Category: photosophy

2009-04-08

I Just Want to Tell a Story

I keep thinking about cool stories to tell in photos: the folks living in shacks behind my apartment and what their lives are like, the life and belief of a typical Thai Buddhist, or any number of other story ideas. I envy photojournalists, whether they are given assignments or have the accomplished privilege of choosing their own projects, because they get to tell stories for living: meeting people, grapling with the issues of a given situation, and trying to portray that story in photos. SOOO cool! So, I have to wonder if it is possible to tell my own stories if it is not my job to do so.

I am going out on a limb this time. One, I really have no idea where this post will end up…I have just started and am hoping for the best. And two, there may not be anybody out there who feels the same way. So, I might be talking to the wind, but if for nobody else, I think it will be good for me.

keep reading

2009-03-31

Psyched up for QingMing Festival

QingMing is just a few days away. I could not tell you why the seemingly official English translation of this festival is the “Chinese grave sweeping festival”. Yes, they clean up the grave sites of their ancestors, but the real core of the holiday is solidly rooted in paying respect to their ancestors. You choose your word: respect, worship, veneration, honor, …you get the picture.

I will be returning to my wife’s hometown tomorrow and the next day heading to her Dad’s hometown for the celebration of QingMing. The whole Chinese side of the family will be there. Yes, it will be nice to finally meet all the family on my wife’s dad’s side, but I have to be totally honest, I am giddy with the thought of the photo opportunities.

keep reading

2009-03-26

Maker of Idols

Finally, the kind of photo I have been looking for. I have been trying to capture the spiritual side of things. I am not talking about some visually appealing monks-in-a-temple shot, but the spiritual reality behind what we see with our eyes, and I am especially focused on the spiritual realm right there on the street and a part of everyday life. In a place like Thailand, it is everywhere, woven into every part of life.

2009-03-23

The Patron Saint of Nikonians

Saint Nikon of Sicily — Martyr Nikon in Sicily

The past few weeks, I have been reading through the lives of some of the saints who have gone before us for encouragement. These folk, that great cloud of witnesses, were the real deal, and it does not take much reading from their lives to figure that out. Well, I saw that the first of the saints commemorated on this day is Martyr Nikon in Sicily. Nikon…that was just too good to pass up mentioning here. And no, he is not the patron saint of Nikonians, but he most likely is the patron saint of some Nikonians.

I will share below the excerpt on the life of Saint Nikon which I read this morning. He certainly is not your stereotypical Sicilian (neither mobster nor Princess-Bride-ish), but could certainly serve as an encouragement for those who remember hearing some of the faith as a child and then upon encountering hard times later in life again call on that faith of our childhood.

keep reading

2009-03-18

Closing the Creative Gap

Chase Jarvis mentioned the “creative gap” in an interview the other day, “creative gap” being the “difference between what you want your pictures to look like, and what they actually look like.” It is the gap we need to jump to take that next step in the development of our creative muscle. Basically, we have to be out there shooting a lot, trying new things, chasing down that story, creating that photo in our heads, or doing whatever needs to be done to actually create the photos we are trying to create.

I guess there is a lot more to it than just “shoot a lot”, though that is a huge component. In that interview, Chase even said that (taking a lot of pictures) is the most under discussed aspect of our development. We have to know what works, and for the most part, that is learned through looking at hundreds of your own photos that just did not accomplish what you wanted and then going back out and figuring out how to make it work.

One of the first questions I had after thinking that through for a few minutes was this: “if we need to be shooting a lot, are we prepared with the tools necessary to actually go through those photos?”

keep reading

2009-03-14

Ever Sat for a Daguerrotype?

I have a quote to share today. Not only is this a quote from a famous dude (the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson), and not only is it about photography, but it really gives us a lot of context in which to put photography. I like to think outside of the digital box sometimes, and going back to daguerrotypes is certainly a way to do it, being the first method to record an image in a camera (…because cameras existed long before a method to capture that image, besides painting it).

There are folks who still use daguerrotypes today. Chuck Close is one hitting the photo world headlines lately with his groovy daguerrotype of Brad Pitt. As he says, in explanation to why he uses a 150 year old photographic method, photography never got better than it was at the beginning. Daguerrotypes are actually extremely high quality, higher than we can attain in paper or digital methods today (they are polished metal…silver coated copper, if I remember correctly).

So, with that wordy context, here is what it was like to sit for a daguerrotype photo.

keep reading

2009-03-13

Photographer More Important Than the Tools

It all starts with that new camera in your hands. You got sick of your point and shoot and wanted something faster and better, or maybe you wanted to rekindle that long lost desire to be a photographer that the cost of film and developing had extinguished out of your junior high budget.

Now, you have your new camera and the sky is the limit…until you start taking photos. You just cannot get it right somehow. They are still blurred, out of focus, too dark, too bright, boring, and everything but what you had imagined. Fear not. There is hope.

keep reading

2009-03-11

Honoring the King and His Camera

My wife is from Thailand. Thailand has a king. And the king likes photography. I saw a gallery with his shots…very nice. Think about it, though, how many world rulers can you think of who carry a camera around their neck on a regular basis? I can think of only one, the king of Thailand. That is awesome.

Another interesting thing about Thailand is the love Thai people have for their king. If you have been through Thailand at all in the past three years, you probably would have noticed the inordinate number of yellow-shirted citizens walking around. Do they just like yellow or what? And what in the world does this all have to do with photography. Stick with me, I will pull it all together in a minute.

keep reading

2009-02-04

Knowing When to Say No to a Photo Shoot

For those of you who have ever asked me to do a shoot for you, you will know I am not the man to be writing an article about how or when to say no. So, maybe my title is a complete farse. On the other side of that coin, though, something about doing any and all shoots really struck me.

If I only needed to save my time, I would say no to everything. Sometimes, I consciously think this will be a stretch on my time, but subconsciously, I want to say no because I might not live up to the job. That sounds like an opportunity to grow to me.

keep reading

2009-01-15

Loud Shutters Work Against the Photographer

Why should we even care if our camera shutter is loud or not? What is the benefit of a quiet shutter? Well, it all depends on your shooting style as to whether is makes a difference or not. Ok, that is not totally true. Let me say it this way, some people care, some people do not. Here are the issues as I see them, though.

Following a comment on a post of mine a few days ago, I have been thinking about shutter noise. I unashamedly like quiet and I really notice when a camera is not quiet, even though that statement is quite relative. I was all excited to see the Sony a900 (this is the camera that brought up the topic in the first place) in the store and I picked it up to give it a few test shots. Ergonomics, handling, buttons: good. Style: very Sony-ish, but I like it (I like it more than the other Sonys). Then, I pressed the shutter release. KER-PLUNCK! Holy cow! That sound alone would take lots of great features and a very low price for me to actually think about buying one.

keep reading