Take me to your leader

Ok, maybe not...

I'm Back

I took a vacation to bring my kids to meet their grandparents. No internet, beautiful mountain scenery, a large lake, and HOT temperatures.
I will get some photos up soon, but in the meantime, one of the first images I took after I got back...

new photo

Low Tide, and a day off, and I found this scene.
It is a bit different from my usual minimalist approach, but I like it. I want to see how it looks big, say around 20"x30".
I am also thinking of starting a line of greeting cards. I will post any appropriate links here soon...

Old School

I drive a 5-speed in my car. It is a bit of a pain in city traffic while drinking a coffee, but I prefer the feel of the road and the car. I had a friend once who said he prefers to be lazy and let the car decide on what gear to use. In his words, "I am getting too old to worry about little details"

What does this have to do with photography?

I have been using an old all metal Nikon 105mm macro lens on my Fuji S2. Now remember that this is a manual focus lens with no computer chip. That means, obviously, no AF, but also no auto aperture and no metering. Using it requires thought and awareness of light. With a digital, I can cheat a bit and check the histogram immediately after the fact, but it still slows down my shooting style. I have to think about the light levels and I have to consciously choose what aperture and shutter speed I want.

there is also a tactile pleasure with this lens that most modern lenses can't touch. Focus is indescribably smooth. The balance is superb. And I won't even comment on the legendary optical performance.

Sometimes it is nice to "slum it" a bit to make your mind work in unaccustomed ways. Maybe this could be considered a workout for your creative eye. Whatever. I really enjoy this exercise, and I recommend you try it as well. Turn off as much automation as possible and see what you can accomplish...

Art

I love this quote from Concerning Photography :

not so much “a picture’s worth a thousand words” as “these pictures need at least a thousand words to persuade you that they are worth anything at all”

Words to live by?

some new photos

I woke up early the other day, so I decided to catch the sunrise. Of course it was overcast, so no sunrise, but I did get a couple of interesting images...


I am not quite sure why, but I like this one, I like the simple shapes, and the muted colours... let me know what you think...

Later on I saw this...



and when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds...



Overall a good day...

Computers and Photography

I am a bit of a computer nerd. I like playing around with computer settings and modifying my system(s). I own more than one (4 actually) computer running more than one operating system. I have designed and run a number of websites, and I have taught computer courses.
Having said that, I am first and foremost a graphic person. I use my computer to help my photography and to create graphic art. I do not consider myself a "computer person".
So where am I going with this?
Yesterday, at work, I had a customer come in who wanted a 50th anniversary card designed and printed. Her daughter who was a "computer person" had some ideas, but no time to make the card. Now, this daughter may be a world class programmer (I doubt it) or she may type a mean Word document, but she was most definitely not a graphic designer.
I think technology (and the associated marketing department) has created a mindset where the tool is more important than the operator. You can easily see this in photography and cameras, and in graphic art and design in general. If you are a "computer person" defined, in the view of many non-computer people, as someone who is comfortable working on a computer, and is able to set a few personal preferences in the programs they use, then you should be able to accomplish anything that the computer is able to do. You can do page layout in Word (shudder) or edit photos in Picassa. If you are a really good computer person using Microsoft, you have a pirated version of Adobe (aka Photoshop) and therefore, you can create masterpieces of art to be uploaded to myspace.
I do believe that the majority of people that are classed as "computer people", myself included, are aware that their knowledge may be strong in one area, but it is very weak or non-existent in other areas. For myself, I may be a decent photographer, but I have no talent or knowledge of video. What makes computers fun is that you can dabble in a number of areas with little or no risk just to gain knowledge. What makes computers useful is that they provide a number of tools that let you accomplish a task. However, like any art from painting to programming, it is 99% knowledge and 1% tools. Or most probably, 70% dedication, 29% knowledge, and 1% tools.