hike challenge - shoot like its film

Digital is a great tool, and probably one of the reasons I am still into photography.  I love that it doesn't cost $0.40 each time the shutter fires, so I can ditch 80% of my my photos without cringing.  But sometimes I have found myself machine-gunning away and "choosing the best photo" later.  Not entirely bad (sometimes) but not entirely good either.  So I revisited a practice I once had, a more methodical and intentional approach to photography.  Emma and I took a hike in the morning and I decided to bring along my camera and treat it as it if had film in it.  Here is EVERY photo I took...usually I only display 80-90%.

This was an exercise in craft, not an attempt to create the best body of work that I could.  (Keep in mind, I had a 4 month old on my back too.)  So these will not be heading to the portfolio...but I might have learned something in the process, and that was really the point

a photography post without any photos

This may or may not become an actually blog post…so if your reading this, I got gutsy.

So, why have I not posted in a long time?

I was one of those well intentioned photo bloggers that decides to post 3 times a week; have to little success and then drops off sharply.

Can I blame the fact that I just had my first born? Can I blame an international video trip and a major conference at work steeling my thoughts and energy?  Can I blame the fact I can’t think of anything else to say, or I wonder if what I have to say is relevant?

Not sure.

I have been thinking a lot about photography; don’t get me wrong, but mostly in the realm of how images are used in other mediums for story telling purposes.  How a set of images can be more impactful than a standalone image, or how a sequence of images can be used to reveal an idea.  Some of the examples I have been working with are still top secret, but after Urbana, I hope to.

I have also been thinking about simplifying my photography.  Carrying less gear, shooting less frames to get it right, and streamlining my storytelling abilities.

I have been thinking about what kind of images I really like to make.  If you look at this blog, you would think that I only shoot weddings and portraits.  While I do very much enjoy this, I am not sure if that is the only type of photography I want to show here.  That is one reason why I have not posted several of my latest weddings.  Probably an unwise choice, but I was hoping to space them out with more verity in-between.

I have been thinking about what type of photographer I want to be.  And to be honest…I don’t know.

But should I know?  I mean, every blog out there that talks about “vision” seam to say that you should pursue your one faction of photography and do it well.  Yes, I really do agree with this.  Specializing is the best way to become really good at something.  But I don’t know what I want to specialize in.

I know that I tend to be drawn to people in places.  I know I like nature and macro, but only for fun…and I never feel compelled by those images.  I know I am not a candid street photographer or an artsy/abstract shooter either.  So, I guess that is why portraits and weddings work seems to be a focus, but that is not necessarily what I want to specialize in.

I guess this is turning into a rant.

I was talking to a friend of mine about Golf (you know, Badger Vance) and he said, "It's a game that can't be won only played."

I have been thinking the same thing about making images.
There are a lot of other pithy quotes out there about similar things: like "its the journey not the destination." And such like that...maybe that is where I should take comfort, that I am on the journey and I am not designed to feel like I have arrived.

swaziland gear

InterVarsity's twentyonehundred productions sent me to Swaziland for a 10 day shoot.  I was to direct a film crew to produce several videos, as well as create 25 family portraits.  The specifics and reason for the project is still top secret, so I can't tell you until after Urbana 12.  Below is the camera gear that I took.

As I was unpacking I realized how little actual photo gear I had taken, and how much support and living gear I needed.  Things like chargers, power adapters, Malaria meds, main and backup hard drives, a notebook, and audio capture equipment...and more that is still packed.

There are so many "what in my bag" posts on the internet that seem to celebrate how much a photographer likes to carry, when in reality there is so much more to 'photography gear' than lenses and camera bodies.

clear filters

This is why you use a clear filter on your lenses.

Camera and lens are fine, because the filter took the brunt of the fall off my desk.  So, make sure you have a clear filter on all your lenses.  UV will work, but SkyLight will not because it adds a blue cast.

And while we are on the subject, a lens cap would not have helped much here...I do not believe in them anyway, they just get in the way.

jeannie and jason wedding

wendy and ed wedding

"Are you here for the Carnival Wedding?"  That is what the museum attendant asked me upon arriving at Ed and Wendy's wedding (they were married at a small Art Museum in Milwaukee.)  I think it was in response to the fact that they had lawn games, face painting, a costume filled photo booth, and a charactercher artist for their reception.  Even with all of that, this was one of the best locations I have shot a wedding at; with lots of character in the building, and great settings like a terrace, gardens, and big rooms...plus (since it was outside) I had a great quantity of light, that's good if used right.

Figuring out how to use the harsh noon light was something I have been working on for a while.  Proof that practice before pays off when you need it.  I knew that I needed to keep my subjects in the shade as much as possible.  To do this, I utilized parasols, garden foliage, and overhangs.  It was also helpful that by the the time we got the the reception, the balcony that we were using was in open shade (shade created by a building, but nothing above.) 

Some more great light came in the evening, when I could use back light to create drama.  Below is natural back light from the setting sun, and for the dancing I used my flash for a similar effect.

You may remember their pre-wedding portraits: their first "fun" set here, and then the "serious" set here.  These two are a joy to photograph, and a joy to spend the day with.  "Carnival Wedding" probobly doesn't explain it right, but it was a lot of fun!

Thanks again Ed and Wendy.

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50mm as a nature lens

The other weekend, I took part in a challenge for a photo group (with Black Hawk Church) to limit ourselves to a 50mm lens and work on foreground elements.  The 50mm lens (by tradition) is the most standard lens on film cameras.  On some digital cameras, it turns into something similar to a 75mm and is therefore a great portraits lens (look up crop frame sensors if you are unfamiliar) so you may need a 35mm for the same field of view as I am talking about.  This is the lens (either a 35mm or a 50mm) I think everyone should get if they are thinking of upgrading their kit lens (the one that came with the camera) and is a great lens to learn about composition and how to move as a photographer.  Oh, and it is cheep as far as lenses go: $100-$200!

So, the point of this exercise was to limit ourselves, try and work on a foreground element, and have an excuse to get out.  So we met at a great State Park.

By the half way point I was wondering if the 50mm lens was really a nature lens for my taste at all.  I was constantly wanting more compression (like what I would get with a telephoto lens) or more near/far exaggeration (like with a wider angle.)

But like any time I limit myself with only one lens, I have to find what that lens can do well and use it to its strength.  I soon was seeing what this focal length would see, and pushing myself to make photos, instead of finding them.

I am realizing that I am not a nature photographer.  Well, I like nature, but I like human elements in my nature photos.  Like the nature is the scene that this person is enjoying...or like the person is the subject of my sentence, and the nature element is the adjective.  (But that is another subject entirely.)  So, I feel like the 50mm was able to perform for me in this respect.

I am not sure if I will do this 50mm only exercise again (by myself that is) but I do like the exercise and I really do like carrying only a small camera setup.  I was never weighed down, and felt like I was free to hike, and enjoy nature more.  I will have to try other focal lengths sometime too.

Now, if we are talking portraits, this lens goes up a little in my book.  In fact, one weekend I shot an entire (almost) portrait session with just a 50mm.  See that here.

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