Photography and Me

[wlotus]

Lately I've felt frustrated with the glacial pace at which certain areas of my life are moving. Several patient souls encouraged me to focus more on the other areas of my life, on areas where I can see progress and where I get joy. Photography is one of those areas. I've been working a lot on my camera and digital darkroom techniques since September, and I can see a marked improvement.

I spent yesterday afternoon in the NY Botanical Gardens with the NYC Digital Photography Meetup Group and uploaded several shots to the group's album last night. This morning I woke up to compliments here and there, and I realized something: making pictures others appreciate as much as I do fulfills me in a way nothing else does. So while I will continue to work towards my goals in other areas of my life, continuing to develop my photography will be my primary focus. My technical career feeds my pockets, and that is necessary to support myself (for now, at least), but photography feeds my soul.

Last night I uploaded my favorite shots from the Botanical Gardens to my Fotki account. I am spending a good chunk of today editing and organizing my photos. When I looked at several slideshows of some of my earlier albums, I immediately saw edits I could make which would improve those shots. The edits are simple crops, but they make a world of difference.

Thanks for the compliments. They, along with my photos themselves, inspire me.

Bronx Zoo, 24 February 2007

Comments

[phenomenull.livejournal.com]

I wish I had resources and time to pursue photography more. I love your photography!

[phenomenull.livejournal.com]

P.S. POLAR BEAR BUTT!!!! :)

[tiramisuz.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to read this post.. your words here are healthy and positive-sounding.. good things will come from this..you'll see! xxxx the joy will seep into all areas of your life before you even realise it

[warkitty.livejournal.com]

Oh I love the red flowers and the polar bear:-D

Thank you for letting me enjoy the gardens.

[ephany.livejournal.com]

Good for you.

When I looked at several slideshows of some of my earlier albums, I immediately saw edits I could make which would improve those shots. The edits are simple crops, but they make a world of difference.

I'd love to see some before/after editing shots to illustrate this. Thanks for sharing.

An Example

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

Here is the original polar bear image:



I originally put the subject of the photo, the bear, in the center of the frame. In the cropped version, I got rid of the extra background, which added nothing to the subject. I cropped so the subject would be positioned in the frame according to the Rule of Thirds (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/). This makes the whole photo more balanced. rockbirthedme's comment (http://wlotus.livejournal.com/1056859.html?thread=4420187#t4420187) is a good description of why the cropped version is more aesthetically pleasing than the original.

Re: An Example

[ephany.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's a dramatic difference alright! Thanks for the link, I didn't know about that rule. I've just been taking random shots and some of them turn out well. :)

Re: An Example

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

That's how I took photos before someone from Black Book (http://blackbook.com/) liked my online portfolio enough to think I was a lifestyle professional. Since then I have been reading someone's old NYIP Professional Photography Course (http://www.nyip.com/) texts, and I took Secrets of Better Photography (http://www.ed2go.com/cgi-bin/oic3/newcrsdes.cgi?name=yorkconted&course=eph&title=Secrets%20of%20Better%20Photography&path=1), so I can begin to learn the technical aspects of photography. My next step will be to take a full class, complete with regular portfolio reviews.

[melissasutton.livejournal.com]

WONDERFUL!

Really love it Wanda!

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

Now that polar bear shot brings up really good, funny memories of watching the polar bears mess with the tourists' heads at the Philadelphia Zoo. They would hover at the below-water viewing window until the tourists all had their heads pushed up against the glass, and then they would kick up hard against the window to watch everybody jump and scream. *snicker* You would have loved it.

Nice composition. I like the way you balanced the polar bear with the snow on the rock, and the echo of color from the snow shadows to the water is a nice touch.

More, please.

[verucas-chaos.livejournal.com]

Keep the photos coming, they are amazing (always). S. loves polar bears.....

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I know your chosen field is computer engineering, but daaaamn...you could do photography too! I mean, seriously, you're quite talented.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm working on it, and realizing photography is deeply fulfilling for me (not just fun) has spurred me to keep going.

[bookchick.livejournal.com]

You are an AMAZING photographer. ::starts to save $$ to go to NYC in a couple of years for your first major showing::