so...go back to film - at least sometimes. check. suddenly limited to 24 shots (approximately 25 - 35 cents each) - shots began to matter.
the next step...get back to the basics. remember what all the dials are on the camera. play with iso, aperture, shutter speed. even more importantly, study the craft more. read.
now i'm at #3 on my list. get inspired. one of the times in my life that i was most creatively inspired was when i was attending photography classes. now, not everyone is as lucky as having a great program like samford's but there are tons of inspiration classes on line. so, if you're feeling stifled or uninspired. i suggest checking something like this out.
last night i started a six week course in theme photography...(course description: prepare to be challenged! theme photography challenges your imagination and develops your artistic skills by inviting the student to photograph the intangible. sensations, feelings and perception are all fair game in this course aimed at strengthening the students' ability to introduce artistic depth into their photographic work.) the first week's theme is obsurity.
i found myself falling asleep last night thinking about ideas. and i woke up this morning doing the same thing. it's getting the juices flowing and making my brain work on the artistic side of the house. this weekend should be fun as i try to get a shot that means "obsurity" to me.
OK...love that photo you posted. Is that film?
ReplyDeleteI may be one of the few with a DSLR that does actually study the shot before taking it. I rarely point and shoot. When I went to the mission a few weeks back, I only took about 50 shots total (I was there for 5 hours!). My husband asked...why didn't you take more...you have a ton of space on the card. I figure if I can get 5-10 *wow* shots that is all I need. And I got a few... ;)
you would be one of the few then. :) it's a bad habit that i'm in the process of breaking.
ReplyDeletewow.....this sounds amazing !
ReplyDeleteand if you are thinking about this before you go to sleep and once you get up again.....that's HUGE !
i do tend to take a bit too many shots when i have a great subject, but it's funny, that many times it's the first shot that ends up the best or on the opposite end of the scale, the one I didn't think turned out ends up being the best once i've viewed it on screen.
ReplyDeletebtw...are you meaning "obscurity" or is obsurity a word I just don't know (which wouldn't be that surprising!)? ;-)
I used to take way too many photos. And I still do, but not that much anymore (luckily).. At first it was good though, as it taught me a lot when I photographed pretty much everything, but later it became a bad habit. now I am trying to get rid of it. but it's hard..
ReplyDeleteoh, and that course sounds amazing! I might need to do something similar.. thinking about ideas oftener would be awesome. :-)
your photography class sounds fascinating...love it when we really get the creative juices to flow......
ReplyDeleteyes, i left the 'c' out - it's obscurity. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is great!
ReplyDeleteIt's true, new gadgets makes us forget the old and sure things happen quicker...but it feels good to know you have made an image what it is...
HUGS
Char
such a great post Char. It's so true that film cameras certainly make us think a lot more, help us to be more selective and careful about what we shoot. And taking classes help us to get the creative juices in our brains working. that's why i like it when T shares with me her assignments in photography class. we talk about them together and feed off each other's ideas - it's fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good (and fun!) idea. Photography classes are fun, especially if you have a teacher that is creative and helpful. I can't wait to see what you do in the class!
ReplyDeleteYou're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!
ReplyDeleteHa.. i have been thinking about that too.. I take a ton of pics and for some reason I always pick the wrong on to post on the PAD project. gah!!
ReplyDeleteI gave the kids each a camera to use this weekend but didn't have cards so they were limited to about 30 pics each, as I told them this I wondered... what if I were limited. When we got home they had taken five a piece.. me 158 and maybe three of them good!!!!
Fun! Good for you Char...classes are great for inspiration and learning. This shot is beautiful, soft and and just a little mysterious!
ReplyDeletei have been thinking of get out my old film camera...ditigal is awesome but makes me so lazy!
ReplyDeleteoh, I don't know if I could do that - go back to film!
ReplyDeletesometimes, I think I have been lazy and just snapping at anything. those are the times when few pictures actually turn out.
mostly, I do work hard at thinking about and framing my shots but then, just to be sure, I take it 3-10 times with slight adjustments! part of the problem is not being able to see the screen and having to wait until I'm out of the sunlight to see what I've taken.
i would love to take a class, but not so much around here...
ReplyDeletechar, i love this post... and you really made me realize the ridiculous # of pics i snap cause i can... i'm going to try pretending i have a roll of 24... or mayb 36... :) and see how it goes....
ReplyDeleteyour class sounds fantastic....sooo excited for you....and i love your image today as well....
have a wonderful rest of the week...xxo, kim
wow obscurity i am really interested in seeing what you shoot for that one and i am one of the careless many who take 100's of shots just to get the few wow ones i just take the same darn thing from so many angles it's silly. good for you challenging yourself like that it sounds great
ReplyDeletei just started using our old vintage pentax a couple weeks ago. i now have five rolls of film waiting to be developed. i should take a photography class to learn what i'm doing instead of guessing.
ReplyDeletexoxo
we just broke out our film cameras too. nothing like only having a few shots.
ReplyDeletei tend to do that same thing. i snap a lot of pictures because i am nervous and in a hurry, and hope they will turn out. taking more time to compose and be thoughtful with each shot would be a really smart move!
ReplyDeletevery glad you are taking this class! i think you will enjoy it immensely!!!!
I love that shot ... and the class sounds really interesting! I need to slow down and just take a step back sometimes ... having never shot film, I have never really thought about what to shoot and what not to ...
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be using my out-of-work time by taking classes...painting, photography, drawing, etc. If only I had the money to afford to be out of work and to sign up for classes!
ReplyDeleteIt's fun getting so lost in thought that you wake exploring the ideas you took to bed. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCan I just copy and paste what VioletSky said? Because that's the way I do it, too. I have done some manual shooting on my DSLR, but I'm not very good at it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I take way too many shots, too. I'm trying to get better about this, and I think I'm getting there slowly but surely. I think taking lots of shots is educational, though... after a few thousand you start to get a feel for light, and how you can translate it with your camera settings into something approaching art...
ReplyDeleteHi Char!
ReplyDeleteI find that I am in a similar boat as you...and I feel so much more inspired when I am taking a class. Now that I'm not working I have more time to take classes...but not enough money:)...so it goes. Anyways, signing up for Creativity Boot Camp for two weeks really did help me get out there and takes pics...and to spend time processing them...and it was free. I found myself thinking of the prompts at night too:)...I also signed up for one of Kim Klassens Photoshop classes which is very reasonalbe and self paced...I LOVE it!
As far as # of shots I am probably in the middle...sometimes way too many and sometimes wish I took more:)...I did get out my film camera too with your inspiration and hope to go out with it today...
xo
I love that you've signed up for a photography class, Char. And I love that you're taking a step back and re-evaluating. Beautiful work all around, my friend.
ReplyDeleteYour obscurity series is great.
xooxoxoxo.
-me