Baby it's Cold Outside

I drove my daughter back to Chicago yesterday, so on my way back I stop at St Joe and took a few shots of the Lighthouse. Man it was cold and I didn't have any gloves.

But I did manage a few nice shots anyway.

Camera Talk

Here is a link to an interesting bit in the Summit Daily. I ran across it looking for something unrelated, sometimes a bum search can take you to very some interesting places.

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20081110/AE/811109989/1057&title=On%20Photography:%20Camera%20curiosity


After reading this article, I saw myself in the very situation. I'm not big into photo gear as a rule. I do own a lot of stuff, much of it old, like me, but I do get sucked into the what camera do you use conversation way more than I should.

In high school the editor of the yearbook and I were sent to a week long seminar on dealing with putting together the year book. He went to the classes for editors and I did the photography track. The main photo instructor was a very cool guy. He had worked for one of the big papers in Chicago for years.

He made a comment that has stuck with me for all these many years. "It's not what is between the photographers hands that count, but what's between his ears".

I try to remember that quote when I get involved in a serious camera talk. I doesn't always work but I try.

I guess the better question one should ask is how did you shoot that? Not what did you shoot that with.

I Disagree Strongly

I enjoy listening to photography related pod casts. While I was listening to the "Inside Analog Photo Radio" pod cast for October 18Th 2008 the guest made a comment that made me cringe.

The guest was Steve Anchell author of the "Darkroom Cookbook" and it was a very good interview, he talked about his book, how he got into photography, the value of silver photography and a lot of other interesting things.

I was in agreement with most of the things he talked about until a comment was made about digital photography. He called it basically it is a point and shoot Photoshop process. He said digital is not about photography it's about Photoshop. When he uses the term photography he means a silver based process.

With this I Disagree Strongly.

To me It doesn't make any difference how you make your image, the basic process is the same. You focus light and expose some type of media to capture your image. Then you take your image and process it either electronically or chemically to arrive at your final piece. Granted making a B&W print using film is quite different that make a B&W print with your computer and an ink jet printer, but you still go through some kind of a process to get there.

I'm sure that as older processes we replaced by newer ones you had the same kind of debate churning in photographic circles.

I shoot film and I love it for many reasons, but I also shoot digitally and the same is true there.
They both do things that the other can not, but that doesn't make either one better than the other.
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Leaving Your Comfort Zone

As photographers we all have things we would rather shoot. These are generally things which we are familiar with and that we are good at making photographs of. When we shoot these subjects we know what to expect.

What is hard is when we attempt to do something new or different. But when we leave our comfort zone we learn so much more.

There are many reasons people don't try new things. I would say the biggest reason is people are afraid that their images will suck and they will be embarrassed, and shunned by their family and friends.

Every bad image you make is the best way to learn what not to do. It couldn't be a better learning experience. Than the next time you shoot you will do a bit better job. It will also make you look at the things you shoot best in a different way and help to keep you improving your over all photography.

So try leaving your comfort zone once in a while, you'll be glad you did.

Photo Fun in the Dark

My friend Steve and I met at the State Park in Grand Haven MI Saturday to shoot the sunset at the pier. He just bought a new Canon recently and wanted to give it a good workout.

The weather was perfect.After the sun went down we made some photographs of the lights on the pier and then went and got coffee. We wandered around the downtown area shooting all kinds of things.

It was a nice adventure.

Maps the Photographer's Friend

I just finished listening to another podcast by Lens Work Editor, Brooks Jensen entitled " The Seduction of Maps".
http://www.lenswork.com/podcast/LW0461%20-%20The%20Seduction%20of%20Maps.mp3
I whole heartedly agree that looking at maps is very exciting as you plan a photographic trip to a new place. In fact that is one of the first things I do when I plan a photographic excursion.

Here's is an example. I have made many trips to Michigan's UP to photograph waterfalls. I have a very nice book by a photographer from the Detroit area of his black and white images of UP waterfalls. He included a companion book with directions to help you locate the waterfalls in his book. I used that but I also used a Michigan county map book, that I had for many years, for the greater detail. It made it much easier to find the location of the falls I was tring to find.
My daughter gave me a new map book last Christmas, updated information and in color. I should be al set, at least for the state of Michigan.

Two great resources for online mapping are Google Maps and Microsoft's online mapping site

http://maps.google.com/ http://maps.live.com/

Not only can you use them to plan a route to your destination, but you can see satilite images of the area you are planning to visit. I think that that is the best part. I can see what a place looks like before I go there. The Microsoft site even has what is called "Birds Eye View" for some locations.


Maps are a photographers best bud.

End of an Era

I read with a bit of sadness an AP article printed in our local on the paper on the probable demise of Kodachrome film. I have mostly been shooting digitally myself for quite a long time, so I guess I am a part of the reason for this happening.

I loved Kodachrome. I shot it exclusively for many years, even after the E6 films had improved to a point they rivaled Kodachrome quality.

About 25 years ago I was in the camera department of a local store and they had all of their stock of Kodachrome 25 marked down to a dollar a roll. Most of them were 36 exposure rolls.
It was close dated but I bought all they had and put it in the freezer. I think I ended up with about 50 or so rolls of the stuff. It lasted me about 10 months. I was sad to shoot the last roll of it. It was a very sharp film and I loved the colors that it gave me.

Even though Kodak hasn't officially announced they are ending the production of this great film, the current stocks of the film have a 2009 expiration date, and as of yet they haven't produced any more.

I'm sure that it will be a mater of time.

Maybe I'll get a few rolls and shoot them before this film goes the way of the Dodo. So I can say I shot it till the end.

Great Big Sea Part II

Here are the pictures I promised.

If you read my last post you know that I went to Ann Arbor, MI to see the band Great Big Sea last Wednesday night.

Well my wife and I went to see the band last Saturday night in Chicago at the Chicago Celtic Festival.

Our daughters got us a room at the Palmer House to celebrate our 30Th anniversary.
What nice kids.

We had a great time even though it rained the whole time we were there. We sat there watching the band from under our umbrellas, it was a grand adventure.

Even though we got quite wet, I think it was the best GBS show I have been to so far.

Seeing this band twice in less than a week's time was way cool.

Maybe I'm turning into a groupie.............