Category Archives: Random Thoughts
Thoughts on Teaching
I was fortunate to be asked to teach a class on photography at our local bookstore in town; Reading Frenzy Book Shop. I didn’t want to have a class in which we talked about technical details or gear-related questions (although we managed to cover those questions anyway) so I focused on helping them discover and pursue their photographic vision. Some thoughts:
- We had a great class of 13 photographers ranging in experience of a few months to 40 years. It was exciting to see them light up when talking about photography and vision.
- I had planned on a 30 minute talk, 60 minutes to go shoot, with a 15 minute discussion after. The discussion and questions by the group were so good that we didn’t even get out to shoot, except for 10 minutes at the very end.
- Since we didn’t get out to shoot, the entire class wanted to have another workshop which would be hand’s on. I hadn’t planned on multiple workshops but apparently there is a demand in the area for this. Looking at the end of September for the next class.
- We hit on the holy trinity of arguments: film vs. digital, Canon vs. Nikon, and Mac vs. PC. Nobody got hurt and it was all in fun.
- I forgot how much I enjoyed teaching. I did quite a bit with my old job (and now will do so will my new job!) but it’s been awhile. It’s always good to share some information, encourage someone and then get out of their way.
- Teaching the class motivated me to take better photographs. I need to be more intentional about shooting more.
All in all, it was a great experience and I’m looking forward to seeing where this leads to.
2010 Photography Goals
I haven’t been much a of a goal-setter up to this point but was challenged by a good friend this summer to start thinking about what I wanted to do in life (better late then never, I guess ). With photography being my main hobby (plus bringing in some revenue in 2009) it was important to set some goals for 2010. So here goes…
That’s it for me. So what are you photography goals for 2010?
Where in the World is ???
Yes, the blog has been silent for way too long and no new images on top of that. I have images ready to go and will get those up.
As for the lack of anything on the blog, perhaps the easiest way to describe it is a change in workflow. Or more importantly, a change in life’s workflow. I’ve been reading quite a bit lately about vision and realized that I had none. Okay, not quite none but not a lot. If you asked me “What do you want to do when you grow up” or “Where do you see yourself in five years” I couldn’t give you a decent answer and that includes my photography. I’m in the process of jettisoning the things that aren’t important or are time-wasters and focusing on the things that are.
So what changed? This post by David duChemin was pretty much the catalyst to make some moves in my photography. What that led to was a change in everything, work, family, etc. Everyone has the same amount of time in one’s day to get stuff done. We complain we never have enough time yet there are many people who use their time effectively and enjoy life rather than bumbling along in the rat-race.
As it pertains to photography, I’m setting aside time everyday to practice. Practice taking pictures, practice in editing, spending time looking at other people’s pictures for inspiration and to gain knowledge, and following blogs and using Twitter to find articles that will help me get better as a photographer. As for the blog, I’ll be posting more, not daily but several times/week with articles, links and images as I feel the blog allows (and sometimes forces) me to focus on what’s important with my photography.
To Bring or Not To Bring Plus Other Thoughts
Just a warning in advance that this post is somewhat random. You could even say it is rambling. If you have better things to do, by all means stop now and go ahead and take care of your business. If not, read on (you’ve been warned)…
Bringing my camera on a business trip is usually a no-brainer as I drive just about everywhere and it’s no big deal to toss my camera bag and tripod in the car. Occasionally though, I have to fly and that’s where I start to weigh the advantages vs. disadvantages to bringing it along. I’ve brought it with me before on trips and never used it although that is pretty rare. In the past, I’ve almost felt I had to use it since I took the time and “effort” to drag it with me.
Recently though my outlook has changed. While I debated again about bringing it, rather than thinking about the reasons not to bring it, I was more focused on what would happen if I didn’t bring it. I certainly have enough to do without taking time out to go shoot (plus the potential for post-production work after that) but the practice of just getting out and shooting was too much to pass up. The potential of the next shot and what I might miss as well as the process of learning something new ended up being something I didn’t want to miss out on. Oh, FWIW, I took a whopping total of five pictures.
Speaking of something I could have taken a picture of last week but didn’t was an honor guard of soldiers that came to the Omaha airport. On my flight was a member of the US Navy and the captain of the plane made a comment about letting him off first plus something else (I didn’t hear the entire message). When I got down to baggage claim, there were several older members of either the American Legion of VFW waiting there as well as an Army honor guard complete in dress uniforms and white gloves. Not sure what the protocol is for taking a picture of this but out of respect for them, I left the camera in the bag.
One of the things I’ve been ignoring is putting together a contract for services. I have several good examples to draw from but to take the time to sit down and hammer it out isn’t overly appealing to me right now although paying a lawyer to do so is less appealing. Safe to say that I never see myself ever having the urge to go to law school.
That’s it for now…
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