Every time we pick up a camera, we have the opportunity to exercise our creative expression through photography. The subjects we choose. The lighting that attracts us. The lenses we use. The shooting angles that appeal to us. The camera settings we select. What we decide to do with our images in post. All of these factors help facilitate our creative expression through photography.
Category Archives: Essays
Photographic Inspiration
The creative process has long intrigued me. The answers to how and why each of us create are as unique as there are people in the world. Some of us are drawn to specific subject matter, which becomes our focus… a passion. Perhaps it is a fleeting moment that moves us. A shape. A colour. The way light is interacting with a subject. This article discusses photographic inspiration.
Camera Buyer’s Remorse
Buying camera gear can be a daunting task with so many competing formats, brands and models. This is further complicated by a plethora of gear reviews extolling the virtues of specific cameras. And, plenty of ‘must have’ advice found on various photography sites. We can get overwhelmed with information… some of it contradictory. With the price of new camera gear ever increasing, it is critical to make a sound, logical decision. It’s all about finding camera gear that is the ‘best fit’ for our individual needs. Unfortunately getting caught up in never ending marketing hype can lead to camera buyer’s remorse. Many of us have suffered through that in the past. I know I have.
Website Changes Including Name
As part of our plans to refocus our business we have been working on a number of website changes including the name of our site. These have now been implemented. This article provides readers with an overview of these website changes and the rationale behind them.
A Camera is Much More Than a Sensor
We certainly live in interesting times. Often it feels like we are in some kind of twilight zone where one enters through the ‘you must have’ door. With photography, the current ‘you must have’ appears to be a full frame (or larger) sensor camera. If some of the articles on the internet are to be believed, unless we own a full frame camera we are incapable of creating a good photograph. Truth is, a camera is much more than a sensor.
One Year After Being Discontinued
One year after being discontinued, my Nikon 1 kit is still going strong. This article features some of my favourite images captured with Nikon 1 gear and provides a summary of my kit’s current status.
Photographers are Problem Solvers
On the surface it’s quite funny to consider how much time photographers spend assessing gear and debating with each other about the importance of various camera capabilities. Interactions can get quite heated at times as people exchange their viewpoints. It occurred to me this morning that there is a very good reason why that happens. At the end of the day… photographers are problem solvers.
After a Catastrophic Event
It can be a revealing exercise to consider a catastrophic event happening. Let’s define that as one that is photographic in nature. For example, imagine all of your camera gear getting lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair. Each of us would suddenly go from having our photographic needs met by our current gear… to having to start over and build a new kit from scratch. Deciding what we would do after a catastrophic event isn’t as easy as it first appears. A number of factors come into play when starting from ‘ground zero’ again.
Assessing Camera Gear Differences
Whenever there is a major camera or imaging show happening, or when a number of new pieces of gear are introduced, I tend to get more emails from readers. The common question raised is “Should I upgrade my gear?” Assessing camera gear differences can be difficult. It seems to me that the vast majority of differences with which we concern ourselves are marginal at best. Truly meaningful differences are few and far between. Those differences are the ones that may justify us opening up our wallets… beyond just being affected by GAS (gear acquisition syndrome).
What Makes Us Better Photographers?
It is always an interesting process to go back and review old photographs. Over the past year or so I’ve reviewed tens of thousands of my images as I searched for photographs to include in various eBook projects. Throughout these image review sessions I often found myself asking the question, “What was I thinking?” as I pressed the delete key. The many hours spent in front of my computer screens reviewing old images has culminated in one, simple question. What makes us better photographers? Continue reading What Makes Us Better Photographers?