If there is no struggle, there is no progress. - Frederick Douglass

 

 

 

 

I recently read in a photo blog that it was important to look back on your progress to see how you have changed as a photographer.  So I dug around little; and this is what I found. On the left is a photo that I took a few weeks ago, and on the right is the first senior session that I took back in 2009.  It's kind of funny to see how a person can progress through taking pictures even over a few years. Each one different in their own way, and each one representing a solidified moment that someone will remember for many more years. I look back on my progress and have to chuckle, because even though I still may not be where I would like to be, I still have along way to go.  Each step that I have taken I have learned some little piece of something along the way.

 

  

 

First trip to Crystal Bridges

 

 

 

Took my first trip to Crystal Bridges awhile back, and I must say that I was rather impressed.  If you are not from the NWA area, and have a chance to go, I would suggest that you at least go in and take a peek. There are a few of the displays that charge a fee, but for the most part it's free.

*And on a side note for photographers, it's a great place to shoot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time moves in one direction, memory in another.-
William Gibson

 

 

I was recently back in my hometown for the Christams break, and I came across an old box of all of my high school and college stuff.  Most of it was old pictures, newspaper clippings, and that ratty old year book that everyone would sign.  Then you look at all of the signatures and markings of numerous people, and you think to yourself; "who is the world was that?"  So that got me thinking of all of the pictures that I have taken over the past several years, and all that I had went through to get those pictures. The ones I remebered the most were not the ones that I had spent hours setting up, or the ones where I was trying to get the brighest smile. The ones that I remembered the most were that were quick and painless.

 

Each and every one of these pictures were taken with just a simple point-and-shoot camera.  There was no long fancy lens, no backdrop, or no bright boomstand. My point here is that all of the pictures where someone would say "I hate my hair", or "That's not my good side", are usually the pictures that you remember the most.  Some of the greatest pictures that I can remember are the ones that nobody ever planned. 

So remember that the next time that you take a picture, and then look at it.  What would be your reaction looking at the same picture 10 years into the future.

 

     



A mild moment of boredom....

 

I was sitting on the couch a few days ago watching something that probably wasn't that great because I really don't remember it.  I just remember that it was warm outside, the curtains were open, and that light was streaming in through the window.  The dog came down the hallway, and sat in his usual place on the back of the couch. He could not have set in a more prefect place.  I quietly got up, as I didn't want to disturb this.  I grabbed my camera, and this is what I got.  It's moments like this that I love to shoot, and times like this that I seem to do my "better shots".  This was great! And this is Tank!

 

 

 

Edited or Not?

 

 

After doing this photo shoot, I started to revert back to when I was in school and we were taught to shoot in RAW.  During that period I couldn't for the life of me figure out why anyone in their right mind would want to shoot this way.  It was just more simple to shoot in JPEG, run it through Photoshop, do some quick editing, and move on.  After reading several blogs and articles about how to get a better finished product with RAW, I'm starting to get back to it.  I seemingly find it better to work with now that I did several years ago.  My point here is that I happen to know several people that still shoot SOOC (Straight out of Camera), and are pleased with the results.  If you were a client of mine, which would you prefer?  I would also like to add that there are some great works that have came straight from the camera, and are placed in almost perfect lighting.  So if you are one of those photographers that gives their clients a CD of their images, do you include the unedited images as well? I personally perfer both.  I just like the fact that a subject can be placed in the perfect lighting, and still turn out a geat piece of work.