Carpe Occasione
Seize the Opportunity! I often find myself coming across great photo opportunities that I pass up because I'm in a rush, or I think to myself I will come back and get that photo some other time. But I rarely do, and if I do return, conditions have often changed, the lighting has changed, there are a crowd of people present, etc.
So now, I seize the opportunity and take the photo right then and there. Last week I was driving to work and saw a piano on the side of the road. I was just barely going to be on time for work, but I also realized that the piano might not be there when I returned back home. So I flipped a u-turn, pulled out the camera and took photos for 10 mins. When I finally did get to work, I WAS late and there were a couple of people waiting for me. But occasionally it's worthwhile being late. On my way home that night, the piano was still there but had been moved off the road into the bushes, the next day it was gone completely. So if I had not stopped, I would have never gotten the photos.
This principle can also be used for photographic subjects that will always be there like the Golden Gate Bridge. I was driving north through San Francisco a couple of weeks ago with my daughter and explained to her than after we crossed the bridge we were going to have to stop for me to take photos because, "it's a rule that as a photographer you have to take a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge whenever you cross it". She called me a nut, but there is some truth to the rule. I have taken photos of the Golden Gate Bridge dozens of times and everytime it looks different. Some are from different perspectives, some have different lighting, some have fog, some don't, but everyone is different.
So sieze the opportunity and take that photo now!
21 Things You Can Do To Today to Change Your Photography Forever
ImprovePhotography.com had a recent blog post listing things you can do to change your photography. There are some very good suggestions there and most don't take that long to do. Give them a try and see if they don't improve your photography.
http://improvephotography.com/1415/21-things-you-can-do-today-to-change-your-photography-forever/
Learning to Say NO!
I recently came across this quote that summed up one of my issues very well.
"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully." -- Steve Jobs
I suffer from this in spades. I am constantly getting distracted by the next idea, project, shoot, you name it. Any good project is going to generate ideas for other projects and I don't tend to have the discipline to say no to these new projects ideas and go off and pursue them as well until I have way too many projects to do.
So starting now I'm picking just one primary project to focus on and I'm going to get it across the finish line before starting any new project.
18 Imaginative Thinkers Break Your Creative Block
Creative blocks happen to everybody. How you deal with it determines how long it lasts. In his blog Luke Copping interviews 18 different creative people on how they avoid or get of creative blocks. Some very interesting perspectives are given.
How To Steal Like An Artist
Austin Kleon had a great post on HOW TO STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST (AND 9 OTHER THINGS NOBODY TOLD ME). Some very good tips on how to be an artist.
1704.9 Miles, 131.2 Gallons of gas
I recently got back from a road trip to Death Valley. The main purpose of the trip was to attend John Paul Caponigro's Death Valley workshop which was excellent (I'll write more about this later). For the trip back home I decided to take Hwy 395 to Tahoe and explore the Alabama Hills, Obsidian Dome, Devil's Post Pile, Mono Lake, and Bodie. There are other stops along the way (such as the Bristle-cone Pines) but I had read up and found they were not accessible during the winter.
Well it turns out most of the sights along Hwy 395 were closed for winter. Nothing in my research had given me any indication that this would be the case and in looking at the map I didn't realize that most of Hwy 395 was above 6000 ft. A big storm had come through the day before my trek so I was unable to get to visit any of the stops except Alabama Hills and some of Mono Lake. I will write more about both of these stops in future posts.
It was a great trip any way and one I plan to repeat in the summer.
Issue with Canon 5D MkII Lockups/Freezing with Video
I just started experimenting with video on my 5DmkII and it's been frustrating. The camera repeatedly locks up during recording. It says the buffer is full, flashes a "Busy" message on the status LCD, and won't power down. The only solution is to remove the battery and lose the video that was recording. Not ideal.
It took me a while but I finally came across this blog post that describes the problem and solution.
Tip: Canon 5D MarkII - Video Locks Up/Freezing (Solution)
Pinup Workshop
I am teaching a workshop on shooting Pinup photos, next Thursday Dec 10th. If you are local and interested, sign-up and join us. Details can be found on Meetup.com
Selling my Canon 50D and 17-55mm f/2.8 Lens
I purchased a Canon 5DmkII yesterday so I'm am selling my Canon 50D body and an EF-S Lens.
Canon 50D - includes box and all items that come new - Canon battery, manuals, strap, CDs, cables, charger + an extra battery. Purchased on 10/2/08 and has about 28K clicks. Still looks great, no significant wear or scratches. Price - $875 including Paypal and shipping in ConUS
Canon EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens - comes with box, lens hood, lens caps, and instructions. This lens has been used for a total of 3K shots and is in great condition. No scratches or blemishes on the lens. Just purchased a 5DMkII so no longer can use this lens. Price - $850 including Paypal and shipping in ConUS
Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk
Ni Ki Cruz Photography Mediacast [09-199D]: Photo Walk Conversation with Craig Colvin
I participated in the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk yesterday and had a great time. Carlos of Ni Ki Cruz Photography did a video inteview with me after the photo walk and you can watch it on BlipTV
The Photo Walk was a lot of fun, I got some great photos which I will posting soon