Photography
Art that I Create
In the days I made photos using film SLRs, I wasn’t a very good photographer. Moving to digital has been a godsend as the immediate feedback from an exposure quickly taught me do’s and don’ts. I was able to learn the craftsmanship I needed to support my vision.
A turning point in my journey came in March 2007 when I took a photograph in Washington Park. I looked at that photo and decided that maybe I was at the point where I could actually do something with photography. It was time to get serious. The first thing I did was make A Poster. Things snowballed from there, and I invested in new equipment – and dove into learnings and experimentation.
One of my instructors at the Newspace Center for Photography thought it only natural that one of our goals was to have our photos exhibited in a gallery. And while many did aspire to that, I hadn’t given the matter any thought at all. Even now I have to question why I would want to do that. Ego? Money? Fame? (Well... a very small amount of local fame, I guess. Baby steps.) Perhaps respect from my peers?
I haven’t yet found any reason strong enough. But to have such a goal might push me to work harder – so perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad thing. I do check out the local exhibitions and do a mental comparison. My photography is better than some, not as good as most. “Better” being subjective, of course. For now, I simply want to improve. Someday I may submit a photo for exhibition just to go through the experience. I’m in no rush.
While I continue to experiment with all kinds of photography, my niche is event photography. I rely on a photojournalism style, preferring candid photos to staged. I am invited to photograph events for organizations. I‘m also asked to do portraits. I‘m less comfortable with that, but my work is generally liked, so I get plenty of requests. Photographing people is harder – but more interesting – than photographing places or things.