Tru Shots Photography Blog

9 Things I Think About To Remain Positive About Photography

2012-01-24T18:33:00.008-05:00

Staying positive in a complicated and troubled world is challenging. It doesn't mean being superficial or "performing happiness." (You know...those forced smiles, forced empty phrases/platitudes and demanding others smile as if their performance is = genuine happiness and positivity?) It doesn't mean ignoring negative or serious personal or societal issues that require deconstruction, discussion and change. It means realizing that joy has to exist (in order to live well) despite both negative and positive forces existing--being aware of problems and still finding and choosing something to feel deep internal happiness about. It's a consistent work in progress--almost a daily choice that on some days I choose easily and others, not so much. It is to be genuinely human.

The nature of the artist is one of ebbs and flows. I don't want all ebb or all flow. One correlates to depression and the other correlates to burnout. I don't like extremes. I DO like to reflect--but not as a sort of "jolt" to create like crazy, but in fact to add to the reserve of general positivity about photography over time, which then fosters my creativity, ideas, endurance and performance.

To remain positive about photography I like to reflect on:

1) My photographs. I don't do this to psychotically compare each photograph to the previous anymore because I know the term "good" is subjective. I do this to remember how I felt and what I was thinking while creating each photograph that I love and to reconnect to that creative energy.

2) My accomplishments. I look through my web and print shoutouts, mentions, captions, articles, interviews, and most recently publications to see how well my work has spread and how I did it in order to give me ideas and approaches for the present and future. (It's also really good to examine failures...)

3) My client experiences. I think about what worked and what didn't. I think about the sincere conversations and compliments that I received from past clients. Truthfully, some were amazing and quite humbling. I think about the bad experiences and try to see what the common denominators are in order to change them or avoid them in the future.

4) My peer experiences. I have had so many positive experiences with other photographers from the one-on-one chats that I've had at coffee shops and camera shops to the great conversations I've had via social media over the last few years. I've learned so much since I made my first social media profile made in 2006 that I astound myself. I have so much more to learn and I look forward to it.

5) My experiences with everyday people. I rarely photograph anyone famous and rarely engage with anyone famous. I like the everyday conversations I have online and offline. I love how not talking about photography teaches me so much about what I want to share through the use of photography.

6) My moments alone. Since last summer I've used social media much less than any time in my life since 2006. It doesn't feel addictive or forcefully necessary anymore. It's a choice now. I don't currently get a lot of alone time or silence because of some offline things, but the moments that I do have to reflect, think, ponder, problem solve and maybe even just hope...just a little...are positively beneficial to me as a creative person and a human being. (Plus, I am an introvert. Introverts can never have "enough" alone time.)

7) The unexpected kind words. I don't hunt for compliments (or what some Twitter users call creating "thirst traps") but when someone out of nowhere takes the time to view my work and provide me with positive feedback, I can't help but smile.

8) The re-realization that photography is limitless. The only limits are the ones that are my personal limits (i.e. I can't create a fish eye photo without a fish eye lens; I can't photograph Australia if I can't afford the plane ticket--personal limits, but ones that can change over time), not within photography itself. I can never learn it all, do it all, or know it all and this makes me glad. I've had many useless (well...besides a paycheck) corporate jobs in adulthood where I learned the entire job in 4-6 weeks and nothing interesting or intellectually challenging occurred after this. Do you know how annoying/depressing that is? I'm glad that I won't do it all or know it all about photography in even 40-60 years. I'll never label myself a master. I don't ever want to. Limitless means consistent room for exploration and excitement. (I already have 10,000K+ hours of photography work and study...that which people consider necessary to be an "expert." However, I still do not consider myself an expert. Not even close. I like this.)

9) Knowing that you have ebbs and flows too. Even if you aren't a photographer and are another kind of artist, you know that unless you're clinically depressed with all ebbs, or maniac (and probably annoying) with all flows, you have periods where you're consistently creating and conversely ones where you are only mildly creating and probably studying instead. Knowing that we're all human amidst quite complicated existences helps me remember that I'm not disconnected in the sense that if my finger isn't on the shutter right now I'm automatically "giving up" or "getting behind." (Behind...what?) I don't believe that at all. And, because I realize the complexity of this, I actually smile, about it, not frown.

Truthfully life itself, when the camera is back in the bag (a Lowepro or DIESEL one for me, hehe), can be complicated. For me, there are complexities that actually have nothing to do with photography that may in fact affect how much I shoot or write. But even so, the positive feelings and love for the craft continually exists, resides in a special place in my heart and persists especially when I think of the 9 things above. Love photography when I'm making images...love photography when I'm not making images. Because truthfully, I'm never not making photographs (even if I don't always blog/share them). I view the time when my camera is put away as simply the time before I make more photographs.

What keeps you positive about photography?

A New Twitter Profile for Tru Shots Photography (and photography, specifically)

2012-01-21T15:30:00.004-05:00

I made a new Twitter profile specifically for Tru Shots Photography and photography tweets! The profile name is Tru Shots Photo and the handle is @trushots. Originally, I only wanted one Twitter account. (I started my original Twitter profile @thetrudz in April of 2009. This page originally had the profile name Tru Shots Photo, but I changed it to "Trudy" this month to indicate that it is the page of a full person, not only a company/brand etc.)

Since I have a portfolio, this blog, and a Facebook fan/biz page specifically for photography, I decided that I wanted a Twitter page specifically for photography as well. This account will have the following purposes:

• To share links to my professional and personal work in photography, which includes sharing photographs, photography scholarship (what I am reading/studying), and my writing about photography. I will also share my learning journey in filmmaking.

• To share anything specific to Tru Shots Photography (i.e.a local special in South Florida, sponsoring an event etc.)

• To share other photography links that include visual inspiration and education, as well as quotes/discussion points etc. These links may be from other peers or within art and cultural studies, but not specifically photography (i.e. music/painting or something that connects to art at large). (Note: I am not writing these tweets or even have this page to be anyone's sole source of photography knowledge/guru. I am not taking up that gauntlet nor should anyone try to corner me into using my page this way. Remember, follower count ≠ expert.)

• To feed all of this into Facebook. At first I did not want to do this (with the @thetrudz profile), but since this new page @trushots won't necessarily have heavy daily tweeting, and will specifically be about photography, I think it will be at an amount appropriate to share with Facebook. This way, I won't delete my Facebook fan page after all (which I have been debating for months) and remain connected with the 1000+ fans there. (Many of them are "Facebook only" users who never see my Twitter stream.)

I am still keeping my primary Twitter profile, @thetrudz, where I chat about photography, art, culture, gender, race, politics, history, technology, creativity, psychology and Apple. In fact, I will retweet some of the @trushots tweets on the original @thetrudz profile. I have over 3600 followers and I enjoy chatting with and learning from people. And since this page is more about me (which naturally includes my photography work) than "just" my work, nothing will change with the @thetrudz account. I like how I use it and I like Twitter overall.

One of my Twitter buddies was concerned that I may be creating this account due to some of the bullying that I have experienced on Twitter. Unfortunately, this bullying has come from some photographers who think how they define "brand" is the only definition, ones who feel that tweets and conversations about any aspect of culture that is not specific to making images shouldn't exist and even ones who have tried to silence me in regards to my personal experiences as a human being. (Yep, photographers are human...first.) I advised my Twitter buddy that NO, I don't succumb to the will of bullies. It was my choice to make this second Twitter profile.

I don't have a Facebook personal profile (deleted it in 2010), a Model Mayhem (thank goodness I had the sense to delete this), a Google+ profile or a Google+ biz/fan page. I am in the process of deleting a lot of extraneous accounts that I don't use. Thus, I will have time for this photography-only Twitter account since my social media use is already so minimal. I think social media is about connecting with others through platforms that make sense for you, not forcing use and creating random profiles on every single network that comes into existence. Ultimately, every user has to decide how they will use social media, the frequency, the number of profiles/networks...everything. I am doing what works for me, and making/accepting changes as both social media changes and I evolve. I look forward to seeing you on the new photography Twitter profile or both profiles! :)

Cameras, Conversation, Culture and Censorship

2012-01-14T13:30:00.006-05:00

When Kathryn Stockett* (a White woman) supposedly became a mouthpiece for Black women through a book, The Help, it was (and still is) applauded. When Tyler Perry* (a Black man) supposedly became mouthpiece for Black women through various plays and films, he became some sort of "documentarian of facts" not a fiction feature filmmaker? However, whenever I as Black woman, (and gladly by no means a celebrity) speak for myself (online or offline), the first response I receive is people seeking to silence me. It's their natural "go to" response. Black men and White women are often accepted as authorities on Black women's experiences...especially using forms of art (books, plays, films and more) to convey those experiences. However Black women ourselves seem to be the last possible accepted authority on our own experiences, emotions and insights whether we're using art to convey them...or even just...talking.

A Black woman comedian and artist named Chescaleigh made a hilarious video (based on her close friend who is a White woman) called Sh*t White Girls Say To Black Girls. With over 5 million views and counting, this viral video accounts some of the awkward conversations on race that occur specifically between women (not men) of these two races. What makes it funny is the humorous delivery, facial expressions and tone used by the talented Chescaleigh. However, unlike many of the other "Sh*t ______ Says" videos and blogs out there (many people are making them now) this one seemed to cause the most uproar and attention. Unfortunately, it isn't only because many people had a good laugh at the truthfulness of the video. Again, this is a Black woman voicing concerns of Black women. (Oh d...d...dear, how can she be an authority on her own life! Nuts!) Apparently, Black women having voices for ourselves and using them is still deemed socially problematic to some people. We're supposed to sit back and allow others to be our mouthpieces while other people have free reign to share their own experiences and views via art or conversation?

As I alluded to in the first paragraph, any time I discuss (positive or negative) experiences of Black women (abstractly/conceptually or personally) via Twitter, many people run, literally run into my mentions trying to silence me. I discuss issues and share experiences with other artists, students and intellectuals/free-thinkers via Twitter. I...can't help if this angers other people (who I don't know and weren't even talking to, including photographers) who would prefer I only tweet cat photos...or worse, demand that I pretend that the sheer act of being a photographer automatically erases my experiences as a Black woman or the camera alone should make me "ignore" them. (I put "ignore" in quotes since so so many people suggest that minorities "ignore" negative experiences instead of those engaging in the negative behavior creating these experiences alter their behavior. We see this same silencing point of view within women's issues--i.e. when women are taught "don't get raped" versus men being taught "do not rape/rape is a crime." It's the evolution of victim blaming while assailants are excused or worse, place on pedestals.) So...because I'm a photographer, I automatically will have the same life and experiences as White male photographers who statistically make up the largest demographic of photographers (and often are the only ones considered "thought/industry" leaders in photography)? Really? And, anything that I mention that deviates from this fabricated cloud of superficial positivity (not genuine happiness) that some photographers are literally fighting to maintain should immediately be silenced? I mean...we can't have people thinking photographers are human or anything like that. Worse, we have to pretend that photographers don't experience (or cause) bias, bigotry, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, oppression, depression, anxiety or racism--yet for example, we praise photojournalism that conveys these very same things? What kind of elaborate superficiality is modern photography built on? I want to know so I can promptly kick it down and C-4 it if I have to.

It disgusts me that in art (something that is supposed to be expressive and free) there are so many people who want...no...no...need me to suppress who I am, my views and my experiences so they can feel "comfortable." Or worse, they only want to hear such views about me from anyone but me.

I tweeted the following tweets yesterday in regards to some of the people who seem desperate to silence me and the general silencing and superficiality that plagues modern photography.

"Not a single thing I tweet, how I tweet or even when or with whom I tweet will change b/c of random photogs afraid of convos w/substance."

"Some photogs will talk your head off about being a good person b/c they shoot homeless shelters. I say let's discuss WHY they are homeless."

"Some photogs think they're progressive b/c they shot an interracial wedding. I say let's discuss WHY even 2012 couple will face struggle."

"Some photogs will think getting a Pulitzer for photographing yet another broken Black body = success. I say let's discuss those Black ppl."

"Some photogs will discuss cop harassment of photogs as injustice. I say let's discuss minorities facing that injustice without a camera."

Most of the people I've photographed can relate to the same kind of things I chat with other people on Twitter about. Some photographers aren't ready for this. The self-serving shallow method of blazing through social media and only bragging about number of shoots, fame of the clients booked and gear purchased works for some people. But...those people should stay out of my Twitter mentions. We all use the same gear but we all aren't the same photographers...apparently. And in this case, I don't mean the difference is demographic. It appears the difference is substance vs. sheen, message vs. method, quality vs. quantity and vision vs. vanity.

I am not interested in "unity" or a "photography community" that only exists if I deny who I am, have to silence my voice, and only worship others who "look the part" of someone who should be allowed to speak. Honestly, such a "community" sounds more like corporate America...you know that which most artists think they are escaping? Funny how similar they are.

And, for the most part I've dodged such a "community." I don't follow photographers (or other silencing people) like this. I don't use online photography forums. I don't have a Facebook profile so I am not in nor lead photography groups anymore. There's only a handful (less than 100) photographers I chat with (and that number is low considering in the world of social media, tweeting like 1000 different people in a month isn't that far-fetched.) As I observed this "community," I realized my time is better served connecting with people based on who we are (souls, not just bodies), not what we do. I realized that sharing images is only part of how I want to use my online space. (In fact, I changed my Twitter page name to "Trudy" from "Tru Shots Photo" to further indicate I'm tweeting as a whole human being, not a business/brand etc.) There's so much to discuss and learn about people themselves...which of course in turn affects my photography. I want to have those conversations. And sometimes, my own experiences will be the topic. I won't be silenced. Too many Black women (i.e. Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm and so so many more) fought and died for me to have this power to share my voice so freely. I wouldn't dare disrespect their graves by allowing the "superficiality police" the "racism/sexism or any 'ism' is over so shut up police" the "if it's not about gear it's irrelevant police" or the "only 'industry leaders' who fit the demographic that we imagine them to be should speak police" to ever silence me.

Silence itself is a gift (I do love times/places that are physically quiet) but only when it's a choice.

People use both art and conversation to try to control (as well as slander, manipulate, shame) and silence me and other Black women. To me, art is something that's supposed to be expressive, communicative, informative, and transformational. So is meaningful conversation. I use art and conversation to express, learn and evolve. Not through forced silence but through open truthful expression I evolve.

"Still I rise..." - Maya Angelou

(I am fortunate that thankfully there are some photographers (and others) who are not like this. We all speak to each other and about issues freely. And they are diverse in race, culture, gender, sexual orientation and more. However, again, this still needed to be addressed. *Also, I am not going to address the "popularity" or fans/Stans of Perry or Stockett, I think scholars such as Melissa Harris-Perry did a better job of that...and well...and I agree with her.)

So...We Didn't Get To Make The Wine

2012-01-13T16:40:00.003-05:00

Roselle, a flowering plant with a deep red sepals are used to make the Jamaican Sorrel wine that is common during the holidays. Because my father's thumb is greener than any other living person I know, this along with so many other plants (roses, cabbage, scotch bonnet peppers, pineapple, sugar cane, collard greens, callaloo...and more) grows in his garden.

Last month around holiday time we were supposed to make the Sorrel wine, and even started the process as you can see below. However, I think my dad forgot about the final batch and by the time the rum was supposed to be added, it was too late and it spoiled. Better luck next holiday season I hope.

Here is the plant in his garden.

After the sepals are picked, my dad put them in a bowl.

Here it is boiling with an ample amount of ginger.

The final step would have been chilling and then adding rum but we didn't get there. Maybe next time!

Start The Year With Pretty Things

2012-01-03T16:19:00.002-05:00

This is my first blog post for 2012. Instead of some thought-provoking analysis within photography scholarship, or something about how much I love (or hate) social media at the moment, I thought, how about a few photographs of simple beauties that I saw while taking a walk?

Photography. Scholarship. Writing. Filmmaking. (Welcome 2012)

2011-12-29T19:08:00.018-05:00

2012 is almost here. As 2011 comes to a close, I decided to think about what felt good (not bad...well at least for this post) this year and what I am interested for next year. In the simplest terms, it came down to four affirmations. 1) I love making photographs. 2) I love to study photography for technical/practical knowledge and creative/historical/cultural knowledge. 3) I love writing about photography. 4) I like making videos/short films and studying filmmaking (though I am quite newt to it this year). These are the components of my love for photography and experience as a photographer. Photography. Scholarship. Writing. Filmmaking.

I think every "end of the year" post here on out will be more like this one and nothing like the previous 2009 and 2010 posts that were either too statistically-focused or incorporated too much about issues involving the overwhelming burden that social media can feel like at times. Instead, this post is as it should be--about my work, my art, my love. Below are some highlights...

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography in 2011
• I linked some of my favorite photographs of 2011 (blog posts) and some favorite food photographs (on Flickr) that I created this year.
• I redesigned the look/feel of my website, blog and other web spaces.
• I designed 2 photography eBooks (which I write more about below). Photography eBooks involve more than writing. They involve actual graphic art/design creation as well as image creation/selection/placement.
• I continued creating/distributing my photography newsletter that speaks directly to clients/fans, not necessarily other photographers.
• I had fewer booked clients, but enjoyed the interactions much more. (In my first eBook, I explained why I took this approach).
• I designed 5 photography books for print. (This took about 3 months..and the books are displays of actual photographs versus heavy written content). They'll be custom printed next year.
• I worked on assorted personal projects. (How I list them and choose them for 2012 will reflect this photography, scholarship, writing, filmmaking framework versus being listed by date alone.)

Photography for 2012
I want to remain as subject-focused and project-focused as I am now. I have no interest in chronological decisions (i.e. make X number of photographs in X days) leading my work but the who/what and why leading my work. The intent (why I make a photograph) and message (what does that photograph mean/what is it trying to "say") can guide me. I just look forward to making more photographs whether for clients, projects or even haphazardly. I love photography. As far as social media integration, I still love Twitter and blogging but I feel a dissapating love for using other networks. Good ol' word of mouth and friend of a friend connections have been more interesting to me lately.

SCHOLARSHIP
Photographic Scholarship in 2011
• I went back to basics by studying some great photography books for the written content and to study the photographs (if applicable).
• I listened to and watched several great workshops on filmmaking, being a photographer, portraiture and food photography.
• I read many blog posts and articles on photography as well as explored art as a visceral experience including studying other visual art and enjoying performing art (i.e. the ballet).
• I created a learning page based on my study techniques for learning filmmaking, specifically. (I elaborate more below.)
• I engaged in conversations via Twitter and not only on photography but other topics that impact the people that I photograph. A part of what I photograph is cultural documentary so all facets of contemporary and historical culture (including race, gender, age, sexual orientation, education, socio-economics, politics, art, history) are all relevant topics to discuss. Many of my clients are minorities. That which affects the people that I photograph is critical to my photography...and to my existence as a human being. As the singer Erykah Badu would put it, "I stay woke."

Photographic Scholarship for 2012
I am tossing around the idea of pursuing my doctoral degree Fall 2013 (so the research/application process would occur in 2012). Though my AA/BS/MS degrees are within subjects under the behavioral sciences, I am interested in the intersection of psychology/sociology/culture with photography/film/media/communications, and exploring programs that lie at this intersection. In the past, I stated that I wouldn't pursue a PhD, but that was during the days where for some completely illogical reason, I thought that it just "had" to be in psychology. Now that I alleviated myself from a false box (we all create these, check your own life, you will see them there), I can explore deeper and further where my formal studies and informal art studies meet. I am interested in researching and teaching at the 4-year and graduate level (and possibly other levels) within this intellectual intersection that I mentioned. Again, this is not a "final" decision" but something I am thinking deeply about. Even so, the same level of study that I engaged in independently (as mentioned above) this year will continue for 2012 as well. I love learning.
WRITING
Writing in 2011
• As I alluded to above, I wrote my first 2 photography eBooks: On The Path: Journeys Through Darkness and Light and Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios. I am proud of the work that I put into both of these. I call my writing projects Mind Perceptive • Image Perspective.
• I wrote my 400th post on this blog only a couple of months ago. I love writing about photography. (I also used to write a psychology blog [that I started in 2009 as well] and closed it this year with over 420 posts. Over 100 of these were written this year alone.)
• I did not write any guest articles as I thought I might since I wrote several in 2010. However, I was interviewed a couple of times and received a few web shout outs. However, as stated above, I still kept my pen or keyboard going.

Writing for 2012
I have already laid out the general foundation for my third eBook. Also, I am brainstorming several writing ideas that I now keep with me and revise as I think of new things. My goal is not to be famous or to receive excessive attention but to simply write about areas in photography that I am knowledgeable and passionate about, and make the eBooks available at a fair price. Though there are small amounts of written content in the photography books that I mentioned that I will print, I am tossing around the idea of an actual print photography book, rich in content like my eBooks but much longer (of course). We'll see.

FILMMAKING
Filmmaking in 2011
• I started dabbling in HD dSLR filmmaking through education (as mentioned above--the filmmaking education page and workshops) and blogging. From reading filmmaking books, to creating practice videos and short films to learning from workshops by the talented people such as Vincent Laforet, Gail Mooney and Gale Tattersall, learning a lot as beginner was important this year.
• I made 2 new photograph-based videos including Jamrock and Vinyl (I actually started in 2010 with Art by Ideity, Shoe Addict and Tantalizing Taste).
• I made 2 event videos with motion: Jamrock Caribbean Festival and X102.3 Custom Car and Bike Show.
• I made a few short films: Sulfur, Hoops at Dusk, Simmer, Pretty and Peace (a test video), and one just for fun one (using an iPod Touch 4G as opposed to a HD dSLR) called No Ice Cream For Picky Sisters.
• I watched a large amount of films on DVD this year (averaging between 3-10 each week since April), and over 100 HD dLSR shorts online not just to be passively entertained but to look for specific things in the filmmaking process. I also watched a lot of the "behind the scenes/special features" material that many film DVDs include as a learning source.

Filmmaking in 2012
I want to continue to work on technical skills and learn more complex video editing (once I decide on software---I know about what's on the market [I disclaimer this so I don't get 45 million tweets about software]). I want to produce documentary-style stories of specific populations and people that I will elaborate on as the projects themselves unfold. Also, as I mentioned under the SCHOLARSHIP section, I may learn more about film theory (and possibly practice) if I pursue a doctoral program in the intellectual intersection that I mentioned above. Even so, I will still continue to learn and practice independently as I have this year.

Knowing what I enjoy creating and studying makes the craft of photography exciting yet calm for me. My professional work is portraiture, lifestyle and cultural documentary photography. I describe my work as interpretations of beauty and reflections of life. I photograph a variety of subjects for my personal work...whatever makes me smile or think. I like studying photography for technical, practical, creative, historical and cultural knowledge. I like writing about photography for both reflective and educational purposes. And, though I am new to film (or returning to it since I spent 3 years in high school in the mid-90s making videos and short films in a media productions class) and simply learning and testing now, I want the knowledge obtained through my image-making, writing and studying to be revealed in the film work I do, mostly from a documentary angle.

I feel more artistically and intellectually focused than I did at the end of 2009 and 2010, and I think that is evidenced by how different this post is than the others. (It does not mean that life outside of photography or emotionally I am "perfect" or better. In fact, I face many struggles that I have for years even as I write this. I simply mean that my focus on what I want to learn/create and what I enjoy is rather sharp.) I am not worrying about the next "photography persona/micro-celebrity" drama or the next social media this, that, or the other that I have to run to to make a profile. (I lost count of how many accounts I have deleted since 2009, and some may be deleted in 2012). I am not worried about chasing and counting blog hits or SEO. (I don't even check blog statistics anymore and I have not since the fall). I am a professional photographer, student of art and life, a writer and now a filmmaking newbie. I am not overly optimistic in that annoying way people are at a New Year (which dies off by March 31st), or pessimistic. I just want to create and live a simple life with more smiles than tears. Welcome, 2012. I hope you'll treat me alright.

A New Cupcake Place?

2011-12-27T18:52:00.004-05:00

When I was in California last year, people became aware of my cupcake addiction. If you have to have a habit, why not it be something delicious? Anyway, since being back in Florida, I pretty much gave up on trying to find a cupcake place that is nearby. The only time I have had any baked goods since April is when my sister (of dAWN's dELIGHTS) made them.

Recently, I stopped by a place in South Florida called Sweet Surrender with my best friend. Of the four flavors that I tried (vanilla, red velvet, chocolate chip, and banana) the chocolate chip one was far superior. The vanilla was good but I wasn't crazy about the Banana or Red Velvet. Next time I visit, I will get a 1/2 dozen chocolate chip ones only and be good to go. Plus, the design of the place is gorgeous (very Bauhaus feeling inside) and the customer service was great.

Though the place in California, Loves Cupcakes is much better, this place is still pretty good. Luckily it is not in walking distance from me so that I keep my cupcake desires in check. (Chuckles...)

On Photography by Susan Sontag

2011-12-19T14:26:00.015-05:00

On Photography by Susan Sontag is one of the most (if not the most...at least thus far) powerful books that I have ever read that combines historical, cultural, aesthetic and photography criticism into one. It amazed me. I had goosebumps while reading it. This is my first time reading the book (several photographers on Twitter mentioned that they have read it 2 or 3 times [or have more than 1 copy], while others had no clue who Sontag was [a frickin' tragedy if you ask me]), and I know that I want to read it again next year. It is truly powerful.

Sontag uses intelligence, eloquence and at times a rather sharpness of language to dissect how photography is categorized and labeled, juxtaposed it to other art forms and even critiqued those we consider "perfect" masters (such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Diane Arbus), something that most photographers seem deathly afraid or simply unwillingly to do. By critique, I do not mean in the overly technically pedantic or superficially shallow way that photographers today may focus on sharpness (for example) or conversely say/comment "great capture." I mean she critiqued the very way they approached and labeled their own work and photography itself. By critique, I mean scholarly review, not pick on or insult. Again, this book seems to be written from an elevated place of critical consciousness but without pretension and annoyance, at least in my opinion.

I found her juxtaposition of painting and photography truly fascinating. "Photographs are as much an interpretation of the world as paintings and drawings are." I won't comment further because I would rather you the reader explore this part yourself. Also, one of her examples when she mentioned photojournalism in comparing public response to Korean vs. Vietnam wars was of interest to me. She alludes to the fact that political relevance and perception, more so than actual artistic composition and style heavily affects how politicized images are processed and internalized. She writes: "What determines the possibility of being affected morally by photographs is the existence of a relevant political consciousness."

She also writes about how to photograph someone is to be complicit in whatever is occurring, even if it is momentarily, and even if it is pain. Wow. This line of thought is something that some photographers (with a conscience) actually battle. There is a joke that if you saw someone drowning and you could save them or photograph them, which lens would you use? While that makes for good laughs, when you think about it truly, are we as photographers inclined to help above record? Sontag challenges this. She writes: "The person who intervenes cannot record; the person who is recording cannot intervene." Common "debates" in photography such as should it be a medium for recording truths and "reality" versus one to express personal views, art and even abstractions, and where these debates merge and diverge is discussed in detail, as well.

The hair on my neck stood when I got to this part of the book that I mention below. Sontag went to a place I consistently go to through writing, conversations, Twitter...wherever. This is a place many photographers do not want to go....

"A capitalist society requires a culture based on images. It needs to furnish vast amounts of entertainment in order to stimulate buying and anesthetize the injuries or class, race and sex. And it needs to gather unlimited amounts of information, the better to exploit natural resources, increase productivity, keep order, make war, give jobs to bureaucrats. The camera's twin capacities, to subjectivize reality and to objectify it, ideally serve these needs and strengthen them. Cameras define reality in the two ways essential to the workings of an advanced industrial society: as a spectacle (for masses) and as an object of surveillance (for rulers). The production of images also furnished a ruling ideology. Social change is replaced by a change in images. The freedom to consume a plurality of images and goods is equated with freedom itself. The narrowing of free political choice to free economic consumption requires the unlimited production and consumption of images."

While it is more comforting to pretend that images and photography (or other forms of visual media) are not used to anesthetize, manipulate, control...they are. Consistently. When the common rhetoric for a Black actor to win an award is yes a powerful performance, but also yes, one the reintegrates the notions of harmful, recurrent stereotypical archetypes, this is media with multiple purposes. While a photographer can use cheap or expensive tools to consistently portray images of beauty as thin, Eurocentric and young above all, this does not mean the actual photographs are poor. It simply means photographs ARE MORE than just things to look at. When commercials of women rely on portraying them as stupid or hypersexual and if Black women as the Mammy, Jezebel or Sapphire and nothing else, this is again, visual media being used to reinforce social norms and control for the negative. Does this mean the commercial is not well-lit, and the actors are not attractive? No. Again, it simply means the media...visuals are simply more than "just" something we see.

These are the types of things that I discuss. Yes, I love photography. I love what I can do with it and how it makes me feel when I am creating or writing about it. But I am not on a planet alone with a camera. How we use our cameras, our own personal biases, prejudices and perceptions, how we fit into society at large and how media can be used is relevant, and not to be overlooked. How we see people and how messages of culture are portrayed IS photography...not something to cower away from for fear of brand damage. Worrying over brand damage has genuinely become a way of anesthetizing that which is most important to discuss.--what is IN those photographs and not just the photographs themselves. It is so hard to choose a "favorite" book of the year, as I have read so many inside and outside of photography, but I think this might just be the one. Truly amazing.

What Is "Good?"

2011-11-30T16:26:00.002-05:00

In the past, I have said that I think that I am a good photographer. And, one day I aspire to be a great photographer. At the time I said this, I never really thought about what good and great truly mean.

In the context of American culture, usually anything "great" has to equate to some sort of fame. Sometimes (a few good times) it also means of a major social impact and has a relatively large consensus on inspiring talent. I am not so big on the fame part. If you've read my blog or eBooks, you know that. However, the large consensus on inspiring talent is an interesting concept. However, now more than ever, consensus usually unites the lowest common denominator, not the highest. This is why reality TV gets more views than most documentaries, why the most popular rap often says the least (compared to less popular saying more), why people can be famous for the sheer act of being famous and why things like talent, experience and even expertise don't receive the same attention as sheer fame, chaos and conflict.

Is it possible to be a photographer without consistently checking one's work to make sure it's "better?" And what is better? Certainly everyone knows what crappity crap is right? Then again, some argue that the photograph that just sold for over 4 million dollars isn't that great. At the end of the day, crap, ok, mediocre, good, great, and excellent are all measures that people decide. It truly is subjective.

We can objectively measure photographs. Sure. Is the white balance correct? Does it follow the rule of thirds or other compositional rules? Is the exposure correct? Is it in focus? And yet, there can be photographs that break these rules and still please eyes, challenge minds and stir souls. In a previous post, I wrote about an amazing book that I read, Reflections In Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 To The Present. One of the photographers that author Deborah Willis mentions in that book is Chris Johnson. He wrote:

"There's probably nothing more deadly to creative growth than the overreaching need to be 'good.' How does one know what 'good' is if not by accepting the dogma of those around and above you? How can one strive to be 'good' without internalizing a prior assumption that one is somehow 'bad?' And, if one even momentarily becomes convinced that 'goodness' has been achieved, what inceptive do you have to grow beyond that state? Everywhere else is a wilderness of risky "badness.""

Brilliant.

When I wrote my first eBook in January of this year, I included some content from a blog post (that I wrote in 2010) where I mentioned that photographers should learn from others but compete with themselves. However, by the time I wrote my second eBook this past September, I abandoned that whole concept. I never competed with other photographers, so that's never been a factor. However, I no longer compete with myself either. I simply create. There is no clock, counter, dial, measure, litmus test...nothing. I do not make a photograph only to psychotically make sure it is better than the previous. What's more is that a photograph only has to be "good" to me, not good for the sake of "good" itself...because again, what is that? (Of course for my paid work, it needs to be pleasing to the client as well. However, as any photographer can testify to, what clients think is good can easily be viewed as terrible to another photographer. HDR anyone? Boudoir anyone? Heh.)

Chasing the concept of goodness or greatness seems to lead people down the path of insatiable attention-seeking and approval and then down into the ditch of needing fame. Does a photographer want to know that there is a forward progression in their work? Perhaps. Maybe, the true progression is the emotional connection to the work itself and the intellectual connection to what that work truly means as a part of a full life experience. Maybe it isn't how close the rule of thirds was followed this time. Maybe it's about what is in those nine squares. The truth is a part of the discipline involved in photography is knowing those rules and technical subject matter so that you're really just creating (not worrying about camera settings) for work or for hobby, but enjoying it either way. You're saying something. You're taking a stand and revealing your life and others' lives...complicated existences, and allowing the world to see it and possibly connect to/learn from it. This is more important than "good" or "great." I've realized this now more than ever. And ironically, once I stop worrying over these labels, I enjoy creating more. And when I enjoy creating more, more of what I create is good to me, because I enjoyed making it and because it is visually pleasing to me and/or has meaning. "Good" may need to be something internal, not a scale one irrationally chases that leads towards a dead end road of disappointment.

Photographic growth is infinite. Photographs themselves can be infinite (the measure of their impact and their ability to be consistently reproduced over long spans of time). However, life is finite. Often tragically so. Thus, in care of the finite, I allow everything else to be infinite, including measures of good and great. If in fact it is about the journey and not the destination, subjective measures such as good and great cannot be genuine destinations. I will let the journey of the finite meet the growth that is infinite and merge over the enjoyment of the craft, not the illusion of trying to be better than someone or something else. I even want to move away from using terms like "taking it to the next level" (I've used this even recently) and other terms that imply learning and growth is only rigidly vertically linear instead of more like a tree. This...is good.

Life and Death

2011-11-28T20:08:00.001-05:00

I was sitting outside near the Intracoastal having a late breakfast one Saturday. I looked over and saw this plant. I thought about how this plant was thriving while dying...and still beautiful even in death. Kinda poetic methinks...

Reflections In Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 To The Present by Deborah Willis

2011-11-28T19:46:00.007-05:00

Reflections In Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 To The Present by Deborah Willis is phenomenal. Though I get excited about any photography book I read, whether I read it to examine and study photographs, to understand a particular era of history, to understand a particular genre of photography or one on the business of photography, reading this book was the epitome of excitement.

First of all, I love cultural history. Second, I love to examine how photographs themselves are relevant throughout time. Willis provides insight into some of the pioneers among Black photographers, as well as insight into more popular ones amidst the Diaspora, such as Gordon Parks, Chester Higgins, Jr. and Roy DeCarava. However, this book does not just toot the horns of the greats that most learned photographers already know about, such as the aforementioned three. Willis, in fact, creates a historical map (from the daguerreotype to digital, from black and white to a blossom of colour, from newly freedmen to free men [and women...I counted over 30 mentioned, yay!]) of how the photographic image of and by Black people in America is truly relevant and American history. Black history IS American history.

Robin G. Kelley wrote the foreword for the book and writes:

"The same photographic technology responsible for the circulation of minstrel caricatures, of dim-witted watermelon eating Negroes, of alleged African cannibals, of happy-go-lucky darkies whose lives revolved around dice and razors, was used to create counter images of African-American life--images of dignity, pride, success and beauty."

This is truly meaningful. The same tool used for hate can be used for love. The same tool used to obscure truths can be used to expose. The same tool used to oppress can be used to liberate. This is what the camera truly became for many Black photographers telling stories about Black lives. And, these stories were not always conveyed through photojournalism, a genre that is definitely held in higher regard than some consumer photography such as portraits and weddings. Think of what a wedding photograph meant to a generation only a single generation removed from slavery, as Willis discusses early in the book. Who could argue the significance of such an image and even try to juxtapose it to the photojournalism that became more common decades later? Something as simple as a portrait could convey a dignity and character that no White-owned media source may have wanted to reveal a Black person to have at the time...one that arguably is not revealed as much as it should be today.

This quote below from one of the photographers that Willis discusses really summarizes how I think about photography in terms of the "what camera" obsession that some of my peers have:

"The camera does not matter; it is only a tool. What is important is the ability to transform an instance, a moment into a meaningful, expressive, and profound statement, some of which a personal, someone which have a symbolic and universal meaning." ~ Earlie Hundall

I encourage every photographer to read this book. I even tweeted that it is MANDATORY. Hehe. It truly should be. It tells the story of generations who rarely created a photograph that was "just" a photograph. A photograph is rarely just a digital image or print. It's more. Thinking about photography as an interpretive language, as an art to convey history, as a tool of liberation is powerful and readily realistic when reading this book. It's truly a spiritual experience.

To close, more of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Somebody, somewhere, wants your photograph." ~ Allen Edward Cole

"You develop the discipline to block out everything but you, the camera and the subject..." ~ Monetta Sleet, Jr.

"For paint brush and palette he used a lens and shutter." ~ editorial on C.M. Battey, hired as photog division director at Tuskegee in 1916.

The Latest In Good Eats

2011-11-18T11:37:00.007-05:00

I haven't blogged much lately. I always seem to have a wind down process that occurs right after Halloween each year. Even last year I blogged about how I was winding down and taking a break from blogging, clients and shooting beyond a few personal projects until the new year. I feel that there has to be a time of some calm and rest, and a break, even from that which I love. So I don't do a lot of heavy booking or photographing during the holiday season because I find the holiday season to be stressful and chaotic. And, as an introvert to the max (INTJ here), I look forward to January 2nd each year once Halloween comes.

Bah humbug. Just kidding. Not a grouch here, just a lover of peace and downtime on occasion. However, my food photography rarely has downtime because there is always something yummy to cook or photograph. Below are some of the recent food photographs that I added to my Flickr photostream.

Lobster. What could be better?

My dad cooked this delicious shrimp stir fry one day.

I don't eat blackberries but I love how cool they look. One of my sisters had these.

I actually cooked this butterfly omelet.

My dad grows lemongrass in his garden. Add some dried orange peels then make some awesome tea with it (with sugar).

My blogging is lighter this time of year, but I will try to share a few more photographs before the new year.

Related Blog Posts: Party Palate, Birthday Brunch, On The Board, In The Raw

Study vs. Shoot?

2011-11-05T13:27:00.008-04:00

Lately, I have seen these contrasting positions via social media where some photographers seem to think that photographers are supposed to choose between studying photography or going out with their camera. What I am trying to figure out is why are these diametrically opposed and not a team of things to do to improve one's photography?

Though one of the undercurrents of American culture is hyperbolic emotional responses and juxtapositions, such frame of thought is dangerous in photography and leads photographers to confusion that need not exist in the first place.

I study photography. I learned more about photojournalism and cultural documentary by simply studying Henri Cartier-Bresson than randomly shooting flowers with my camera. At the same time, randomly shooting flowers with my camera many years ago when I was first learning photography (which started as an adolescent) helped me begin to understand the relationships between aperture, shutter and ISO. Studying and shooting are not enemies. In fact, photographers who do both seem to have much stronger work than those who do either/or only.

The photographer who doesn't have the attention span to read photography books, view the Master's work or learn about the history of photography is missing out on the dynamic cultural and technological fabric that makes photography what it is. Conversely, the photographer who only studies and never shoots or never shares absolutely any of the work (not saying you have to "entertain" people in social media and share every image...you are an artist, not a performer) is missing out on a great deal of fun (I love the actual process of photographing) and growth opportunity.

Often times I think people compare things that don't need to be compared to create contention or attention. (Canon vs. Nikon ring a bell?) As a photographer, you have to duck and dodge the nonsense and focus on developing your abilities, and most of all enjoying the journey. Study. Shoot. Love it. I do.

A Very Different Photograph Critique

2011-10-28T11:10:00.005-04:00

Earlier this week I read an amazing book by professor and scholar Melissa Harris-Perry titled Sister Citizen - Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. Though this book is not a photography book, but one that examines and critiques the experience of Black women in America by analyzing everything from stereotypes through perceptions via literary parallels (by the likes of Zora Neal Hurston, bell hooks, and Toni Morrison) and how that affects politics, it was an amazing and important read for me. This is not just because I am a Black woman, because this book is no more only for Black women than one written by a man is only for men, but also because it speaks to my experience in America, and many of my photography clients, being that Black women are a major part of my client base. Sometimes the best photography learning occurs outside of photography. (The cover photograph does give me life though...simply amazing.)

Anyway, this post is not to review that book as I feel that it is better to just read it! It was truly an experience, so much so that I finished the book in a little less than 2 days. I have read so many books this year, including some of which were photography ones that I mentioned in a previous post titled 2011 Photography Reading, and among all of the ones I have read thus far, this one is the best.

What I wanted to point out in this blog post was the way in which Perry critiques a photograph of Michelle Obama...her official White House photograph that was made in 2009 by photographer Joyce N. Boghosian. Sure, she could have simply mentioned that the composition was nice, it is well lit and Michelle looks beautiful. That is what most people would say, photographer or not, and that is all true. However, Perry, in her usual modes of critical consciousness took another path. She examined the photograph through the socio-political angle, with historical context and in a way that really makes the photograph mean more to me than it already did.

"Michelle Obama is actively using her role as First Lady to cultivate a particular representation of femininity that is meant to push back against a number of racialized gender stereotypes."

"For example, she chose President Thomas Jefferson's portrait as the backdrop for her official White House photo. There she is, the first Black, First Lady, in a sleeveless dress, and behind her is Thomas Jefferson, who raped a teenage bondswoman, Sally Hemings (the half-sister of his wife), and enslaved his own children. Michelle's photo executes a self-conscious taunting that reaches across the span of history to repudiate the violence and brutality suffered by so many enslaved women. Michelle stands boldly in a White House where she is a mistress, not slave. Her body is for her. She is not reduced to a mule or a breeder. Her children belong to her, and she is free to love and protect them. It is an act of resistance for a Black woman to demand that her body belong to herself for her pleasure, her adornment, even her vanity, because in the United States, Black women's bodies have often been valued only to the extent that they produce wealth and pleasure for others. When Michelle insists on audacious, sleeveless femininity, she strikes back against the reduction of Black women to hypersexual breeders or asexual laborers. Hers is as important departure from the dissemblance strategies of twentieth-century club women who sought to prove their respectability through prim sexual ethics. Michelle refuses to be ashamed of her distinctive Black woman's body and all the attributes and anxieties it evokes. Rather than shrouding herself in shame, she shows her body with surprising, self-confident ease."

Now certainly, this is not for the feint of heart. Some people, even photographers are unwlling to think about anything that might make them "uncomfortable." I see this in the social media space often. Some people expect photographers to tweet flowers and kittens and nothing with even a remote substance beyond that. I discussed that in a previous blog titled "Why Are You Tweeting That?" If I am afraid of discussing the historical and cultural ramifications of a photograph through a socio-political lens, why am I even photographing people then? Because they are pretty? Sure that is fine too, and I do that as well. But I am also willing to go beyond that.

We see amazing photographs all of the time. Behind the Gare St. Lazare. Afghan Girl. As photographers, are we willing enough, perhaps even brave enough to discuss what is really going on in the photo? Why is a photograph poignant? Is it more than following the rules or even evoking an emotional response? What events...what catalysts occurred during the time the photograph was made that led the people to be in the places that they were to even be in the photograph? Why are those things relevant? And, how do such photographs become memorable or even iconic much later on, revealing relevance a year later or even 100 years later?

These are the types of things I like to think about with some photographs, especially photojournalism and portraiture of notables and even unknowns. Every photograph means something. Something moved a person to create it. But only when we are willing to move past how pretty or how sad a photographs are and think about them in genuinely contextual terms, if relevant, are we able to fully realize the meaning and the power of photography.

"Little" Brother

2011-10-23T15:11:00.003-04:00

Below are some portraits that I made this morning of my "little" brother. I put this in quotes because it is funny thinking of him this way especially since he is now an adult at 26 and much taller than I am. Still, he's my "little" brother, although a grown, smart and stylish man.

11 Tips For Creating A Photography eBook

2011-10-03T14:15:00.005-04:00

Just a few days ago I released my second eBook, Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios. In January of this year, I released my first eBook, On The Path: Journeys Through Darkness and Light. I am not an expert on creating eBooks, but I have learned a few things that I wanted to share with other photographers who enjoy writing and may want to create a photography eBook as well.

1) Only create one if you truly enjoy writing as well as creating photographs. Unlike large print photography books that can feature just photographs, eBooks usually have written content and usually tells a story, teaches someone how to do something or is personally/intellectually reflective.

2) Choose a topic that you know well enough to discuss, though you don't have to know "everything" about it.

3) eBooks (especially instructive ones) seem to work better when they are concise. I don't know anyone who really enjoys reading eBooks that are longer than 100-150 pages (if in PDF with a page size of 8.5 x 11 or close). Most eBooks that I own are 30-75 pages. (Other eBook formats can make the page count much higher, but the content on each page is much less.)

4) You can create a photography eBook in software as simple as Microsoft Word/Apple's Pages or more complex such as Quark XPress or Adobe InDesign. Use what is comfortable for you. I don't own InDesign though I use other Adobe products, so I used Microsoft Word for my first eBook and Apple's Pages for my second. I really like Pages. Love actually.

5) Remember that it isn't just writing. Sure, you want your written content to be strong but you are also making photograph selections as well as design decisions. It really is using multiple skills that you have as a photographer.

6) Think of your eBook as another one of your photography projects and structure it accordingly. In my second eBook, I provide extremely detailed information for creating photography projects, so pick up a copy for more information on this.

7) Try to proofread as best as you can. (Maybe even have someone else proofread for you.) It seems that no matter what you do, a mistake or two will slip. My eBooks are proofread as best as possible, but I bet someone else will find a mistake or two. I have read expensive hardback books and even textbooks in college/grad that had grammatical errors and misspellings. It happens. However, repeated mistakes get rather ugly and annoys the reader.

8) Decide if it will be a free product or something that people purchase. Either way is fine. It is up to you to decide how you want to price your products. (Don't let "suggestions" from other people dictate your price. I had several photographers tell me that my first eBook should be free, yet when another "famous" photographer ridiculously priced a photography workshop at over fifteen thousand dollars, they were in support of that. I get that I am not famous, but fame or not, I decide how my products are priced. You do the same.) Remember, you are selling the content, not the medium. Whether print or digital, the content is what is purchased. When someone buys a print from you, they are buying your vision and art, not just photo paper.

9) Using social media to market the book is smart. Many people who like eBooks and utilize the technology to read them are also social media users. Thus, share tweets, Facebook statuses, blog posts and more about your eBook.

10) If you decide to make your eBook for purchase, you need a checkout system. For my first eBook, I did it manually. (Don't do this.) I got a notification email from Paypal once the person donated for a copy (I created a Paypal donation button before I made it an item for purchase) and then I emailed the download link to my book to the person. However, people ordered my eBook at all times of day and any day of the week so I had to always monitor that. Even creating email rules to manage this wasn't enough. For this eBook, I decided to use eJunkie. I was their artist of the week back in May and learned about the company then. eJunkie makes the checkout process easy by connecting the purchases to Paypal and automatically providing the customer with an eBook download link. (Look right at the cute "add to cart" and "view cart" buttons under my eBooks.) Thus, I don't have to follow up all day long...the works is done for me.

11) If you want to move beyond allowing free or purchased downloads from your website/blog (what I am currently doing...for now I want to distribute through my own channels), there are many resources out there to help you get your book on Lulu, Amazon and iBooks. Google a bit and you will see a plethora of resources. Also, see this link: How To Self-Publish An eBook

Sharing what you know with others and committing to a more complex project such as an eBook is a great thing for a photographer to do who is interested in creating one. Adding to the knowledge shared among photographers serves to help all photographers. Enjoy the writing and creating!

New eBook - Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios (400th Blog Post!)

2011-09-28T17:15:00.007-04:00

I am pleased to announce the release of my second eBook, Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios! It is for a photographer of any experience level and about creating and completing creative projects with photographs. It does not teach you how to create/edit the photographs themselves as many books do that, so it is not a beginner's book on shooting, in that regard. Instead, it offers education, structure and ideas for projects that you can design with existing photographs or ones that you create as a photographer of any experience level. (Certain things I share in the book I direct towards beginners, certain things towards pros, but most of the book any photographer can find purpose for.) It can be a great resource for any creative photographer who desires to do more with their photographs.

(TO PURCHASE, CLICK THE ADD TO CART BUTTON ON RIGHT SIDE OF THIS BLOG, UNDER IPAD VERSION OF THIS BOOK COVER)

Here is my eBook's cover:

The major sections of the eBook include: choosing a photography project, structuring a photography project, working on a photography project, practice and portfolios, and finally, completed photography projects.

By the numbers: 56 pages, over 80 colour photographs, 10 reading tips (books that I suggest based on certain topics mentioned within the eBook) and 12 project tips spread throughout the text of the eBook. Over 40 photography project suggestions of a variety of types are included as well.

Helpful charts at the end of the book include: a photography workflow chart (from pre-photograph creation to client/project completion), a photography project quick guide (steps from creation to completion of a project), photography project options and ideas (where the 40+ project suggestions are) and a photography education list (what I use to study and learn photography in general; similar to the one that was in my first eBook, but with a few changes and updates).

Here are a few screen shots of pages from my eBook:

You can see what the reading tips and project tips look like (the black and grey bubbles), how each section starts (with a large nature photograph...after all it is a photography eBook), how the actual sections begins with both photographs and text, how some pages are all text (after all it is an educational eBook) and how the helpful charts at the end of the book appear...the green pages.

VIEWING INFORMATION (IMPORTANT): This eBook can be viewed on an iPad, iPod Touch 4G, iPhone, and any device that has PDF reading capability. It will open in iBooks or Good Reader apps on any iDevice. If you are going to read it on a computer though, use Adobe Acrobat Reader and select View > Zoom > Actual Size. Otherwise, Adobe may open it larger than the book really is, making the photographs blurry. Any zoom between 66%-small is best. For Mac users, Acrobat Reader provides a much better PDF viewing experience than Apple Preview does.

***This eBook, Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios is available for purchase for $12.00. Click on the right side of this blog, where the book appears as an iPad photograph.*** (Also, my first eBook is still available for purchase for $10.00, and as a purchase, no longer as a donation.)

Please contact me if there is a purchase error, download error, the file seems odd/blurry/corrupted or any other technical issue occurs. I am using a different "CART" service for this launch versus the first, so I want to make sure all is right as rain. I will try to rectify any tech issues you have within 24 hours.

I look forward to your feedback once you read it and I hope that it gets your mind going on some creative photography projects that you can use for a variety of photograph types (from practice to portfolio photographs)! Leave a comment here if you like, or if you blog about it, let me know. Thanks readers! Enjoy!

(And this is my 400th blog post so I am currently doing a dance or 2.)

Ol' Pretty Thing #4

2011-09-26T12:57:00.005-04:00

I have an affinity for rust. I like the colour and the texture. I saw these old paint cans covered with rust and/or paint, and had to make pictures of them as a part of my Ol' Pretty Thing project. There is something pretty about things that are dilapidated.

Vintage Self-Portraits

2011-09-20T15:56:00.006-04:00

By vintage, I do not mean old photographs of myself but new photographs with a vintage feel. I was just sitting and laying down and my camera was nearby. Since I decided to go natural (which means to grow my hair out from a chemically treated process known as a relaxer, so that my hair is in its natural state, colour and texture) for a second time in adulthood (I did from late 2002 to 2008), I decided to make a few quick portraits. The last time I made more than one or two self-portraits was on my birthday last year. Then, I was going for a beauty portrait appearance with full professional makeup, and I retouched those photographs. I like those a lot. However, I like these below too, with a more natural feel and a more relaxed mood (though a few have a pensive expression on purpose.)

I am going to use this one as my new bio photograph, since the previous one is from the batch of self-portraits from last year.

The mood of this one most closely fits my everyday mood. Reflective. Deep in thought.

While I was "transitioning" between relaxed hair and natural hair, I wore it in natural curly twists that I would take out and then wear my hair curly, which you can see in my last self-portraits that I made with my camera.

Party Palate

2011-09-17T15:13:00.006-04:00

I attended a party last night that had some really great food. Yum! I normally don't attend parties, even to photograph them. However, it was a joint birthday party for one of my sisters and a friend of hers, and I really went for fun, not as the official photographer. The delicious food that I enjoyed there had to be photographed.

The lighting was abysmal. Dreadful. Only because the food was on a bar with some lighting so that drinks could be made were these photographs possible. I loathe pumping my ISO above 800. I always have. Hehe. I also made some photographs of people there, but those are just for my sister. I did want to share the food however, especially since my collective food work is on Flickr.

The party theme was a Vegas/poker theme, so some of the food had such decorations. These are conch fritters. I photographed them, yet forgot to eat one.

These crab cakes were spicy and delicious.

I ate so much shrimp!

You can never go wrong with hot wings.

There were nice pasta salads there.

Rum and coke is always a favorite.

This amazing drink with cotton candy was to die for. My favorite!

Related Blog Posts: Birthday Brunch, On The Board, In The Raw

Call A Client a CLIENT

2011-09-07T16:17:00.006-04:00

In the past, I've blogged about the destructive and limiting perception that people (even including some photographers) have calling absolutely anyone (usually women though) with a decent portrait a "model." The pervasive notion that "only model = beauty" therefore "beauty portrait or attractive portrait = must be model for a living" is very constricting and damaging to women. Women (especially ones of colour, who happen to be most of my clients) already face ridiculous beauty standards, so people choosing to slather the term "model" around does not help. What I've realized since I wrote those posts last year is that some photographers choose to perpetuate this problem by referring to anyone, (especially female) that they photograph as a model. In fact, even if the person is not a model for a living or hobby, and the photographers do not shoot fashion or commercial work, they are using the term "model" the way a doctor uses the term "patient." Why?

I know firsthand that early days in photography for a photographer often encapsulates delusions of grander about genres as many photographers idolize the big three: fashion, celebrity and National Geographic. However, some of the theatre involved in everything from calling anyone a model to Model Mayhem trolling seems to have created this culture where other photographers like me have to explain to photographers (repeatedly) that owning makeup and a nice blouse does not turn my women clients into "models." Women of any background can have nice portraits made and even choose to wear makeup. Women of many backgrounds own makeup. I know only a few women who don't. Most do.

If we reduce modeling as a profession down to ownership of makeup and clothes, why are we angry when people reduce photography to owning a camera and pressing a button? If photographers want to call "anyone" who steps in front of their camera a "model," there should be no anger towards anyone who purchases a camera calling themselves a "photographer."

Not one client has ever asked me to make them look like a model. I haven't even photographed someone who works as a model since 2007 (except for 2 fashion shows in 2010) Other than projects I do with my sister (who has modeled, acted and is a makeup artist), since '07, my clients have been everyday people who wake up and go to work outside of the modeling industry, like almost everyone else.

To be clear, I don't suggest photographers run around and crush the dreams of those who desire modeling as a job. I'd never do that. However, call a client a CLIENT. Call a subject a subject. Using the term "model" in place of client seems to be mostly gender-biased and destructive. Not once has anyone called any man I photographed a "model." ANY picture I post of a woman, however, at least 3 people ask me about the "model" in the photo. Sadly, sometimes these people are photographers. Being a photographer is more than being a camera owner. Being a model is more than being a makeup or stylish clothing owner. Setting reasonable expectations and then exceeding them for CLIENTS can occur without calling them models or playing Vogue magazine.

I take my work with my clients and subjects seriously. And while this may seem like semantic warfare (like how some photographers hate to be called "togs" but that doesn't bug me too much), it isn't. Creating false worlds where everyone is a "model" alienates clients. Someone told a prospective client that I "only" shoot models, which is a boldface lie, as I explained in a past post. Because the client was insecure in her appearance, absolutely any remotely attractive woman in my portfolio was deemed a "model" and of a standard she couldn't live up to. I think this is tragic that our views of professions have been reduced to tool ownership. The most tragic of all is because of this view, now any woman client with even 1 stick of lip gloss that I photograph will be deemed some sort of visual bully to other women, even if that is no one's intention. It shouldn't be this way.

The general erosion of the value of professions beyond property and posturing is probably the true source of this problem. Experience and expertise are disdained while ownership and attention are worshiped. It's unfortunate. However, for me, I call a client a client. I call a subject a subject. If a model is actually a model, I call them that. I want to be called a photographer for my passion, ability, skill, talent and work ethic---not because I own Canon goodies. In turn, respect clients enough to just let them be clients. I respect the fact that modeling is a passionate hobby or profession for someone that requires more than owning makeup or standing in front of a camera. I respect experience. And, I might be the only one, but I think it's important to understand these distinctions, and the deep ramifications for not making them. I just call a client a CLIENT.

Portraiture Session Winner

2011-09-03T12:21:00.007-04:00

Back in June, I announced that as one of the sponsors of Jamrock Caribbean Festival in South Florida, I would give away a raffle prize of a free portraiture session. Of the many attendees that were there, one lucky winner, now a new client name Anastasia, walked away with the prize! It expires on Labor Day, so luckily she called me up and scheduled her session.

It was rainy and completely yucky on the evening of her session. I had a beautiful area picked out to complete it but Florida weather is either terrible and rainy or unrepentant heat. Thus, I quickly improvised and did her session indoors. I love her portraits...the three below are my favorites that I decided to share on the blog.

I...love...her..expression!

A lighter expression but also gorgeous.

One in colour. She did her own makeup, which looks lovely.

2011 Photography Reading

2011-08-31T19:22:00.005-04:00

I love photography, but even the best photographer knows that you simply cannot have a camera to your eye 24/7. You shouldn't. Time should be made to review your own work as well as time to study the work of others, which can expose you to new information important for your creative path. Since I love reading and found that I was reading more books outside of photography (such as culture, history, psychology etc.), I decided to pick up on my photography study in terms of books. (I always study photography though, whether in books or other forms of media, conversations etc.)

Below are some of the ones I've looked at this year. The major categories of books that I am reading include work from the Masters in photography--those who helped shape the craft into what it is today, educational books, filmmaking books and ones relative to business. (Note that books by the Masters often have editors who compiled the work, but the photography work itself is by the named photographer.)

The Masters

After Ninety - Imogen Cunningham
At Work, Annie Leibovitz - Annie Leibovitz
An Inner Silence: The Portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson : The Man, The Image and The World: A Retrospective - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Richard Avedon photographs, 1946-2004 - Richard Avedon
Roy DeCarava - Roy DeCarava
Americans - Robert Frank
Small Trades - Iriving Penn
Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power - Richard Avedon
On Photography - Susan Sontag

Education/Inspiration

VisionMongers: Making A Life and A Living In Photography - D. duChemin
Documentary Photography, revised edition - Time Life Books
Photojournalism: 150 Years of Outstanding Press Photography - R. Golden
The Rise of Barack Obama - P. Souza
American photographs With An Essay by Lincoln Kirstein - E. Walker
American Photobooth - N. Goranin
Photography : The 50 Most Influential Photographers of All Time - C. Dickie
50 Photographers You Should Know - P. Stephan
Food Styling : The Art of Preparing Food For The Camera - D. Custer
Plate To Pixel: Digital Food Photography and Styling - H. Dujardin

Vanity Fair: The Portraits - A Century of Iconic Images - G. Carter

Street Photography Now - S. Howarth & S. McLaren

Portraits In Life and Death - P. Hujar
Reflections In Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 To The Present - Deborah Willis
11 Ways To Improve Your Photography - David duChemin (and others)

Filmmaking

The Art of Watching Film (6th edition) - J. Boggs & D. Petrie
Digital Photographer's Complete Guide to HD Video - R. Sheppard & M. Guncheon
Single-Camera Video Production (4th edition) - R.B. Musburger
100 Careers In Film and Television - T. Crouch
501 Movie Directors - J. Schneider
Making Movies Work: Thinking Like A Filmmaker - J. Boorstin
Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know - J. Vineyard
Master Shots - 100 Advanced Camera Techniques To Get An Expensive Look On Your Low Budget Movie - C. Kenworthy
Master Shots Vol. 2 - 100 Ways To Shoot Great Dialogue Scenes - C. Kenworthy
Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerrotype To Digital - T. Gustavson

Business
Ignore Everybody - H. McLeod
Evil Plans - H. McLeod
The Law (In Plain English) For Photographers - L.D. DuBoff and C.O. King

My list isn't complete yet, just the ones I happen to write the title down are listed above. However, the list for the year will of course be complete by the end of the year. If it's on this list, you can assume that I recommend you check it out! Great stuff.

Observations About Facebook Fan/Like Page For Photographers

2011-08-29T19:22:00.005-04:00

I've had my Facebook fan/like page for a while, and have even crossed the 1,000 supporters mark. Last autumn, I made some decisions about how I wanted to use my social media accounts, which accounts I would close and how I would proceed with adding new accounts. In that post, I mentioned that for Facebook I would: 1) Share photographs via albums/wall posts or blog posts with photograph series/professional work/some projects (so teaching and discussion blog posts that are photographer-focused will be shared on Twitter, not the Fan Page). 2)Share some of my guest articles 3) Share powerful art quotes and fan engagement questions. These three areas appeal the most to me to share with the intended audience and helps streamline the page for me from becoming too "cluttery."

However, I have made some observations about fan pages that belong to photographers, not statistically (though I've seen some interesting findings about fan pages for photographers and fan pages themselves) but definitely on an anecdotal level. I notice that the way Twitter users interact with information I share highly differs from Facebook users, especially when it comes to how people who only use Facebook interact with what is shared.

Facebook-only users seem very interested in content that is native to Facebook only. In other words, photos uploaded, quotes shared as status updates, videos native to Facebook and notes seem to get more interaction than a blog link posted on a Facebook wall (even if it contains all of the same images [of a higher visual quality no less] than the uploaded album on Facebook has) or a link to a YouTube video, for example. It seems that the extra step of clicking on a link (even if the link takes the person to a "mobile" version of the data, and thus loads very quickly) deters most Facebook-only users. I have noticed interaction with linked work shared, but that interaction seems to come from people that I know for a fact use both Facebook and Twitter. Since Twitter is link-based shared information (although now Twitter has a photos feature), Twitter users on Facebook don't shy away from information shared that way.

Another thing I noticed is that Facebook users respond better to one photo posted at a time versus 3 or more, and links of 1 solo photograph seem to get more "likes" than than a wall post of 3 or more photographs. I've noticed this on my page and many other photographers' pages that I am either a fan of or simply looked at when I wondered about this. I notice that other photographers' blog posts and links have a much lower response rate than content that is native to Facebook (again...photos, native videos, quotes, notes).

Finally, as to be expected in a celebrity crazed society, any reference to a celebrity will always get more interaction than something that doesn't have that. I remember when actor and comedian Sinbad commented (on Twitter) about my photography and I posted a screen shot of him complimenting it. The screen shot of him complimenting it got more response than the images that he was actually complimenting. I have to admit, that rubs me the wrong way, but at the same time, I'm very aware of the celebrity culture that is present in our society.

Making these observations will further alter how I want to use my Facebook fan page. For now, I will definitely keep it since I have a much lower headache of having that page, but not having a personal profile to have to deal with the personal mores and behavioral issues that social media can foster in a negative fashion among users. However, I think posting single images in most cases, not posting frequently and keeping links minimal is how I will use the page. Also, I don't keep the history of the wall the entire time, but only a few months at a time. I don't really treat Facebook as a historical source or a blog, but more of a "current" connection. That is what this blog is here for and more of my photographic anchor and history of work and writing online. I notice that minimal posting and keeping it native to Facebook increases page interaction as well as an increase over overall page supporters, some of which contact me about photography. I think Facebook is a great tool as long as you use it in a way that works for you and do not overestimate its function or power.

Birthday Brunch

2011-08-29T18:25:00.005-04:00

Last Friday was my birthday. As I plucked gray hair number 8 (ouch) and realized that my age is no longer a cool prime number (I'm a nerd...sue me), but now 32, I also realized that my family might be doing something cool for me. They know I love good food, though I don't eat a lot, so 3 of my sisters made me a birthday brunch. I even had a mimosa, though by the time I photographed it, the bubbles died down. They made me an omelet too, but um...I sort of ate it before I could photograph. Below are some of the yummies I had that morning.

The melon was so good and refreshing, especially amidst this unrepentant and cruel Florida summer heat.

They made me these croissants with a spicy gourmet pepper jack cheese and ham. So good.

My mimosa...but the bubbles went away before I had a chance to photograph them. This was so good...though very strong.

My sister who bakes cakes to order (with her company dAWN's dELIGHTS, a part of her company The Final Touch) made me this cake, they gave me a cute card and ballons. You are never too old for balloons.

Yesterday, I went to a great restaurant called Relish with my best friend, who always takes me out for lunch or dinner for my birthday. I had a great lobster burger that I took an Instagram mobile photo of. It was so good that I nearly cried. Also, my youngest sister Chrissy is going to make me a key lime pie from scratch. Spending time with people I care about and sharing a meal with them is how I like my birthdays. I don't need tons of material goods as gifts, just people who actually know what I like and I actually enjoy being around.

The Blues Player

2011-08-05T16:21:00.004-04:00

I have an ongoing series of street photography that I call The People I Saw, of which I am adding the four photographs below to. I saw this cool older blues player as I was leaving a local Starbucks one evening this week. He was very talented and played passionately well. He also had an amp and played music to accompany his sound, so it really sounded like a mini concert. Coolness.

Sulfur...Revisited

2011-08-05T15:40:00.007-04:00

Recently I shared my first HD dSLR short film (I've made a handful more since then) titled Sulfur, and the corresponding fashion project shoot. It was a blast. This morning, I was looking over the original footage, not the final film, and made a few favorite stills from the recorded motion. Though in a recent post I mentioned how I like to both photograph and create motion and not try to use 1 of these for both of the purposes, I still ended up using some still images originally from video clips to make a another video as well. So my rules go back and forth on this, hehe. I also created them with the look I've called Cinematyq in other posts, rather than how I traditionally post photographs to the web...a look where they have a widescreen (16:9) film appearance. I also used a different effect for the tones...one I have available for photographs but not for film...yet.

Related Blog Posts: Art by Ideity - Sulfur (The Film), Art by Ideity - Sulfur

Visionmongers: Making a Life and Living In Photography by David duChemin

2011-08-04T15:00:00.008-04:00

Visionmongers: Making a Life and Living In Photography by David duChemin is a fascinating photography business book, though populated with his impressive cultural photography for nice aesthetics. I read it in less than a day yesterday. It's not the typical business book that would probably frighten most photographers who are currently solely focused on the art, but still want photography as their vocation too. The book is not about transitioning to a so called "pro" from "amateur" or that tired label argument. He calls the work that of a "vocational photographer" (as the origins of the word vocation is from the words voice and calling...something to "say" and a compelling reason to say it) and clearly distinguishes this from the tired argument of the blurring lines between the words "amateur" and "professional." In the book he states that "to be a professional means nothing more than that you make money at what you do, but to assume that you can't be both a professional and an amateur all at once harms this craft." It truly does harm. The worry over labels seems to be as ridiculous of an argument as Canon vs. Nikon. He references vision in the title since vision is what truly makes an artist unique and have marketable work.

He writes that "this book will not make you a successful photographer, only you can do that." He doesn't advocate for people to immediately quit their day job to have the "look" of a "professional" photographer. (Sadly, I know of some photographers who sit around trying to determine who is "real" or not based on number of hours shooting or 1040 forms.) He calls it a back door approach where a person continues to work and save at their current job while studying, practicing and learning photography in their exterior time and slowly transition, not as one large leap over a mountain but through a series of steps. There is no advocacy for slick selling in this book, something that makes many artists want to vomit. For example, he mentioned the move from the "what can I sell you" concept to "how can I serve you" concept. He wrote that marketing needs to combine creativity, congruency, consistency and commitment, and how he explains it is sensible and even soothing, not slimy and sleazy. He also mentioned the importance of a strategic organizational plan for a photography business, a marketing plan and a financial business plan. You'll be hard pressed to find a logical book about something so fluid and creative like photography, yet still contains passion and heart...and actual photographs, not just endless dry text.

I really like the way he addressed the old time battle of "free photography." First of all, it is not free. He called it "no fee photography" because to offer such a service is not simply going a day or a few days doing photography work without pay, it is actually at a deficit to a photographer's income after calculating their cost of doing business. He mentions that doing freebies for cheap clients who have large budgets is exploitation, plain and simple. "Negotiation is a concept that involves both parties getting what they need, not one party making expensive concessions." However, he mentioned times where doing photography at a photographer's own cost or no fee photography can advance a photographer by allowing them to photograph without client creative compromises, build a portfolio and do something meaningful for others. What I gather from this section is that photographers simply need to analyze what is given and gained when deciding to do no fee photography. If all that is received is an ego stroke, perhaps it is time to rethink. "A client that doesn't recognize your value now won't recognize it later."

Two things really made the book great. The first is that he included interviews of photographers who are successful and happy with their work and their lives. After all, the book is about making a LIFE and a LIVING. Several of them faced past financial troubles (so the myth that some Americans believe that if you are not a millionaire with a home, spouse and fancy car by 30, you are a failure is rather shallow and comical), dug themselves out and worked hard. They don't live by an age or income deadline, falsely based on ridiculous capitalist standards. They do what they love, build strong relationships with their clients, work hard at improving their craft, give back to other photographers and their community and now manage money and business well and logically, by marketing in ways that they find positive and productive, charging properly for their work and the like. Their stories were all inspiring.

The second thing that made the book great is the way he discussed money. He doesn't describe it as a god or a devil, the way that money is treated in American society for sure (though he is Canadian). He calls it a "tool, not a god," and tool that has to be smartly managed. He mentioned his own very personal financial troubles in the past, and what he did to take smart steps to recover from them. He also stressed the point of being debt free as it removes some stress that impacts your work and debt can also limit the kind of work a photographer can do, especially if it involves travel. I really heard him in this part of the book and I am thinking about ways to work towards overall financial improvement for myself over the next several years. He explained how frugal and smart approaches to owning gear and managing costs are important. We don't need to own everything, and especially don't always need shiny new gear. This section was truly great.

I know that this review is quite long, but I could go on and on about this book. Instead, I will encourage you to read it if you are interested in photography or even another creative path as a vocation. Many people can find this book inspiring, so give it a read. I truly enjoyed it.

I love the following quotes from the book, in regards to money/the business:

"But the notion that you aren't a real photographer until people are paying you is rubbish."

"Allowing your vision to only be validated by dollars is a terrible trap."

"The money isn't the point--it's purely the means by which we sustain our ability to create and share our art."

"We risk risk failing on our own or we place our careers in the hands of others who might fail. We ride the waves of economic trends on our own or we allow others to do it for us, but the ups and downs, and the accompanied risks are still there."

"Multiple income streams can free you to be choosier about your work, and they give you a fighting chance when the bottom drops out of one thing."

"It's not a 90/10 split at all--it's 100/100." (regarding craft vs. commerce)

"If you do it right, market yourself well, make genuine connections, manage your money well, and never stop making decisions based on why you wanted to do this in the first place, you just might pull it off."

2 Good Reads For New HD dSLR Filmmakers

2011-08-01T17:35:00.005-04:00

As I've alluded to in previous posts, being a professional photographer doesn't automatically make me a professional filmmaker simply because I started acquiring some of the tools necessary to do the latter. In reality, each artistic passion and/or profession a person pursues needs to have the time, education and practice applied particular to that art. (One of the reasons why I stated that I have no desire to add "videography" to my list of professional services in a previous post is because I am content with just learning HD dSLR filmmaking for now.) So though understanding photography at the level I do and continuing to learn photography beyond this level gives me an advantage in learning HD dSLR filmmaking, it doesn't mean that I don't have plenty of years of learning ahead of me in the latter. I think this is important for photographers to understand. While many of us may be good or even great at photography, it doesn't automatically make us good bloggers, writers, graphic designers, filmmakers, models or whatever other art forms interest us. We have to be willing to practice and learn each area of interest. It's what any student respectful of art does.

Part of the learning process for me for HD dSLR filmmaking includes the basics of filmmaking itself...some of which is totally new to me, and some a review from my long ago high school days of making videos and short films. Two amazing books that I just finished reading include Digital Photographer's Complete Guide to HD Video and The Art of Watching Films (6th edition).

The HD Video book is very technical but user-friendly. It honestly looks like a great website turned into a book. Everything from what "codec" means, to why a photographer shouldn't automatically use motion stills as photographs instead of making photographs in addition to video footage to what software programs to consider for editing is included. Lighting and sound are mentioned as paramount in the book, especially sound, since most professional photographers who are new to filmmaking already know lighting, but probably have no real clue about sound. This book is a great quick read, as I finished it in one day, but definitely a resource that someone can thumb back through on the learning journey of filmmaking in the HD dSLR era that we are in now.

The second book I mentioned, The Art of Watching Films is truly the BIBLE of filmmaking, as far as things I've read so far. This book? The truth. To watch (as more than a passive viewer) and truly analyze film is to truly learn and understand film. This book includes just about everything anyone who enjoys films or wants to make them should consider, and as you can see from the thumbnail image, I have this book seriously tabbed up (as well as highlighted) because it is slammed packed with knowledge. Thematic elements, visual design, cinematography, sound effects, music, acting, directorial style and analysis of an entire film are taught through this book in a truly passionate and informative way. I was awed reading it, and it's something that anyone (especially those interested in short film narratives) should consider. Though most of the book is focused on narratives, and as I've blogged in the past, I'm more interested in documentary than narrative as far as HD dSLR short films go, there is a great section on documentaries in the book as well. There's some interesting film tidbits, histories of directors I didn't know about, how the rating system came about and other trivia that has interest as well. Anyone who loves film, even a photographer who has no interest in motion can still learn a great deal from this book. I am so glad I read it and it's the best read of any type I've had so far this year.

There are so many methods of study from reading books, to shooting practice short films, to studying websites, to watching workshops, to asking questions of professionals that are all good methods to learning when combined. Certainly nothing beats practice. A good amount of blogging plus years of academic writing is what got me in gear and confident enough to write my first eBook, as well as being in the preparatory stages for others. Studying and practice filming is what got me in gear and confident enough to start sharing some of my beginner short films, which are helping me learn a lot for the short film documentaries and art that I want to create in the future. Study and practice go together hand in hand. Check out my learning page that lists current resources that I am using to learn more about filmmaking.

Related Blog Post: HD dSLR Filmmaking Basics Taught By A Master

Analyzing How I Present Photographs

2011-07-30T14:26:00.003-04:00

As I've mentioned in previous posts, one of the things that made me lose interest in the 365 project last year is that I like to post photographs together that match in subject or in story and based on these types of themes, not sheer chronology. Thus, in most of my image posts, a viewer can see that I post portraits of a client or subject together, of a particular event together, a particular theme together and the like.

But even within those posts, I usually share photographs with my favorite photograph leading or ending the post and least favorite somewhere in the middle, though I only share photographs I like overall. Sometimes if the photographs are of a particular story, they are shared in a more sequential order according to the story. Since I've been learning HD dSLR motion, I've noticed a desire to change how I post photographs even within a post. Even though the photographs below are not of a specific story, but tell a general story of people spending time at a pier, I ordered them in a way where they thematically connect (pier walkway/fishing, far away and close up, sand and tools far away and close up and actual water and beach far away and close up.). This is how I'd order them if this were a video of photographs or actual motion, so I think I'll pay closer attention to presenting photographs this way as well.

Also, I posted them with a similar cinematic (like a widescreen movie placed on pause) look (with black borders on a 16:9 aspect ratio, or resized 1920x1080 crop) that I used for a car show post that I shared earlier this week. This time, I wanted softer aged tones, not the harsh cool tones that were more appropriate for that car show. I call these series of actions Cinematyq in Photoshop, so that'll be a tag (searchable in the tag cloud on the right of this blog) to connect all blog posts with photographs posted that are like this, as opposed to my more traditional crop and © logo for photographs.

I like how thinking about video is impacting my photographs and how photography influences my video and HD dSLR education. It's fun.

"What Kind Of Paint Do You Use?"

2011-07-28T17:44:00.010-04:00

Other than asking if a painter uses acrylics or not, most people that I know who paint are not asked what type of paint they used when someone looks at their paintings or asks them about their painting work. Most people simply choose to enjoy or dislike the painting. Most people do not ask them what arts and crafts stores or what brands of paint they choose. No one assumes that a painter becomes more talented or is more talented simply because their paint cost more than another person's paint. Yet this form of logical thinking and appreciation seems to evaporate when the form of expression changes from painting to photography.

My dad loves to paint and has for decades as a personal hobby in addition to his work. I've yet to hear anyone argue over the brands of paint that he uses. Below are some of his tools.

Here is one of my favorite paintings of his. I love the vibrance of the colours and textures and the intensity of the water. He paints a lot of beautiful landscapes...places I wish existed so that I could photograph them. And, I seriously doubt using different paint would mean his talent, style, vision and effort would markedly change to be worse or better. That ability is within him. If this is so easy to understand for painting, why does the challenge of understanding occur when the medium changes to photography?

Then I stop and think...over and over, what this is about. It's once again something not genuinely about photography at the core but how people perceive art as work. Some people genuinely value the extrinsic over the intrinsic. It suits their psychological comfort to believe that a tool is responsible. A tool can easily be blamed when a person does not want to confront the fact that intrinsic abilities and work are what improves how a person artistically expresses themselves. Again, of course (some) expensive tools have differences from cheaper ones. However, using price tags and brands as excuses for poor work while lusting after expensive things as if they will fix everything is simply the work of the coward. So, who's brave enough to create anyway, and with whatever they have? I know I am. I'm glad that I know many photographers and other artists who are as well. These are ones who would not dare think they cannot make a great picture until their camera costs over $2,500.00 or dare ask "what camera did you use" as their primary impulsive response to seeing any photograph or most importantly, suggest that one photographer is better than they are because of their tools and that they will then be "equally" (whatever that means) as good once they own the same tools. This is all cowards' folly, excuses and partially attributable to a culture that values the material over the intellectual (in terms of property), attention over expertise and fame over experience. I don't roll like that.

My dad is working on another painting (he has several finished ones in his house) and I did not ask him which paints (if the ones above or others) will be used. I genuinely don't care. I just want to see the final work and embrace how it makes me feel. I like to see him in the process of painting as well. That's what art is about for me. Choosing tools that one likes or even loves and can afford and then using them to create. The final art is not the tool. The talent is not dictated by the tool. And the dedication supersedes anything purchased.

Make Your Own Rules, Break Your Own Rules

2011-07-28T16:27:00.009-04:00

In a blog post that I shared earlier this week, I mentioned how I'd rarely make photographs from stills of HD dSLR motion since they'd have a lower final resolution that could compromise printing ability and because optimal settings for video has a much more narrow range than for photography. However, that's not a rule set in stone for me and I found a point where that rule is better broken.

I shot some video of damaged albums to make a short video of the memory and feel of records. Though I was a child when records were a common thing and I remember my late mom or older brother getting new ones often, I still remember the sound and feel of the music coming from one. I don't think music is more special simply because it is on vinyl versus today's more common mp3, but the sight of records do evoke nice memories/feelings for me. Once I reviewed the footage I created, I really didn't like it. Thus, I decided to make still photographs from each clip of footage instead and use the Ken Burns effect for motion in the video below. I used an aged look action in Photoshop on the images to give the video a classic feel.

Though I am learning a lot each day about HD dSLR video, I don't think everything needs to be a video. My love for the still photograph is still there...vibrant, strong and curious. And in this case, I feel that photographs did a better job conveying the aesthetic I wanted versus motion of records that really were not going to be in true motion anyway. The practice and discernment needed to know how to convey what feeling or what story in what way is important to develop as a photographer, but of course change and experimentation to develop this is necessary and ongoing.

Though I wouldn't be able to print large images of these photographs since their max resolution will only be as large as a 1080p video, which is 1920 x 1080, I could easily collage them or think of another way to creatively put them together. Experimentation in my personal work helps me stay loose and creative for my client work. Conversely, developing processes as well as artistic discernment in my personal work helps me stay focused and organized for my client work. Both spectrums are important and continue to grow.

Why Twitter Is My Favorite Social Media Platform

2011-07-26T18:37:00.006-04:00

I think the list speaks for itself. Some of it I shared in early 2010, but so much more has happened since then.

1) I won a FREE HD dSLR camera.

2) I won a free 1yr pro subscription to Smugmug.

3) Someone gave me a legal licensed copy of Aperture 3 as a gift.

4) I won a Rapid RS-7 camera strap.

5) I won 1000 free business cards.

6) I won 100 free postcards.

7) An interview of mine appears in a printed book filled with other photography industry leaders’ thoughts and perspectives. The interviewer found me via Twitter and liked how I use social media.

8) I’ve written and shared 380 (as of this list) photography blog posts via Twitter on a blog started AFTER I joined Twitter. (Joined April 2009. Blog started Summer 2009). These have often sparked great conversation with industry peers.

9) I’ve completed 11 guest articles/interviews (as of this list). All asked me to do so…I never sought any out and they were all through Twitter connections. I have tons more requests so I’ll weed through them to see what I want to do, but it is nice to be considered even if I can’t do them all.

10) A person I admire whose been in the industry for more than 3 decades called me up, yes on the phone, to tell me how good my work is…and that call came at a time I really needed it. I didn’t reach out to him begging for attention…he just up and called me one day in 2010, and I had never spoken to him prior.

11) Several photographers I respect and admire and only “knew” through seeing their websites are people I now talk to regularly and share information with/learn from.

12) I’ve had access to incredibly expensive by nature but FREE photography education through creativeLIVE, which I would have never known existed without Twitter. Many photography resources I never heard of and was missing out on prior to Twitter, and many were born during my Twitter years.

13) I’ve had excellent mentorship by more experienced photographers I wouldn’t have had contact with without Twitter. I’ve also provided mentorship to photographers who probably would not have reached out to me otherwise.

14) I learned a lot of technical things simply by asking questions on Twitter and getting a response ASAP from at least 3 knowledgeable people in most cases.

15) I’ve had some of the best conversations of my life with intellectuals who are coincidentally mostly under 25. This is really tight. Love this.

16) Celebrities/notables I actually like have tweeted me at least once. This includes dream hampton, LL Cool J, Anthony Hamilton, Frankie Negron, and Sinbad. Of course a tweet from a celeb is not “better” than a non-famous person. Some celebs do not reply at all. And, I don’t tweet to or about celebs that often. However, it is nice for someone to take the time to reply if you tweet something about or to them.

17) Through conversation and encouragement from other Twitter users, I started my psychology (my other discipline besides photography) blog in 2009 and now (as of this list) have written over 400 articles. Also, through information I got from #blogchat on Twitter, I got tips I needed to produce my first photography eBook and I will be writing more.

18) I’ve talked to people all over the world, even in places I have not traveled to quite yet, and have had some awesome conversations.

19) I’ve had up to date quality news access. Of course errors and lies occur, but for the most part, the information has been pretty good and I enjoy getting my news this way versus watching television (I loathe TV news), which I rarely do anyway other than very specific shows.

20) I’ve discovered amazing blogs and bloggers I would have not heard of otherwise and now my RSS feed (and my brain) are extra happy.

Nothing beats an in-person 1 on 1 connection of any type with another human being. Nothing beats in-person time with family and friends. Most of all, nothing beats treasured solitude and silence. But, don’t try to tell me Twitter is “stupid” because it won't fly with me....apparently. Every platform is just a platform. How the platform works, the platform's respect for the socializing and privacy balance, the users and the relationships make the difference.

The Myth Of The Purist

2011-07-26T18:36:00.005-04:00

For years I've heard the spiel from those who consider themselves purists as photographers versus those who are on the other end of the spectrum and produce everything from edited photographs to HDR images to digital art with photographs. One thing that I find odd though is the myth that surrounds the type of photographer that often calls themselves a purist.

The first type of self-proclaimed purist is often the photographer who photographs with a digital camera but decides not to edit images using Photoshop or similar digital darkroom software. While the person is entitled to such a choice, I find it interesting that many who make such a choice also tell others that they are a "real" photographer as to why they do not edit. Should a script not be edited for spelling/historical errors? Should students turn in a term paper without any formatting? Plays are edited. A sculptor "edits." Films? My goodness, those often spend just as much time in the editing process as the filming process. Writers edit. Passionately. Desperately at times. A musical score is refined. A painter goes back over a painting, adding detail and refining. So why is photography exempt from art that has or even needs an editing process? To be clear, I don't think that editing is taking an image that is drastically terrible and performing some sort of open pixel surgery on it to bring it back to life. But the idea of neglecting editing as some sort of pure form of art is rather odd to me. What if purpose and vision is used in the editing process just as in the photographing process?
I tweeted the following before:

Photography = 1)concept + 2)intent/message + 3)photographing + 4)culling + 5)post-processing. All are the steps, not just 3.

The second type of self-proclaimed purist is often the photographer who shoots film, and usually black and white film only. The word pure is defined as: not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material, and free of any contamination, wholesome and untainted by immorality. So, how exactly is using black and white film pure, simply because it is older than digital cameras? Am I a real music fan because I listen to records and not cassette tapes? Tapes and not CDs? CDs and not MP3s? Do I love Coltrane less when I hear it on my iPod versus my record player? Furthermore, our eyes contain both rods and cones. The world is not black and white only...it's colour as well. And, though Ansel Adams primarily made black and white images (he made colour ones too though), he still dodged and burned in the darkroom. He still altered what was created, even superimposing the sky from one photograph onto another, which sounds awfully a lot like the mask tool in Photoshop.

The truth is these delineations of purist or not have very little to do with photography. You might wonder why since I am speaking of photography. But the truth is people have a need to divide then elevate. Divide. Elevate. Divide themselves away from others. Elevate themselves above others based on a personal preference or behavior. Humans do this to create specialness about themselves, but it can become rather caustic in an exceptionally individualistic and capitalistic society such as ours. Sometimes the sheer act of buying something someone else cannot afford is a divider and elevator. Sometimes doing something no one else does is a divider and elevator. But if pureness...authenticity is only based on what tool is purchased and used, I fear that capitalism itself will piss on art harder than it already has. It has to be about more than the tools, or how much money is made from the tools or how obscure (or how common) the tools/techniques themselves are.

Art has enough room...enough space where the film photograph, the digital photograph, the unedited and the edited, the standard and the HDR and whatever the heck camera someone wants to use can exist. The art cannot be pure. The method itself cannot be pure. The artist cannot be pure. Art is the expression of both goodness and flaws from people who are both good and flawed to be viewed by people who are both good and flawed, but can have a pure response, an honest response of varying type to that expression. (This doesn't mean that art should be exploitive and shallow simply because we are flawed beings and then the artist demands applause for said art simply because the artist made money.) I don't seek to be pure. I seek to be real, but also expressive and interpretive. But that is just me, the artist. The art itself? Art need not mirror reality, art is its own reality.

Experimentation With Daytime Event Photography

2011-07-25T18:32:00.006-04:00

Other than fascinating cultural festivals and bazaars that I've photographed, daytime event photography can be visually boring. Even one of the creativeLIVE workshops that I watched had a master instructor who mentioned the same thing and stated he won't photograph daytime concerts. Without the interesting play on lighting that a night concert has, or the skill required to shoot night concert photography, including a knowledge of lighting, daytime events that aren't culturally focused can lack visual allure. One reason why a daytime cultural festival has a pizazz that other events may not have is the beauty of the people themselves, dressed in a way that automatically makes me want to learn more and visually explore their culture. With an event such as a car show, for example, that type of allure is not there, though the cars themselves can be gorgeous.

Thus, I decided to play around a bit with the daytime indoor and outdoor car show images from this past weekend. Since I've been so interested in HD dSLR filmmaking, and I film at an aspect ratio of 16:9 widescreen (which I adore), I thought, why not crop my photographs the same way? Also, because I am a lover of films and I notice very fascinating colour treatments and texture in films at times, I decided to alter the colour treatment for these photographs to give the feel of film stills. I went with a cooler look (instead of a more popular warm vintage) in this case because I've seen so many films with hooked up cars, allusions to hip hop culture and police culture that it felt like it really fit. Also, I added black banding for the visual feel of widescreen, but also so that the overall image dimensions are the same as any other photograph I post.

To be clear though, these are not video stills that I made photographs. In fact, I will rarely ever do that. HD video frames are 1920 x 1080 pixels in size. That wouldn't do much for me if I wanted to print the image large. My primary dSLR produces photographs with a max resolution of 5184x3456, which is ample size for a high quality large print. Thus, it is better to create photographs and give them a cinematic look, (what I named Cinematyq in my Photoshop actions) if desired, and shoot HD motion separately for a video versus using video stills as photographs. Also, optimal camera settings for video is quite narrow (shutter usually between 1/30 and 1/60, and ISO between 160-1250), and I may want to make photographs with a wide range of settings. Using Aperture 3, I can combine both photographs and motion in a video, and I can resize large photographs to 1920 x1080 to keep my video file size down when possible.
Here is a quick video of some of the cool cars at the show. To be clear, I'm not an affiliate/employee of this radio station. I simply attended with 2 of my sisters for fun.

I love how though still image photography is my primary passion and work, HD motion and ideas from motion are becoming more and more interesting to me and impacting my work through a self-directed learning process. I enjoy these photographs much more after giving them the feel of frozen stills from a film, just as a way to create a different visual interest for daytime event photography. Experimentation is always fun.

Wearing The Hat

2011-07-25T17:44:00.005-04:00

About a month ago I shared some photographs of straw hats that my dad makes by hand. He made them for Jamrock Caribbean Festival. Anyway, just a few days ago, I made a portrait of myself wearing one of the hats.

It was interesting to use the swivel screen on my 60D to make the self-portrait (versus a timer), something I've never had on a dSLR until this camera. It made it easier to do. Now I just need a wide angle lens so I can shoot handheld, but still make a self-portrait. Fun.

On The Board, In The Raw

2011-07-21T15:20:00.009-04:00

I love food photography. It tells important stories about people and culture (and if you follow my work, you know how much I love cultural documentary imagery of people, places and things that matter). It brings people together through meals and celebrations. But sometimes, I do love creating and looking at the simple artistry of shape, lines and tones with food photography. It's an art even when not in its readily edible state. This is why I have an album on Flickr (where I exclusively post food photography) titled Food In The Raw, with foods uncooked--even some still alive in a garden.

Below are a new set of images I am working where the focus is fairly muted natural colours and shape of food in a raw state. I'll be adding more to the album they are in on Flickr titled On The Board.

My favorite, fresh ripe mangoes.

And, green mangoes.

This is ackee, cooked with saltfish and eaten with rice or bread...popular among Jamaicans. My dad actually has 2 ackee trees here in the states, in Florida.

Pretty and Peace (a Canon EOS 60D Test)

2011-07-17T15:59:00.015-04:00

So far I've made 3 short films (Sulfur, Simmer and Hoops at Dusk) and 1 event video for Jamrock Caribbean Festival (though I do not seek to do event videography as a service, it was an exercise for me for an event I did the still imagery for) with the 60D. I've learned that Aperture 3 seems to be able to import video clips filmed at 24fps, but unable to export anything other than 30fps. (Even when I select custom settings, it increases the rate to 35fps instead of the 24fps I selected.) Until my computer goes to the hospital (Apple store) for some upgrades and I choose a video editing software program to learn more advanced skills, Aperture 3 is what I am using (and the same program I edit my photographs with, in addition to Photoshop). Thus, I decided to actually film something at 30fps so that when I play clips in Aperture 3 for trimming and creating a video or film through the slideshow feature, it would play properly and also export properly.

Since I started an album on Facebook that I really like, called "Travel: Florida Pretty and Peace" with beautiful visuals of persons, places and things from Florida, I decided the natural visuals of that album would be the inspiration for this test video. One of the reasons why I started this album is because though I've lived in other states, most of my life and my entire coming of age period occurred in Florida. Sometimes living somewhere for long means not recognizing the beauty right in front of you and instead wanting to jump on that passport or driver's license. While I will always have the spirit of wanderlust and love travel, I wanted to make sure I take time to see the small beauty right in front of my face in my birth state. I will be adding to the album throughout the year.

Here is the test video for me, and if you are a non-photographer viewer, totally ignore the first few paragraphs and just enjoy the pretty! (Shooting 30fps and fiddlin' with manual focus and selective focus.)

If you are also learning HD dSLR, check out a page on my blog packed with links of information. Also, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube page, thetrudztube.

HD dSLR Filmmaking Basics Taught By A Master

2011-07-14T17:12:00.012-04:00

The 5th and most recent creativeLIVE weekend workshop that I watched live on the web was taught by the amazing Gale Tattersall, director of photography for the hit Fox show House, one of my absolute favorite shows. This workshop was on HD dSLR filmmaking. As all House addicts know, the season 6 finale was filmed with the Canon EOS 5D MK II. This is a triumph for both television and Canon or HD dSLRs. While there are names like Alexa, RED and other cameras way the heck out of most still image photographers and even filmmakers budgets, the small compact 5D MK II delivered a visual and technological impact to television that can't be denied or will ever be forgotten.

In the workshop, Tattersall talked about the abilities of HD dSLRs, lighting options, including very cost friendly ones and a bit about sound. He also had the students in the studio film a few short films including a cool swing dance one and a cliché (by his own admission) but cool good cop/bad cop one. The entire workshop with all of the video of instruction can be purchased on the creativeLIVE site if you missed it.

Some of the lighting and concepts regarding lighting that he discussed were a little over my head, but only because I don't have a ton of exposure to studio lighting. How I normally light portraiture is through a combination of ambient lighting and a Speedlite. When I am outdoors, I rarely use fill light because I either shoot during times I find optimal (near sunrise or sunset) or using building shadows or overcast days for sunlight diffusion. Thus, there is much for me to learn about studio lighting out of sheer interest, not even so much that I will ever use a ton of studio lighting. Whether I use something or not has no bearing on my passion to learn it. If I say I love my craft (which I do), I seek to learn as many of the facets as I can. That's discipline and respect.

Below are some of points that he (and/or his assistant Steve) shared that I will add to my lists of filmmaking notes:

1) Optimal camera settings for HD dSLR filmmaking include a shutter of 1/50 and ISO 160-320. He mentioned that the ISO needs to stay between 160-1250 (because above 1250 it can rapidly become a mess) and adjusted in increments of 160, not 100, as that seems to have the least amount of grain. Filming at 24fps provides a more cinematic look while 30fps is more "video" looking as it appears sharper. He mentioned how most of what is filmed in Japan is at 30fps while the US and Europe is 24fps. I can definitely see a difference in Japanese television and film versus the US. Even watching TV when I was in Japan in 2007, I knew something was visually different, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Now I get it. They reviewed a few camera settings on the 5D MK II menu (which looks similar to my 60D and other HD dSLRs, even if not exactly the same) and explained some camera settings including using Kelvin settings for colour temperature. He even explained the origins of Kelvin, which was neat and felt really academic so my inner nerd felt pleased.

2) The shutter speed can be adjusted to 1/30 or 1/60 instead of 1/50 if filming in fluorescent lighting to prevent banding. One of the photographers watching the workshop via web asked how can the film's brightness be adjusted if the shutter remains in such a narrow or fixed range and the ISO remains in such a narrow or fixed range. Aperture! I then had flashbacks to Zack's workshop where such basics were reviewed. Tattersall also stated aperture adjustments, of course, as the answer to that photographer's question.

3) He mentioned a camera profile called CineStyle, which I never heard of. It basically looks very flat, almost like the motion version of a still photograph as a RAW file. Adjustments for colour, contrast or other effects are then added in the editing process. Since I don't have a power video editing program yet as I have not decided on one or upgraded my computer to handle it, I wouldn't shoot with this profile. I do need some colour and contrast etc. for now. This profile is for someone who already owns an older version of Final Cut or Adobe Premiere and After Effects, for example.

4) Panning should be avoided in B roll filming. Aimless panning across bare space should be avoided. Allow the movement of the subject to move the camera (i.e. camera follows one actor moving closer to another actor as opposed to panning across the room.) Moving in closer helps, especially with shallow depth of field. He stated that seeing everything from a distance and everything being in focus can make filmmaking boring. Steve mentioned that commercials rarely use shallow depth of field as their primary objective is to sell, not tell a story where different people and objects need to be in focus to shift the viewers' attention to where it should be.

5) Though a tight budget can be considered for gear, the most important things not to be cheap with are the actors and the script, for narratives. The role of the director of photography (DP) is to have a good relationship with the director, writer and actors. He felt that the role of the director is as "captain" and didn't ascribe to the more "committee" approach for filmmaking, but one where the director sets the tone and vision for the film and everyone works to make that a reality. The DP is there to turn the script into visuals that fits within the director's vision.

6) Some of the cheap lighting tips and DIY tips he talked about for filmmaking were similar to ones I have seen YouTube videos of for photography. PVC pipe with a shower curtain diffusing a shop light from Home Depot was one example. I actually saw a YouTube video with this tip before, and the whole set up is under 100 bucks. To take the edge off the sun for outdoor recording, they mentioned using visqueen. (Oh and I learned the word cucoloris for the first time. Um...I just love that word.) For sound he spoke about using lavalier microphones for wide shots and booms for close-ups, though overall, he uses booms more (on the set of House.) They talked about small microphones (like a zoom mic) as well. Smaller productions can use the latter but some sort of external mic is needed as the dSLR internal mic rarely sounds really good, especially for talking.

7) Some of the best parts of the workshop was his advice on simply seeing. "Everything you do in your photographic life is taking real life and compressing it to whatever medium you use. Stay in a room for a good part of the day and watch how the light changes throughout the day." He mentioned immersing oneself in other arts including watching films and going to galleries (which I love to do!) "Translate things you see into techniques you can use. You choose your own style. Awareness is everything. Keep your eyes open."

Again, this has been another great learning opportunity and creativeLIVE is one of the best learning sources for photographers. To see all of my creativeLIVE posts, click here. In close, these awesome quotes from Gale:

"If it's in your soul, you just don't stop. You keep on doing things. There's never a holiday from that."

"If you want to be a filmmaker, just go do it."

Chrissy In The Garden

2011-07-14T15:43:00.007-04:00

I had an opportunity to photograph my youngest sister Chrissy again, the one I've photographed the least of over the years. This time she was in my dad's garden, so I made a few portraits there, and later we were hanging out near a dockyard, so that was a backdrop as well. I absolutely, love her gorgeous hair.

Related Blog Posts: Chrissy Cooks, Cutie Pie Chrissy

2 More HD dSLR Short Films and A Newbie's Video Workflow

2011-07-13T18:29:00.028-04:00

I'm continuing to create short films so that I can practice various HD dSLR techniques and explore the storytelling process with motion instead still images. I find myself having just as much fun thinking of titles and making credits as I do thinking of the idea for the film and then filming it.

This one, Simmer, is a short film about the beauty of food preparation itself, since I usually photograph totally raw foods or completely prepared foods.

This one, Hoops At Dusk, is a short film of 2 of my sisters just get their exercise on and playing basketball near sunset.

One thing I have to learn more of and work with (ambient, sun etc) is lighting in video and of course, a steadier hand. Once I get a rig, steadiness will be less of a problem.

My super duper totally green at HD dSLR video workflow has been the following:
1) Think of idea and make notes.
2) Shoot the film
3) Upload clips to Aperture 3 and sort clips
4) Review clips and decide what stays and what goes
5) Trim clips
6) Create film title slide, about slide and credits slide in Photoshop
7) Upload text slides to Aperture 3
8) Assemble film according to notes (I improvise here as well)
9) Select creative commons/royalty free music to be featured in the film
10) Edit film (choose transition types etc.)
11) Review completed film in Aperture 3
12) Export from Aperture 3 as 720pHD for web and 1080p HD for myself
13) View film as a fully exported and completed film in Quicktime
14) Place all files and film in their "final" places on my hard drives
15) Upload film to YouTube and for HD motion ones, Vimeo as well, and then blog.

Once I decide on and purchase what video editing software I will finally use, then the learning process for colour grading, effects, and even shooting at 24FPS for a more cinematic look will come into play. Aperture 3 seems to be able to import at 24fps but will only export at 30fps.

I'm really enjoying the learning process so stay tuned to my blog as I share more here. And of course, my still imagery work hasn't gone anywhere. I've been posting photographs to my Facebook page, Flickr, and in blog posts here.

Related Blog Post: Art by Ideity - Sulfur (The Film)

I'm Not "Hiding" When Behind The Camera

2011-07-11T20:48:00.006-04:00

I had an interesting conversation on Twitter with a few of my followers on the whole concept of doing vlogs. In case you may not know, a vlog is simply video blog or refers to video blog posts instead of written ones (blogs). I mentioned that I don't always feel like doing hair or makeup and because I am a photographer, people may expect me to look somewhat perfect if I do a vlog. A few people thought this meant that I am afraid of being in front of the camera but I am certainly not. If you follow my work, you know I've photographed myself behind and in front of the camera, such as on my last birthday last year. Also, I wrote about how important it is for photographers to have confidence in abilities as well as appearance.

Do we photographers use cameras to hide or is it possible? Sure. But for me, I do not think of it as hiding at times. Sometimes I need that barrier and space to truly be able to see without distraction. Also, I am an introvert so I am off in my own world quite often with or without the camera. It's not something for me to use to hide but something that teaches me how to see without a camera.

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." ~ Dorthea Lange

I definitely think photographers should have a portrait NOT behind the camera for bios and articles, and so that clients can see as well. But...come on, we all like photographs with cameras (or other gear) or behind them and I have many of those as well.These two are the most recent, and with my newest camera at that.

I am in one of my sister's car's rear view mirror. I flipped the canvas horizontally so that the word Canon would not appear as the mirror image, but the readable word. That's one of my other sisters in the rear shadows of the image. This was the same day and before I went for a walk to add more photographs to my Travel: Florida Peace and Pretty album on Facebook, where I am exclusively sharing those images, and before I made a hilarious iPod video of my sisters at the grocery store.

I love this picture, mainly because I love the aged look of the processing but also because I love my hair and jewelry in this picture. I am not hiding. I am seeking...and seeing.

Anyway, I am not sure about doing vlogs yet but it would be great exercise since I am learning so much about various aspects about video. We'll see!

How Beyoncé Influenced My Perspective On Being A Creative

2011-07-11T12:57:00.014-04:00

Beyoncé. Amazing how that name can incite irrational obsession or vitriolic hate in people. I stand somewhere in the middle with most reasonable people who have things that they like about her music and art and things they do not. I do not blame her for the fall of feminism, high gas prices, Libya or whatever else she is blamed for...who knows these days? I don't think she is the best artist on Earth either, though she seems to be a great performer with a nice voice and good dance moves. Her slow songs aren't as soulful as Angie Stone or Jill Scott but they are nice. Her upbeat songs are great for exercising, riding in the car or a fun get-together. Overall, I think she is human like everyone else trying to create and thrive amidst a complicated human existence and can just as easily perpetuate stereotypes as she can be victim to them. Complicated existence. And even lives that appear "perfect" like hers have external and internal challenges.

However, I never thought I would actually learn something from her, being a celebrity and slightly younger than I am. But that was my own bias. Watching her new documentary (video below) for her album 4 was really interesting. When she said that she is not even competing with herself (and past work) but doing it because she loves it, and seem to mean that, I was thrown aback. I consider myself one of those evolved photographers who does not bother competing with other photographers (I really don't...not even), only with my previous work to be better. But why? Why am I required to look over every single image to make sure current ones are better than previous ones (whatever "better" means) instead of looking at them for the emotional growth, development of vision and the connection to the art itself?

Last year I wrote a post titled Learn From Others, But Compete With Yourself. I still think the points I shared there matter, but I am moving away from competing with myself mantra and focusing on how much I love this art. I don't even shoot the same things year to year though they still fall along same genres of my choice. Overall, I photograph beauty and life and that's how my 2011 statement (interpretations of beauty, reflections of life) along with the design and all evolved. I think this is continual growth for me, even since my eBook that I published this past January that explored some of these concepts, though it's still good reading, according to every reader who has read it so far.

I truly understand how natural progression and evolution in work (and sometimes needed deviation from that work) can occur without the obsession with previous work and "outdoing" previous work. (The quest for that type of perfectionism can be dangerous actually. Even Oprah and J.K. Rowling chatted about enjoying their next phase of work, not trying to outshine their own previous work.) For example, I get REALLY ANNOYED with people who view my work and if 1 image is not exactly like a previous month or year's image, I have to hear how it does not look like my work, or the only comment they can provide is whether or not the work is exactly like all other images. It's like people want to force me into a creative box that only they get to control. While vision for one's work (and life itself) and a visual style means art from a single artist will have the similar feel throughout the body of work, needing every single image to look the same in order to appreciate someone's work is the viewer's problem, not the photographer's.

I believe this is the next level of progression in artistic growth, not competing with others and not competing with self; realizing that art is love first and work second and not some battlefield to be won but a passion to be explored as a life long path.

Two great quotes of hers from the documentary include:

"My focus is not bigger, it's quality, and I want to make sure it's something I'm proud of years from now." ~ Beyoncé

"I'm learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say the world." ~ Beyoncé

Sadly, many people, (and I am speaking of and to photographers right now) will think it is "easy" for her to say this because she has a massive level of fame and money. I don't think those two things are necessary to know that an artist exists to create not to prove and the only battle that truly exists in art is simply overcoming the fear to try it everyday, not to win more awards or to be published more for each sequential photograph. The next photograph does not lose meaning. They all have meaning as they relate to the experience of being an artist who creates. How simple is that? Then why is it so hard? Fear of failure, fear of mistakes, fear of criticism and all of these other things get in the way often. For me, deciding I want a life filled with art and creativity is a simple choice and daily choice. The hard part is then executing that choice with passion, patience and persistence and enjoying it along the way.

To be clear, this post is not about how to be the "Beyoncé of photography" or how she is a better artist than anyone (or conversely some crazed evil being out to get everyone) or any other emotionally hyperbolic nonsense that I refuse to engage as it insults my intelligence. Though binary logic and emotional hyperbole have become American pastimes, they aren't my pastimes. Also, it's not about me wanting to be a "star" as anyone who knows me for more than 6 minutes knows that is not what I am about. It's simply about what she said that help reaffirm (what I already knew about loving the art that I pursue) and reframe (this love is sufficient motivation to create, not the idea of competing with oneself against every single previous expression of said art) my perspective as a creative. Passion and persistence tend to reveal progression and that will come naturally without making it a war for myself. Even thinking this way already makes me feel lighter.

"The more I hear of a person being hated, the more I want to explore what is possibly good about them." ~ Trudy

No Ice Cream For Picky Sisters

2011-07-11T01:25:00.004-04:00

While I am certainly doing a lot of learning in regards to HD dSLR filmmaking, it doesn't mean that I decided to stop having fun with mobile video. A few days ago, I was at the grocery store with my sisters and recorded them using my iPod Touch 4G camera. Hilarious.

Though iPod Touch can record in 720p HD (high quality 1080p is not an option like on my dSLR), I uploaded the video in regular SD. In most stores, no one minds an iPhone or iPod Touch but I doubt I could have done this with professional equipment without multiple releases and what not. Thus, I appreciate it for what it is...a funny family video, not something for my professional portfolio, but something to make me smile.

I made this short movie called No Ice Cream For Picky Sisters.

New Print Collateral!

2011-07-09T15:01:00.007-04:00

Well, since it takes me 6 months at minimum to decide on a business card design that I like and even longer to find print vendors that I like, I am taking my time with it. I have found a print vendor that I will use for my next business cards (last time I designed cards was in 2009 with my old logo), but it's another story as far as when I will decide on the final design since my visual brand changes for 2011. The smaller the surface area is, the harder it is for me to choose.

So speaking of surface area, when I am out of the land of business card size and in 4x6 or 5x7 land, I find it easier to decide on a design. My latest print collateral is actually a photograph. Yes, instead of a typical flyer or photo card, I decided to simply print a favorite portrait and then add my information to it (easily designed in Photoshop). I've only been giving them out for a few weeks since having them ready for Jamrock Caribbean Festival that was in June, but people love them. No one expects an actual photograph from a photographer, ironically. People touch the glossy surface with a wow look on their faces.

Glossy 4x6 actual photographs with my contact information on them. Image is of Ideity of Art by Ideity.

To be clear though, these are not the nicest possible prints ever. These are regular drug store prints that are good enough for flyers and most find more impressive than traditional flyers. However, for actual client prints, I use a high quality professional vendor that knocks their socks off. I don't use store prints for client products. They simply are not good enough and won't last long enough. Clients must have the best. Conversely, I would not use my professional print vendor to print images to be used as flyers. The store quality is sufficient and cheaper for this purpose.

A few people who know me and saw them said I shouldn't even blog about them since people will steal the idea and say they made it up. However, I've had actual images and written content be subject to copyright infringement. I deal with this at least once a month. So if someone wants to use their own work but this photo idea to share it, no problem. Besides, we all share ideas...it's only our actual work we want respected through copyright protections and you can't copyright an idea anyway.

Also, I won 100 free postcards from a contest with @Uprinting and @doggdaze through Twitter and @doggdaze's blog. These are larger than the ones above (image above is just a close up), 5x7, and are not glossy but on thick postcard paper that seems to be heavier than typical flyer paper.

Just a new way to share my information,...and a very cost effective way. I love that this all fits in with my new look for 2011. Click 2011 Makeover to see all of the visual changes. Also, be sure to LIKE my page on Facebook.

Related Blog Post: Why My Inexpensive Camera Bag Rocks

Random Things and Thoughts On Rainy Days

2011-07-06T22:00:00.003-04:00

The weather in South Florida has been...rough. It's nothing like hurricane level or anything but it is rarely sunny in this area of the Sunshine State. It rains almost daily lately. I have to admit...sometimes rain deters me from doing things outdoors or photographing. Too much rain and I get annoyed. However, the last few days I made a few "wet" pictures of random things I saw. I also noticed a funny pattern.

I love water on shiny metal...

Funny pattern? Chairs and chains? Maybe I was subconsciously trying to let myself know that sitting down and being chained and controlled by weather is just a crutch and I still have to work on what I want to. Hehe. Not sure of the self-message. I'm just being silly.

I have not been slacking completely though. I have been doing some of the things that I've recently wanted to do and taking some risks in photography, like trying a portrait booth at an event (was so fun), photographing at night and trying different things with available light, making a short beauty and fashion film, learning more about motion photography and blogging about it as well, and giving all of my sites a fresh new look. Rain doesn't always hold me back.

I do want to do some test videos this weekend but I am not too sure yet because again, I have to balance the desire to be outdoors with the legitimate concern of getting ill and damaging gear. We'll see...but of course as always, I will keep you posted.

Art by Ideity - Sulfur (The Film)

2011-07-04T08:49:00.004-04:00

A few days ago I posted photographs from the "Sulfur" shoot that I did with Art by Ideity. Below is the short film Sulfur. This is my second time incorporating HD dSLR motion into a multimedia project, though I've made ones with text/still images since last year. (The first film was an event video of Jamrock Caribbean Festival).

I like this a lot.

Here are some behind the scenes screenshots of my computer while I created the film. The actual footage was made a couple of weeks ago. It was done in a hotel that she stayed at with her fiance, and it had those huge yellow makeup lights so I left that feel to the motion.

All of the material used in the film. The title slides for credits, my logo, her logo (logos were mad much prior) and the film title slide were all made in Photoshop. (I know this makes graphic designers cringe but it works for me, sowwy.) I have the motion clips flagged with the orange flag, though of course I know them on sight.

Aperture 3 has a nice full screen option for viewing things, getting the iMac dock and toolbars out of the way. Also, it looks great to view images against black sometimes.

The actual slideshow edit area where music is selected, volume, transitions, duration of motion and slides and other settings are managed. I used royalty-free music from Dan-O, as his website states that he allows this under a creative commons license. No top 40 hits without license and then complain about my own work being taken type of hypocrisy occurs in my work.

As far as becoming more advanced with video editing, I did look into Adobe Premiere but I downloaded the trial and was completely overwhelmed. I am thinking of taking some digital filmmaking classes later this year or next year, so learning that software may be a part of it for me. However, hearing about how experienced pros hate Final Cut Pro X, I think it might be gentle enough for me to learn on then.

Though I use my YouTube page more often, I do also have a Vimeo page, so check me out there and let's be contacts there if you have a page. I'd love to see what you are working on in terms of HD dSLR or what videos and films are your favorites. If you are a professional photographer but a newbie student at HD dSLR video and filmmaking like me, learn along with me and check out my Video/Motion Photography/Filmmaking learning page. I'll be adding resources to the lists there monthly. If you aren't a photographer, I still will love to connect with you on YouTube and get your feedback as you've given me on my still photographs. However, I am still in just the learning process for video as I mentioned in a previous post and offer photography for professional product, service and art...not videos or films.

I'm really enjoying the learning process and I hope to continue to learn and improve. Again, as I mentioned in the post about Jamrock's video, um...video really requires a patience like no other. I suspect that only parenting or surgery supersedes the level of patience needed for motion photography. Hehe. It's teaching me a lot though...patience is always a good lesson to learn.

Early Motion Photography Memories

2011-07-03T11:07:00.003-04:00

Those following my blog know about my interest in motion photography/filmmaking, not to replace making photographs, but simply another area of interest. I've mentioned how I spent three of my happiest years in high school in a media productions class.

Well, these memories are at the forefront of my mind now since one of my sisters went into some deep storage last night and apparently found some of my old VHS tapes of videos and short films I made! I nearly cried! I thought they were lost or destroyed and totally forgot about them in undergrad. These videos were made between 1994 and 1997 (except for the American Idol one, which is just a recording, not something I made). The videos are ones I shot on Panasonic professional video cameras, loaned out by my high school. As students in media productions, we were allowed to check them out and take them home. The prom video another student made (as it was my prom so I did not film prom) but has me on there looking super cute.

What's most meaningful is the Thanksgiving video. My mother is on that one. I have not heard her voice since she passed in 2001 so to be able to see her alive and hear her voice will be something special for me.

It will be interesting to see how I made motion work back then...what was I thinking in terms of story-telling and artistic vision? I love the idea of being reconnected with that part of my life. Now I just need a VHS player to view them and find out a way to transfer the videos into a digital format so that I can have the files. Awesomeness.

Art by Ideity - Sulfur

2011-07-02T20:40:00.007-04:00

When my sister Renee (Ideity of Art by Ideity) visited to attend Jamrock Caribbean Festival, we did a shoot the day prior. In the spirit of Zebra Retro last year, we wanted to do something somewhat wild and interesting. She wore an amazing yellow lip colour and feather eyelashes. She experimented with makeup, her passion, and I experimented with light.

Available light means I use what is available. However, I didn't want what was "available" to be the usual. We shot in a parking garage and then near a dim corporate building, using light that I normally do not use. I am a sun, indoor lighting or Speedlite kinda girl. I really like the photographs below. There are a few more in an album on Facebook. All of the photographs were made at night. I rarely photograph at night, but this was fun.

I like the yellow of the garage's curb connecting to her lip colour.

Love the lights! I've never used garage lights or even photographed in a parking garage so it was a lot of fun. There are A LOT of lights of different sizes and intensities and I think it makes it interesting.

I love her expression and head tilt.

There was some sort of a metal door on a 45 degree angle in the stairwell so it became a prop.

I love this one. Love. I like the crazy patterns of the light and the lack of light in certain areas. It's definitely something I want to practice and perfect, but I think I did alright for a first try for this type of portrait at night. I have not photographed at night since an event in California last year.

There's also some behind the scenes video that I will blog in the next couple of days.

I love our collaborations. We always have fun. I look forward to our future collabs, and feel nothing but joy about past Art by Ideity and Tru Shots Photography collaborations.

It Has To Be About More Than The Tools

2011-07-02T18:38:00.006-04:00

I was hanging out with my youngest sister a few days ago. We were checking out some vintage shoppes, looking at antiques and checking out cool places to live. We stopped at a small coffee shoppe because sometimes as much I love Starbucks, I want to give the small businesses a chance.

Three people worked at the coffee shoppe..a young guy, a middle-aged guy and a woman around the middle-aged guy's age. They were very nice and their products were neat. They even had a neat way of making coffee that is not the typical brew machine that you see at William Sonoma or a commercial manufacturer. I was so impressed that I asked to make a photograph. The woman smiled and said cool. I drank iced coffee there and it was my first time ever having iced coffee. (I can't really have coffee that often for health reasons, and when I do it is usually hot). My sister liked a taste of my drink so she ordered her own. I made another picture and by that time, the older guy moved over and sat at a table. His whole demeanor changed and then he somewhat rudely asked me if I was opening up a coffee shoppe or something. Seriously?

My younger sister and I were stunned. Here we were having an nice time and enjoying our drinks. The woman even said I could make a photograph. The guy then had to ruin it out of sheer fear that somehow me making these photographs meant I could duplicate his business and steal his customers?

Here is why this type of thinking is bad. First of all, even if I photograph his whole business, there is no way I can mimic the ambiance of his place, make the product exactly the same or provide the exact same customer service. Customers have different experiences in each coffee shoppe they visit. Second, his business has to be unique by the product itself and the service he provides, not the tools that he uses. Third, what is the true statistical likelihood that I am there to steal his business ideas versus being a happy customer visiting a shoppe? He is more afraid of the less than 1% that would do this versus being more confident about the 99% who would not?

This made me think about photography. If what makes you unique is your studio...which is real estate, the cameras you bought or the perceived level of fame of your clients, you've already missed the bus. If you use a photography website because the average photographer there uses a more expensive camera than the iPhone on Flickr, you've already missed the bus. I totally understand the annoyance of being plagiarized and worse, copyright infringement. I think it is important for photographers to create their own work and not to compete with others but compete with self. But...am I going to assume someone who wants to know my website link is asking just to copy everything and even suggest that they are trying to copy before anything actually happens? Of course not.

What makes you great CANNOT be something that can be purchased or duplicated. If that is the case, perhaps photography is not the right area for you. Anything that can be easily duplicated can be outsourced, is not unique and will have to fight to not be cheap. Read the wisdom of Seth Godin in Linchpin for more clarification. This book will open your eyes because it sure did for me.If your eyes are already open and you are simply shaking your head at this story of mine, you must already know that it has to be about more than the tools. It has to.

Uniqueness, vision, great customer service and a great experience are not sold at stores or sold separately. These are the things that makes someone great, not a unique coffee machine...or an expensive camera.

(Thumbnail image is from Instagram for iPhone app and is of my sister and I during the day of our antiquing.)

Answers To Client Questions About Video

2011-07-02T10:35:00.006-04:00

Only a month ago I won a camera that has HD video capability. Prior to this, my interest in motion photography was already strong and I would have purchased a camera with this capability eventually, if I were not already blessed with one as a prize. As I've mentioned before, my early beginnings in video was 3 years in high school in the late 90s where I produced artistic projects and the local school TV news. A huge gap of time (between 1997 and last year for video and 1997-2002 for still imagery...2002 I started with film photographs again) passed where my focus was on neither still nor video. In late 2005, the name Tru Shots was born, and I slowly moved from film hobbyist to digital pro. In my photographic goals blog post last year, I wrote about how learning more about motion photography and writing are two areas outside of professional still imagery that I am interested in.

I have been learning more about motion photography this year, but I am not a professional filmmaker yet. Simply owning some tools to do so doesn't make me one. What I do professionally is photography. However, my learning of motion photography is very public (I share my resources, workshop experiences and productions publicly) so I realized it has become somewhat confusing to clients and fans who know me for professional still imagery, so let's clear it all up.

I am not replacing making still imagery with video. I still am available for booking for the work that you know me for...the portraiture, lifestyle and cultural documentary work that I have done for a while now. I still have my photography portfolio and at the bottom of my website, my current rates and options are listed via PDF link.

I am not offering video as a commercial product. If you are a new client or curious about me and my work, you will notice that commercial videography and filmmaking are not listed as product offerings. This is because though I am a professional photographer, I am a student of video...a student.

I am not offering event videography. While there are some events (mostly cultural) that I do photograph with great pleasure, offering event videography is a different skill set for which I can refer someone to you, but is not a product I will offer now as a student or even later as when I am more learned in filmmaking. Event videography is not something I desire to do. I did create one short film of an event as a learning exercise for me, but that event was hosted by family and I already was doing the professional photographs for it.

I may make video at sessions. As learning exercises for me and with your permission, I may make some short video while doing a professional portrait or other session. This would not be something you would be billed for, or even a final product you would expect with your images as again it may be short learning exercise for me. This is no different from when I do my test shots at the beginning of a session, but I give you the photographs from the actual session, not the test shots.

Basically, if you are interested in my work, you'd hire me as a photographer to make portraits of you, lifestyle images of you and your life/work or document a cultural event through still photographic imagery.

Now some of my photographer peers would argue that there is money to be made in video so why not offer it?Well...simply bevause I respect art. I respect art enough to learn an art before offerning it as something you pay for. Of course, learning never truly ends and even professional photograpghers, videographers and filmmakers are always learning. However, just as I learned a lot about photography before making it a paid product, service and art someone could have, I want the same thing for filmmaking. And truthfully, at this present time, its artistic exploration for me, not something I am rushing to learn to immediately start charging for films. It's something I've wanted to do since high school and long before the idea of business, income, clients and bills were even a thought in my head.

Now out of curiosity, many people have asked me what videos or films am I going to make? As I alluded to in previous posts, I am interested in documentary films (true life stories) instead of narrative films (ones where acting occurs and a created story are told.) What I do want to do is tell very personal individual stories about people and their passions in a documentary style framework. In the meanwhile, I may have videos that do not fit this framework, but are learning exercises for me. The existence of those videos don't move me into a commercial market for video though. They are for me to learn. And even when I create the exact work that I want to make in film, it still may not ever become a commercial product or commercial product offering. I am simply interested in making these films, but never will I lose the passion for making photographs for clients or for myself as I am and will always be first and foremost a photographer, who looks forward to photographing you. :)

Feel free to post a comment below if you have questions or send me a tweet--I am @thetrudz on Twitter. Or, if personal in nature, you can email me at info[at]trushots[dot]com.

Family Fun and Smiles

2011-06-30T12:08:00.004-04:00

Some of my family was in town so that they too could attend Jamrock Caribbean Festival. The day before the festival, we were just hanging out, and I made a few photographs of some of them being silly and fun.

My cutie pie youngest sister Chrissy.

My niece Naomi being silly. She very funny and outgoing.

Naomi hides to be funny.

My older sister (I have 5 and I am the second eldest) with her son, my nephew John Jr.

We went to the park and my older sister was enjoying some of Natural Vibrations' ice cream (soooo good) and looking up at birds in the sky. My nephew is off in the rear of this photograph.

I caught Chrissy on the phone. (I frickin' love her hairdo. I have another blog coming up with some more portraits with her awesome style.)

I made a photograph of them all together. Cute.

Naomi was taking mobile photographs on her iPod Touch 4G. Here she is with her mom looking at them.

Naomi and her aunt Chrissy chatting about a mobile photograph that Naomi made.

Now some would ask that I was there too, why am I not in the photographs? Well, photographers in general appear less in their own body of work. Sometimes I am in the photographs though and keep them for my personal collection. This time, I just wanted to document what they were up to, not necessarily be in the photographs. Whether family like above, clients or strangers, images of people smiling and living life will always be some of my favorites.

Related Blog Posts: Two Creative Masterminds, Cutie Pie Chrissy

"Capture" Photographs or "Make" Photographs?

2011-06-29T15:23:00.005-04:00

Earlier today on Twitter a photographer asked the following question, "do you 'shoot' a snapshot, 'take' a picture, or 'make' a photograph?"
I replied, "I make photographs. I think the word make implies purposeful execution, while capture and snap do not. Just words though."

When I tweeted "just words," I did not mean to imply that words do not have power. They do. Immense power. What I meant was that the way I use the terms that I use is not universal and someone else can choose to define "making" a photograph differently. Later in the day, a photographer replied, "I don't Make the Beauty. I Capture the Beauty."

Well, my statement did not mean that I make "beauty," though I do find beauty in photographs and I do make photographs. Obviously beauty exists in the world independent of photographs or even photography as a medium. However, I elaborated on my thought in the following tweets:

"Some photographs exist as is. Press shutter, record what is there. Conversely, some are partially made. and some are completely made. Photography is not simply going around and 'capturing' beauty, as if your role as human and environment does not impact that experience. Furthermore, life is not all beauty. It is pain too. Photography is a visual medium to express life and its interpretations. I do not passively wait to see what is beautiful then make a picture. I affect that picture with my interpretation and being human myself."

I don't see photography as simply using a net and capturing what passes my eyes. While some think that "making a photograph" is a pretentious thing to say, I do not. Thought goes into that image. Yes the world's beauty can exist even without me, though I am a part of both the beauty and the pain of the world. However, a bird does not simply hang out in the sky at a rule of third's point while a girl's dress blows through the wind while running to chase the bird. It does not stay that way permanently. This is why an eye, visually telling a story and knowing the decisive moment, as Bresson would say, is more than just "capturing" to me and would make the theoretical photograph that I just described. To say we are capturing and nothing else is artistic marginalization. And god forbid I "snap" pictures. I don't care for that word.

"The camera, it can be a machine gun, it can be a psychoanalytic couch, it can be a warm kiss, it can be a sketchbook." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson (Hmm...a lot more complex than just capturing stuff...)

"Anyone can take pictures but not everyone can make pictures.” ~ Rick Sammon

Jamrock Caribbean Festival Video

2011-06-29T07:15:00.005-04:00

Below is the video from the Jamrock Caribbean Festival that I photographed on Father's Day.

I had fun photographing the event as I always enjoy making photographs of cultural events, celebrations and bazaars. However, making video of an event is a different experience. Here's what I realized/learned:

Motion is hard. I already knew this from media productions days in high school and knew it theoretically, but doing now revealed its practical difficulty, and also my intrigue.

Motion is time consuming. Again, something I knew but it's nice to face that practical experience and know just wow, the amount of time needed to complete any 1 project is phenomenal. It got to the point of editing where I just felt bored making slides 1920 x 1080 and what not. Everything involved is not glamorous.

Motion is tricky. There are certain tools that I will eventually get when I am able to, such as an external mic and a HD dSLR rig and would definitely cause improvements. Obviously the gear does not relate to the vision. But vision will not make a camera stay steady and prevent shake, a rig will. Vision won't improve the audio. An external mic will. Vision is for the stories I want to tell. Knowing what gear does and doesn't do matters in any artistic medium.

Editing is...aye. I definitely have a lot to learn and probably some software to get (possibly wanting to learn Adobe Premiere or Final Cut). I used Photoshop for my text, Photoshop for the triptych images in the video and Photoshop and Aperture 3 to edit the images. The video clips were trimmed in Aperture 3 and the entire video was made through the slideshow feature in Aperture 3, and then exported as HD video.

Uploading video to the web requires patience. Though YouTube is great for sharing with large audiences and Vimeo is great for a quality standard when shared and connecting with other artists, both are a nightmare for uploading video with motion. Sure, I have uploaded videos made of still imagery, text and music as multimedia projects. But adding the element of actual motion means a larger file size which means it takes forever to upload, from 4-8 hours. It truly tests my patience.

I don't want to be an event videographer...at all. I already knew this prior to this project. I knew I wanted to record the still imagery at this event as I love to for cultural events and bazaars. I've done that for years and I enjoy still image cultural documentary. However, visually recanting an event in a video isn't where my filmmaking interests lie permanently. This was mainly exercise for me (and something extra for my sisters who hosted Jamrock) and I learned a lot.

What I do want to do is tell very personal individual stories about people and their passions in a documentary style framework. Recording an event is not that. While I love and admire those who do event type of video work, short documentary films is what I am interested in. I am still grateful for this learning experience.

What is good is that:

I am consistently learning, especially in the patience department. I accept that I do not have to know everything immediately. This is what learning is for. I accept that I do want to learn some of the basics of motion editing, but again, I desire to remain a still image photographer and director/director of photography for any personal stories that I film. I don't want to be a gaffer, sound editor or video editor. I want to understand what they do, but becoming any of those roles over photographer is not what I am interested in.

The experience is good. Feeling everything from joy to frustration with motion is what learning is about. I remember those very same feelings when still image photography was brand new to me. And though I am always learning photography, I am light years ahead on still than video, of course. I produce professional work for clients in still imagery. However, I'm not at that level with video and am quite the grasshopper, not the sensei. It's great though.

I hope to continue my progress in learning more about motion and appreciate all of the moments, from the ones that make me want to spoon my eyes out with a dull rusty spoon joyous ones. The learning adventure is totally awesome!

View photographs from Jamrock Caribbean Festival on Facebook...

Why My Inexpensive Camera Bag Rocks

2011-06-26T12:38:00.008-04:00

Camera bags have become trendier than the handbags in the magazine tear sheets in Glamour or W magazine methinks. Some of them are cute and it is nice that what some women like is being considered in photography, what is still statistically a male-dominated industry. However, some of these bags are very expensive, especially considering the fact that many of them are not made of materials that have garnered higher costs in other bags, such as leather or suede, and some seem to fall apart, according to some photographers that I know.

I do have a Lowepro Slingshot 200 that was about $105.00 when I bought it (cheaper now), so that is not dirt cheap, but not caustically expensive either. I carried that bag out of the country several times and it is a great and comfortable bag to carry, though not glamourous or extremely fashionable. I do love beauty and fashion, but I also love not spending a lot on things that are not the actual travel or gear itself.

I had some things in storage and got them out a week ago. One of those things is this nifty bag below. I love the rugged style, but also the colour.

I bought it in Hong Kong at the Night Market, back in 2007 while traveling with my best friend. I paid $10.00 US. My friend said she remembered it being $8.00 US though. However, I never used the bag. Not since this photograph below was made four years ago. I've only used it this week, and made the photographs of it today.

I put the manual in from my new camera to give a scale to how big the pocket is. Also, I do check the manual as this camera differs from my previous Canon ones in a few ways. Rest assured though, checking the manual with a new camera doesn't mean I forgot how to make photographs, obviously. Hehe. Whether amateur or pro, it just makes sense to read the manual for anything you buy. (Plus, I'd never check it in front of a client, who'd do their homework in front of a professor? Hehe). What you see in the pocket on the right is my lip gloss.

I love the side pockets. They are the perfect size for an iPod. The interior of the bag can fit 1-2 bodies and 2-3 lenses depending on the size. However, I never carry that much gear because I want to be able to fit at least 1 book as well as some print collateral in case someone asks me that good ol' question "are you a photographer" when I am out doing personal work.

I made another full bag picture to emphasize that comfy shoulder strap. It is so soothing and since I have a terrible back and messed up shoulders from 2 car accidents in the last decade, this is such a relief.

Sure there are times when I want to be "extra" girly, but I don't always wear clothing or bags that are feminine. I let my energy, my makeup and my jewelry be the feminine sparks to my appearance, while I may be carrying this bag, wearing a tee shirt, jeans, and my lucky Pumas. I've had these for 4 or so years and have worn them to many sessions and traveling domestically and internationally.

Or maybe even my skull sandals. I wore these on Sunday with big yellow earrings (I love huge earrings, love) while I was photographing Jamrock Caribbean Festival.

Some photographers would argue that the look I share above is not "professional." Well, I worked corporate for many years so I know what people think is professional. But it is all in your demeanor not wardrobe and in your personality, not other's perceptions. Some clients have liked how colloquial and down to earth I am. I am not going to show up at a portrait session in heels and a suit. (Though I do wear a button down white oxford, khakis, pearls and flat dress shoes when I photograph a wedding). People want relatable people, not unreachable people. Photography is really more about the connection than the creativity, the similar inspiration more than the images, during the actual session.

Over the years, I've changed as far as what I think money should be spent on versus what it should not. I rather spend it on the gear than the bag. Most of all, I rather spend it on experiences than the gear and other possessions. If I already have a camera and have to choose between a new "better" camera and a trip, the trip gets chosen everyday and twice on Sundays. If I have to choose between a designer bag and using a bag I already have, which has sentimental value as a keepsake from a trip, guess which one I choose? Well, you already know, because of this blog post. Just be you and be comfortable is what I say.

Link: Study: Experiences Make Us Happier Than Possessions

The People I Saw #5

2011-06-24T19:59:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've added any photographs to The People I Saw project, though of course I'm always making pictures of people and culture, beauty and life.

I was out today and saw these three guys walking together. I thought it was cute how the dad, elder son and younger son were walking in a line that decreased by their height. Adorable. He was really interactive with them and they were having a good conversation. I stood behind and made this picture.

Related Blog Posts: Father's Day Stories, The People I Saw #4

Ol' Pretty Thing #3

2011-06-24T19:01:00.002-04:00

This is my third post in the Ol' Pretty Thing series and this time it's architecture. This hotel was built in South Florida in 1925 and is still here. I love the crazy vivid colours and the sign. I actually pumped the colours up even more because I really like the feel of this.

Related Blog Posts: Ol' Pretty Thing #2, Ol' Pretty Thing

Favorites From Jamrock Caribbean Festival

2011-06-24T09:29:00.004-04:00

I've now posted all of the photographs from Jamrock Caribbean Festival and shared several blog posts on it. I look forward to what 2 of my sisters create for next year for an even bigger and better event. This years' was great. (I even have some video I will put together and share as one of my first HD dSLR video projects. I'm shy though. Hee hee. Learning motion photography and enjoying it though.)

One thing I love to do when documenting a cultural event is to make sure there are some portraits in the mix. Sure there are images of food, products and whatnot, but as a portrait maker first and foremost, I try to include a few in there, whether posed and purposeful or photojournalistic in nature. Below are some of my favorites from the event.

Of course the cutie pie engaged couple Renee and Chris were there.

Super cute Chrissy was in the house as well.

There was a pirates area for the kids to play in. This kid was completed decked out.

It was great to get a few photographs of men. I love to photograph men too (whole section in my portfolio) but recently I've had more work centered around women.

I don't get to photograph older professional women often so this was nice. She's from a great Jamaican restaurant called Oxtails and More and was one of the sponsors for Jamrock.

Another older professional woman who is from Chimmey's Restaurant. She's looking down as she was making ingredients to go with conch fritters.

I liked this photograph because this performer totally matched the actual building interior, which made it seem like it fit the photograph on purpose.

Of course my absolute favorites are the ones I blogged a few days ago from the Art by Ideity beauty booth. I love those portraits.

This year's event was great and stay tuned to my blog (as well as YouTube and Vimeo) for when I share my video of the event.

Two Creative Masterminds

2011-06-22T03:41:00.004-04:00

This week I am sharing photographs from the first annual Jamrock Caribbean Festival, something that 2 of my sisters started in South Florida to spread cultural awareness, celebrate Caribbean History month and to entertain. The first one was the past Sunday, and I had a great time. While I was documenting the event itself, making portraits for my portrait special with Art by Ideity and creating HD video (my very first time since my start of learning motion photography), I managed to make 2 quick portraits at the event of my sisters Miriam and Esther, who are the creative masterminds behind Jamrock.

Miriam is a smart, funny and creative person who graduated with a Management and Marketing degree from the prestigious business institution Northwood University. She does management in food services in addition to running her businesses The Final Touch and dAWN's dELIGHTS. She's tenacious and passionate about what she does, and I admire that.

Esther is a clever and brilliant academic who graduated with a Hospitality and Tourism Management degree from Florida International University, one of the top 5 programs in the U.S. in this particular area. She works with Miriam quite a bit but also develops business plans and ideas for other small businesses.

Both of them worked so hard on the event and their passion could be seen in everything at Jamrock. For both to still be in their 20s and doing creative things that they love, which brings so much joy to others is a real honor.

In the album that I created for Jamrock that I am adding photographs of the event to, Check out the album and be sure to LIKE my page on Facebook to continually see new work of Jamrock and more.