My Blog Mostly, these are ramblings of my various photography adventures. Sometime just random thoughts, others time I talk about what I have learned, discovered or experienced in relation to photography. Novemeber 11, 2006 One thing that I have noticed is that no matter how much beauty we are surrounded by, many times we don’t notice it or we take it for granted. Even if is right in front of us we have a hard time appreciating it. I look at the work of friends and hear their stories of how the hardest clients to sell to are the ones that live locally where they do most of their shooting. It takes me back to one of my philosophies that we just need to slow down and enjoy what we have in front of us. Many times we get selfish and look out side of where we live to find that much needed beauty to escape to. So, back to my friends: many times their work is a tough sell locally because it is something that people see on an everyday basis and don’t realize the beauty in it. Makes me wonder if people that live in the Tetons, Grand Canyon, New England in the fall, or other incredibly scenic areas ever grow numb to the beauty that is in their back yard? When they look at a print or a greeting card and say, “ well, that is nice photo but the image just doesn’t do much for me”. This just makes me think, how can we keep things fresh? For photographers selling their work, the locals should be there main clients. Is it our images or is it them? I guess in a way it should be a challenge to capture even more unique and captivating images of our local surroundings but at the same time I also think the locals need to open their eyes a little longer at what is right in front of them. It’s not until a national chain store is built on top of our local oasis, that we tend to notice the beauty is gone. Novemeber 4, 2006 October 2005 October 2006 On a recent trip I visited a location where I shot my “Autumn Twilight” photo a year ago. An image I have really grown to like. I wasn’t necessarily hopping to capture the same style of image as before. But I did want to be more thorough and try some different angles. As I started walking to the spot I noticed right away things were different. The color in the trees and the skyline were changed. Then I realized that I couldn’t even get to the spot that I took the original because the water level was to high. So, there was no shore for me to stand on. Then I noticed other elements had changed. Most obvious was the log that I used as foreground interest and a leading line. Must have washed away during the past year. As I realized that there was no way that I would be able to compose a shot anything like I did in the previous year, I began to think. Many times we take it for granted that what we see in a fleeting moment will always be there. And while we might capture a few shoots we don’t always realize the current setting will never look that way again. We know the cloud formations will always vary and each sunset is unique in itself but in actuality, every element can potential change or even disappear. Strictly speaking from a photographers standpoint, I know I don’t always photograph an area thoroughly. Sometimes assuming that I can come back and capture what I missed. While there might be the opportunity to return, there won’t always be the chance to capture what I missed from the previous time. So, how would I do this better next time? I sometimes rush to get the shot. Then I may explore other angles. But then I figure I am done. What I am going to try is first pause a moment to take everything in. To help me remember how the scene really looks and what I am actually capturing. Then do this between shoots. With this slower approach I may miss a shot through the changing light but I will definitely see and understand what I am photographing much more clearly. So, with this eye opener I am going to focus more closely on exhausting all possible photo opportunities at every spot I visit. You never know, I may even surprise myself. Besides, being there is the most important part. I don’t want to rely on my camera to capture the memory. I want to remember it with what my eyes saw that day.