Photography can be very frustrating. Anyone that has been bitten by the photography bug will tell you, it can be down right discouraging. I know, I have been frustrated by trying something new in photography more times than I care to admit. It used to bug me more than it does now, why I’m not sure, maybe it has something to do with getting older or (please don’t tell me) I’m finally growing up. Maybe I have just become confident that I will eventually figure it out or I can… Read more Small Successes →
Whether you are a keen amateur or a professional photographer you love photography. Photography is easy to love and hate at the same time. Below are a few observations of the love-hate relationship most photographers have with photography at some point. We love those images of early morning light but we hate setting our alarm clocks for 4am. We love getting an image in our minds and hate the fact that it will take 27 layers and countless hours in to make it a reality. We love the amazing images… Read more Photography – A Love-Hate Relationship →
“f8 and be there!” Wegee (Arthur Fellig) and Galen Rowel both gave this advice about making great photographs. One was a press photographer New York City and the other climbed mountains to get his images but they both had the same philosophy, if you aren’t there you can’t make the photograph. Something similar has been used by different photographers for many years. “f11 and hold still” is the advice Walker Evans gave. It’s now different now then when any one of these great photographers said. Be there or you won’t get the… Read more f8 and be there! →
Sunday, in the Hart Community Center in Fredericksburg, VA I talked for a little over six hours! I set up a series of seminars, six total, about different photography related subjects. The plan: start at 10 am end at 4 pm, each seminar would be 45 minutes (including questions and answers) with a 15 minute break. It sounded pretty good. I got started on time and one seminar run into another. At 1pm or so, I really don’t remember, I did take a short break, maybe 10 minutes, to have… Read more I have never talked so much in my life! →
I read about photography, a lot. I can read a book or magazine about photography or photo processing from cover to cover with no problem. With most any other genre of books I tend to get bored and put them down half way through, never to open them again. Books by Stephen King have been the notable exception. While I was leafing through a magazine yesterday, I came across an article about photography so I skimmed through it. It had some good information in it until I got to one line.… Read more Misinformation →
This morning I thought I’d have some soft boiled eggs. I haven’t had them in a while so I looked up cook times and followed the suggestions. Commenting on the… Read more Soft Boiled Eggs →
This morning as I was driving to Fredericksburg to have some regular maintenance done on one of our cars. I drove through some moderate rain showers and I became aware, once again, of how many people don’t pay much attention to what is going on around them, until the last minute. As photographers we should be aware of everything that is going on around us, not only when we are making images but also when we are looking for things to photograph. I’m sure you have seen images on the… Read more Being aware of your surroundings. →
How do you find the inspiration that helps you create the images you really love? Finding inspiration at the best of times can be very frustrating. If you have a deadline and need to send ideas to someone for a project you can multiply that panic. When ideas are not coming and you are getting close to the deadline true panic can set in and shut you down. Deadlines can cause panic with a very paralyzing effect. Being open to all the possibilities and all the possible creative influences is… Read more Finding Inspiration →
