Just Another Dead End
Blog Post #2 - 3/12/16
Making a Photograph vs Taking a Photograph
Some people say tomato others say tomahto, but we all know how it's supposed to be pronounced, yet a pretentious few still try and say tomahto. Similarly I've noticed lately that there's a trend of photographers saying they are going to "make a photograph" vs the traditional, "take a photograph". And while the photographer is trying to refer to the same thing I feel like there's a big difference between the two. In my opinion, taking the picture is a physical act and making is the prep, the planning and the composing that all get done prior to the physical act (or after the fact for you fine art folks).
Sure, I get it. We are technically creating something, but are you really "making a photograph" by clicking the shutter button? Did you hop on the magic school bus and transport yourself inside the camera and convert all that light into a bunch of machine code to spit it back on your LCD display? Yeah, not really. Sure, it sounds so much more artistic to "make a photograph" and I'm not saying you can't make a photograph, I'm just saying that by standing on top of that cliff, clicking the shutter button, using natural light and aperture priority mode hardly counts as "making" a photograph. What you just did was compose an image and capture the scene... the act of taking a photograph.
Now, if you were to stand there, prep a model, pull out a fog machine, set up multiple light sources and modify out the existing light, you've made a picture. BUT! the act of you clicking the shutter button still does not mean you made a picture. Everything you did before it was the setup and prep and the making prior to the taking.
Sure, it's all nomenclature at the end of the day, but I still can't help but cringe every time someone says they made a photograph. Maybe, I also have a problem with it because I like to take pictures that capture moments, moods, feelings and memories. To me, making a moment just doesn't sound as authentic as capturing that moment. That's just my 2 cents, take it or leave it, but maybe next time before you grab that snapshot and say, "i made a photograph" just think, did I really make anything right now or did I just capture a moment?
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Blog Post #1 - 1/14/16
Nikon D5: Inspired – Behind the Scenes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvqQYRM6AF4
I may be a Canon user but this look inside the life of pro photographers produced by Nikon is pretty inspiring. These people are truly blessed, not just because they get to capture images for a living but because they get to do what they love.
I've actually witnessed this first hand over the past 5 years. My fiance is one of those few people who fall into that category of, "love what you do". She's a pre-school teacher, and she absolutely loves it. She lives and breathes it; and to see her in her element, at school, or brainstorming lesson plans, is genuinely inspiring. It's palpable, and clearly visible in the effort she puts in and the outcome of her efforts, it's amazing to witness.
Regardless of your field - be it photography, teaching, law, medicine, etc - it's always inspiring to see people do what they truly love to do. They aren't your run of the mill employee, they are true experts in their craft, and it shows.They love what they do and in turn they put forth 110%.
For the rest of us, well, we just go through the motions. Put in our 40+ hours a week and count down the seconds until the weekend. It's a sad reality. But really stop for a second and think through how many friends, family members and co-workers mindlessly march along day in and day out. I fully recognize the "first world problem" of that statement, but I really can't help but feel like we should all be striving to do something we are passionate about. Why are there only a select few who get to do something they love? It's a rarity rather than the norm and it's sad.
Personally, I think that's the ultimate pursuit for me at this stage in my life, and I imagine for a lot of other people as well. It's that ultimate search to find your passion and do it day in and day out. So my New Years resolution is to do some soul searching and start exploring how I can turn my passions into a career. I'm determined to find it, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Start chasing your dreams, find your passion and start loving what you do for a living.
Here's to following your dreams in 2016!