Photographer Prompts
Mike Johnston had a very neat post a few weeks ago over at his The Online Photographer. He has been reveiwing full frame cameras, and in an explanatory post about the review process he notes:
"For anybody with aspirations of being a photographer, picking a camera and working out what we now call a "workflow" is only the tip of the iceberg. The much more important questions are, what kind of pictures can you take? What do you care about enough to sustain a long-term visual interest in? How can you develop a "style" that is expressive of your unique outlook? How do you differentiate a picture that's somehow yours from a picture anyone else might make? And finally, how are you going to figure out what you want to end up with—and how are you going to end up there? (By this I mean a show, a book, a portfolio, a poster, a magazine article, a personal photo album, whatever the "final form" of a group of your pictures might be.) All of this can be enormously engrossing—and for most photographers I think it (rightly) sucks up the lion's share of their time, attention, and effort."
I think his set of questions and prompts is truly essential for all of us, but in particular those who might not have spent enough time pondering those things so far. Perhaps you just bought your first compact digital camera and wonder if these questions are of any importance for a casual shooter. Well, nTVW not with the same depth, but you can only improve, and your photography be more enjoyable, if you pay sustained attention to such details as figuring out what you like to shoot, in what circumstances, how you go about taking the photos, what you want to show others, and so forth. Sustained attention to what we do is the key. Enjoy. Thank you Mike!
Cool Blog: Becoming Awake
Thought I'd share, and archive, this wonderful blog find: Becoming Awake. This is the effort of Rita Desnoyers-Garcia, and in her own words it centers on:
Reflections of a mother's everyday life and how to use these observations to become more conscious of Self and the connection to the Universe. Awakening to the truer, Higher Self.
The entries are wonderfully insightful, and Rita has some nice prompts at the end that foster insight, reflection, and imbue hope. I'm always glad to find folks like Rita because they are nourishers of common humanity, waterers of the seeds we want to harvest. Rita seems to be watering seeds of love, kindness, caring, mindfulness, and deep reflection. I don't offer her site as resource — it certainly is that, but it is much more, and to offer it only in those terms takes away from what it truly is, an expression of an ethics of care. So let me offer it to you as a fellow traveler in mindfulness, in seeking and fostering a life in harmony, nourishing wellbeing and peace.
Those of us interested in mindfulness and photography benefit greatly from writings and efforts that call us to deep reflection, to stop and look deeply. Rita's blog is such a bell of mindfulness.
I've been referring to her as Rita even though the presumption of familiarity is awkward on my lips. I just don't know what she would prefer. Check it out. Have to share it also in my other blog.
Read More »An Exposure Latitude(s) Badge
Found myself with a bit of extra time and decided to play at making a sidebar badge. This one is a rather large version, but hey, first try. Not sure where these would be used (except in my other blog), but it was fun to do. Three versions: