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A photographic journey of discovery. Finding InspirationHow Other Photographers Inspire Me In my last post I talked about how I am in continuous learning mode when it comes to photography. While online courses and self-paced learning are great ways to get specific techniques down, I find it even more valuable to either attend workshops or go out shooting with other photographers. I have spent the past two days at a CreativeLive.com workshop in the audience (very different from watching online, where you can easily get distracted or walk away). My fellow photographer and friend Kamriell Welty has an abiding passion for wildlife photography, so she invited me to join her in the class being taught by one of her favorite wildlife photographers, the legendary Tom Mangelsen. I jumped at the chance – both for the opportunity to spend time with Kami, talking about photography, and to learn from Tom. I don’t aspire to be a wildlife photographer, but I live in a spectacular location where I often have the opportunity to shoot images of wildlife. Tom’s work is special because he not only shoots ‘portraits’ of wildlife, but also captures wildlife in landscapes. I knew I could learn something from the course, so why not? So, I did not attend the course with the intention of duplicating Tom’s life or lifestyle, but simply to absorb inspiration and information from a very successful and talented photographer. And because I had that intention, I found the course fulfilled my expectations and went beyond what I had hoped to gain from it. I always think if I take one useful tip away from a workshop, it was worth it. In this case, I had several takeaways I think are worth sharing. These are things I think everyone should keep in mind when they are working on their photography.
After two days of listening and talking to Tom, and chatting with other members of the audience, Kami and I headed home both excited and inspired. We talked about photography the entire way home. It's wonderful to share your passion with like-minded people. How do you do that?I love that photo! How do you do that?
First, let me say I probably had a head start, but it was only that. I grew up in a family of artists and had beautiful images hanging in my childhood room. Just like reading great writing can lead to better use of language, I believe looking at great images can improve one’s personal ‘vision.’ But, I also believe it’s something that can be learned – at any age and at any stage of photography. I have friends who now shoot amazing photos with their iPhones and iPads –and what they shoot has changed as they studied what they liked about my photos. I love that! Imitation is most definitely the sincerest form of flattery. The most important piece of equipment – is you. Second, regarding equipment. As I noted above, a great image does not require expensive equipment. I believe the most important piece of capturing a great image is behind the camera. It’s you. Your vision. Your composition. Your unique perspective. Okay, so maybe you see things that you think you’re capturing, but they don’t turn out the way you see them in your “mind’s eye.” That’s where technical knowledge does come into play. Perhaps you’ve used too wide a lens, or you didn’t use the right exposure, or you just need to crop a bit to get the image you want. These things come with training and experimentation. Do some reading about the ‘rule of thirds’ and the golden ratio. Try experimenting with different framing. Study images you love. Follow photographers you love on Facebook. You will start to see what it is you like. From Analog to Digital –with the help of a friend. It’s true I have been taking photos since I was a child and I would sneak out with my grandmother’s Brownie box camera. I learned to develop and print film when I was a teenager. I have had the privilege of knowing many great and successful photographers and have edited images for some of them. I have looked at a lot of photos. A lot. But when digital cameras first emerged, I was hesitant. I stayed away from still photography while I pursued cinematography for a few years. Then I moved, started working for a large tech company in Redmond, Washington, and suppressed my creative side. I was intimidated about making the switch to digital, but I got lucky. I had a lovely neighbor and friend who was studying photography at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Montana, and she offered to help me transition to digital. In fact, when she got a new digital camera, she lent me hers for almost a year. We would go out and shoot together, share images, talk about what we saw. It was a blast and I am forever grateful to her for jump-starting my return to photography. Check out her work at Dirtie Dog Photography. Be generous with your own creativity – share ideas and enthusiasm with folks. It can be really fun to go out on a photo shoot with someone else. You will be surprised at how much you learn. Gaining confidence through learning Great, you say, but I don’t have a friend like that. I just bought a camera and I want to take good photos! There is an astonishing amount of free training available on the internet. There are also some courses that are very reasonably priced. I’ll give you an idea of the things I have done and would recommend to anyone just starting out.
And here’s what I don’t do. I never invite other photographers to critique my work. I find it much more useful to discuss how an image was shot than to listen to some blowhard explain to me what’s wrong with my images. Frankly, I don’t care. If I wanted to shoot like someone else, I study their work –or, if I’m lucky, I study with them to learn new techniques. But, my vision is my own. Some of my work is good, some is lousy. I usually have a pretty good idea which is which. And some of my work speaks to people in ways I never imagined, so I don’t let anyone else dictate what is good or bad about what I do. That's not to say I don't enjoy brainstorming with other photographers. And I've certainly asked for help when I had a vision I wasn't sure how to execute. But I'm not a fan of the forums and groups where people say "here's my photo, what's your feedback." I consider myself a student of photography. I’m still learning. I don’t want restrictions on what I do or where I go with my work. I will fail often and I learn from failing. You should too. Get a little bit of knowledge, then try new things. You will be amazed at what you can pull out of your own imagination. And don’t let anyone else shape your vision. It is unique. The Bright and Colorful TropicsThe place where I live beckons to artists of all mediums. With its diffused light and pastel colors, flat valley farm fields and distant blue mountains, the landscape is soothing and beautiful. I never tire of the vistas, especially as the seasons change and early morning fog creeps in to spread its magic. But when I go to the tropics I am reminded that other people live in an astonishingly bright and colorful world. I find myself oohing and ahhing at every turn and unable to put my camera down for very long. From the moment I step off the plane into the steamy heat of Hawaii, I am transfixed by its lush and showy beauty. I go there, like other people, to refresh my soul. That includes my 'vision'. I see the same plants every time, but I see different images I want to capture and remember. So, I am just back from a week in paradise. This time around I was captivated by the textures. To view a collection of this recent work, see the images I have posted in this folder. Meanwhile, here are a few samples to help you adjust your eye. Aloha.
Monks Among the Daffodils
Every year I think "I have enough daffodil photos, I can just look this year." And then the sun comes out. Or a stormy sky creates drama I cannot resist. And off I go to document another year of yellow. The best part of just getting out in the fields is the lucky accident shot. A couple of years ago I got some amusing photos of tourists in the tulip fields. This year I was walking along the road, capturing images of the largest expanse of yellow fields when I looked up and spotted what I thought were some women in wonderful, matching orange dresses. "Great color combo!" I thought to myself and walked toward them. It wasn't long before I realized they were not women in dresses - they were monks in robes. This falls into the category of lucky accident. Nothing amuses me as much as the unexpected encounter in what has become a spring ritual for me. The best part? They weren't meditating. They were actively shooting photos - just like me. I'd like to know what images they took home with them. I'm guessing they are similar to the scenes I have captures. Happy spring!
Some fields (above) are set aside for fresh-cut sales. Others are grown for the bulbs and unlike the tulips, farmers let the flowers die on the stem.
The bright fields pop when viewed from vantage points on high.
Rain or shine, the fields bring dramatic color to the Skagit Valley.
The monks I spotted were enjoying taking pictures of the flower fields.
One of the monks I was watching stepped away from the others to get a different angle for his photos. He comfortably squatted in the mud to get a close-up. Just like I do.
Behind the Yellow DoorOver the past four months I have been working on a project that forced me to move away from home for a few weeks at a time. Fortunately, I had friends that invited me into their homes and let me invade their space. One of these friends was an extraordinary woman I actually only knew through Facebook. We had been put in touch by mutual friends who knew we had a lot in common, and we had corresponded for more than a year, but never met face to face before I showed up on her doorstep with suitcase in hand. I spent more than a month living with Carrie Brown and therefore she deserves her own blog post. I am so appreciative of her kindness and generosity, and was so amused by her ‘family’ I just have to share a bit.
Carrie has her own, ever-expanding, set of rabid fans. We were introduced by friends because we are both photographers who happen to love our macro lenses and often shoot the same subjects. But photography is the least of her talents. Carrie is one half of one of the most popular podcast series on iTunes. She partners with Jonathan Bailor on The Smarter Science of Slim. Just investigate. She’s written (so far) two cookbooks, and I have no doubt she’s already working on the next two. So here’s the thing. Carrie lives in a non-remarkable development in a fairly vanilla subdivision. But you know Carrie’s house because she’s the one with the yellow door! And that yellow door is the first clue that she is a non-conformist. Carrie shares her space with So, here’s a little bit about Carrie’s family.
Mr. McHenry, being a kitten, naturally disrupted Daisy’s special status and incurred her wrath early on. I hear they get along now. Of course he's a lot bigger now, too.
Dougal. He’s the lover – greets you like a dog. Wants to be petted all the time and is a lap hog. He’s not picky though – anyone’s lap will do.
Penelope (a.k.a. LooLoo) – the pretty girl who has aged. Sometimes a bit persnickety. Likes to suck her thumb. Really.
Zebedee (a.ka.Zebzeb) - scaredy cat. Totally terrified of unknown people in his space – unless it’s the leather couch. Then unknown persons miraculously turn into available laps. Florence – the slow one. Florence, as you will know if you read Carrie’s blog, loves boxes. It’s true. I’ve witnessed it in person. She also loves dairy. If you even reach for a yogurt or cheese, she suddenly appears at your feet. Most of the time she doesn’t move much.
The cats and Carrie have an understanding. I have never seen such well-behaved cats. Well, I’ve never seen cats that actually behave. Carrie has trained them to come when she whistles, to retire to their garage beds in the evening, and not to whine when food is being prepped. It’s actually a very orderly house. If you are British (like Carrie) you may recognize these names from an animated TV show Carrie tells me became a cult hit in the UK. It's called The Magic Roundabout. I have always been an animal lover, and have had my fair share of pets. I admit, though, it took a while for all six of these fabulous felines to adjust to my presence in the house. Once they did, though, we all got along famously. Thank you, Carrie & family, for inviting me into your world.
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