighten the shadows a bit, and I pulled the saturation up just a bit. In the end, I am pretty satisfied with it.
