Purpose

I am starting this blog to give my humble incites into the world of photography.   I hope from the postings you can learn from my failures and successes.  Most of the readers here I expect will be in the beginning stages of photography, and it is my hope to help you get better.

I read once about a National Geographic photographer (forgot his name and assignment).  He had been sent to Africa.  If memory serves me correctly and he took over 10,000 photographs while there.  I counted the ones published there were 9.  Just nine.  I remember thinking I can do that.  Of course it is just not that simple, but in some ways it is.  From the article I took away three lessons take a bunch of photographs, go there and get someone to pay your way.

The first lesson, take a bunch of photographs, is for two reasons.  First, if you found it worth shooting once why not twice or even three times.  Come on it was pretty, cute, silly or whatever.  Sure you stood there and got that shot, now down on your knees or stomach.  How about stand over it?  Or under it?  Did you think about behind it?  It is the digital age use that card up.  You will hate it if you get home and think I should have done this or that.  I don't care if your photographing a dog, a flower, or Aunt Mildred take a bunch.  I think you get my drift.  You may want to protest that people will object.   Oh, fudge muffins.  Everyone is used to having their picture taken.  It's done at the grocery store, turnpike, bank, pharmacy, casinos, cell phones do it, Walmart parking lot, and even cameras do it.  I'll bet you have a camera within arms reach right now.  Do you get it?   Take a bunch of photographs.  The other reason is you want to get better.  To get better  you need to practice.  Shoot a rifle?   Target...practice   Cook?....I'll practice on the family.  The other day I spent an hour photographing in a bathroom.  Oh come on I wouldn't photograph that.  (Well I might.)  It was the fixtures, the way the light hit the wall, door knob, just the stuff there.  I wanted to now if I could make it interesting.  Sure you laugh at me, but the other day I finished fourth in a contest.  I had shot typing paper.

The next lesson is go there.  You could stay home, and watch snooky (Whatever her name is, on whatever the show is called.  I think it should be: Washed up on Shore.) or you could go there.  Where is there?  Where ever the photograph is.  In the bathroom, down at the bottoms, a National Park, Europe, Africa.  It is where ever you find the pretty.  So let me define the pretty.  It is a flower, a dog, Aunt Mildred.  I found pretty in a piece of paper, at the ocean, my cats, the mountains, my wife, basketball.  It is there go find it. After all it's the digital age and there is delete.

This last one is a little tricky.  Since it is tricky, I'm not going to spend much time on it.  If you get good enough someone will pay you to go to the pretty.

OK so next time I'll discuss camera selection.