Advanced Mentorship Mission 3 Plus Post

Plus Supplement

OK, so this is a two part post. First off...everyone hoot and holler with me cuz my son's Varsity basketball team just won the school's first ever District Championship!!!! If you've been following any of my basketball posts over the last year then you'll know that it has been a rough go. (tough time with his coach, lung collapsed in 2011,not enough play time etc) But, you'll also know that he works hard at it...plays 6 days a week year round and never complains at all. So this was a really big night for him and the team. For me as a parent it was just awesome to have something of a high note on the season. And that's about as high as you get ;)

I shot on ISO 1600 because of the lighting and had to adjust quite a bit depending on what I was shooting. Drastic differences in light on the court vs right in front of me vs on the bench really challenged me to shoot without looking. I cheated. I would set for the light, then take a few, adjust up or down and then shoot a bit. It was frustrating to not be able to realize without viewing the shot after, that I was too bright or too dark.

On the LR side of things, I only have one shot of the net, I opened in PS at one point but didn't make changes and quit out. Since then I show one net in LR but it uploaded 2 here and facebook.

This is obviously not my plus post but wanted to get these things out while I could remember. Most of these shots were for "news capture" and not creative because I was basically preserving some memories and getting some shots were more important than being sure I was shooting it correctly. That said, I mostly did OK with the exposure settings on the fly but I am horrible at sports/action shooting. And yes, I was handheld. There was standing room only in the gym so I wasn't going to bring the tripod anyway. Oh and I was at the top of the bleachers so pretty far away, many shots were fully extended with 50-250mm so I just worked a bit on my handheld breathing while shooting those.

Oh, and my son is number 12 if you can't figure it out by the excessive photos of him. lol And TOMORROW I shoot for me, the shots I've been trying to get for 2 weeks. I'm taking time from work no matter what happens!!!

Plus Post


OK, well I touched on it a bit with my sports post so I won't rehash.

Today I went out to a local train yard with the hopes that I could get close enough. So, I managed to snap a bunch before getting booted out!

The good: I started out with the same frustrations with getting the right conditions for light. It was a beautiful sunny day but about an hour from dusk so great conditions for shooting. I was in and out of shade, behind buildings, close up and far away etc. For the first 10 minutes I was checking the screen a lot while setting my iso vs making adjustments to aperture (that is what I'm doing when I click the wheel to allow more or less while in AP mode, correct Ron?) then something clicked in my head. I started noticing more going on with the settings while looking in the viewfinder. The numbers started clicking and I did some "tests". I purposely changed up some things, checked numbers and made adjustments. Blam! I was close every time!! So, I ended up taking about 400 shots and almost all of them where either right on the money or very close to where they should be. No dark, no blown out, close almost every time! I about did cartwheels. I was able to adjust the ISO slightly and make adjustments when needed. Awesome sauce.

The bad: FOCUS! First I left my tripod in the car so all hand held. Second, I am using my left eye now because my right eye is not seeing clearly. Only my right eye. I am giving it a few days then seeing a doc. But, that still shouldn't have been a big deal. But, I discovered that I'm fighting with the focus settings on my camera so next week that is my "hardware" focus. I chose to shoot all auto focus and yes changed up a few settings but still didn't get the desired affect. I purposely stayed away from manual because I want to get this autofocus down.

My results: The theme is "On Track" and I think that I did a pretty good job of keeping to it (note that I didn't include the rockin flower shot or broken down building shot that I took today) but I am really not happy with them all. I like "parts" of each shot and see where I didn't deliver what I saw when on site so that is pretty frustrating for me. But, I do feel like I'm making progress and once I get past the biggest hurdle of not shooting enough I think that will help tons. I am going to try to at least take shots for 10 minutes everyday. We'll see how it goes.

Advanced Mentorship Plus Post Week 2

PLUS POST MISSION 2


OK, this was a REALLLY rough week for me. I pretty much hate (ok, strongly dislike mostly because of focus issues) my selects. I took like 250 shots today during my one hour break in the day and this was the best of the group. I discovered that I am TERRIBLE with a monopod. It was my first time using it so I know there's a learning curve but ironically, most of these shots are no pod, handheld. I used it for most everything shot today.


I also learned that I look way too much. I am just not comfortable with iso etc. yet and adjust and need to look. I take a shot of the lake and then of the rope next me and need to compensate greatly. I'm just not able to do it yet without looking to check.


I also discovered that I need a really good long zoom. It's not gonna happen for a while, so I need to figure out how to adjust. Do I just not even attempt things that far away, keep them as landscapes? I just don't know yet.


I put 5 instead of 3 here not because of quality but so that you could get an idea of my subject matter and also for help in getting better at it obviously.


As for the camera, I am getting much better at not looking when changing if needed. The manual/auto on the lens feels hard to push and I have to pull away sometimes but I can "feel" where they all are. I really need to put some time aside and figure out LR. I am learning some by accident. I've got a system to copy to a drive as I go so that's nice, the tags are obviously easy, the big thing is the export process and how I keep records of what I've done. I'll post separate on that.


Sorry for the lateness of this. Don't worry I'm not discouraged. I've just got work to do. I will try the tripod a bit next week when I get the plate from my daughter, maybe that will be better.

*note: I would have liked to go back in and color correct these shots but have not had time. I was playing with the blue and tweaked too much so that it looks like the wrong WB. 2am photo editing is not wise ;)

Advanced Mentorship: Week One Plus Post

Part 1: SELF EVALUATION

YUK! But, Oh so necessary in order to grow.

"What I want you to do is recognize any patterns that you see in style, cropping, common colours and tones. contrast, lack of contrast. In other words I want you to see what you have up till now been naturally drawn to capture or create."

Well, this is easier said than done. I've spent so much time looking through my photography that I've taken over the last few years...sadly I'm not happy with most of it. I guess that is a good thing, right? It must mean that I'm getting more "critical" and can easier recognize quality. Ha! I'd like to think that's what is happening but maybe I'm just bored with something that I did already. Or intimidated by all of the amazing work that is being done out there.

In any case, the task was to find common threads. I think that naturally I go for either stark contrasts, complimentary colors or color washes. I'm not a fan of what I will call "bland". This is not to be confused with "soft" but rather just not anything exciting going on. For example, my Toad shot is what I would call a wash of the same theme. It was done this way intentionally and though it is a dull color I like it because the Toad is pure awesome. He has character and the simplicity of the photo with it's color and dof help to make him stand out. (at least I think that's what is doing it)

This brings me to my other thread, personality. I love to capture it in animals and sometimes even see it in in animate objects. Like this shot of tree branches that are OBVIOUSLY crossing their legs!

And this is probably what brings me the biggest joy. Capturing something "unseen" by the casual passerby. I want to challenge people to think differently, SEE differently and ultimately FEEL differently. I want to create emotion. Sometimes with an unusual view, or harsh crop, or uncomfortable space. Sometimes with a bright color screaming out from an area void of life. But, mostly I think with getting in close...REALLY CLOSE...to see something that you didn't realize was there, like the tiny little threads on this rope...

What this really taught me is that I haven't FOUND MY STYLE yet. Sure, I gravitate towards certain things but I don't produce art yet. That I guess is what I hope to get out of this experience.

PART 2: PINTEREST

Seriously?! It's like giving crack to an addict! I had to pull myself away to do the other part of the assignment And yes, I started with number 2...this is how an A.D.D. person approaches things, totally non-linear. I suppose this is why I found myself in a career as a ...wait for it..."non-linear editor"! More on this later. But, for pinning...I seem to like VIVID, IN YOUR FACE, CREATIVE! I also love texture, tone and architecture. No surprise I totally dig crazy DoF and abstract angles. I was however surprised at the amount of "uniform" photos that I liked. Equal lines and angles, or a row of trees evenly spaced etc. Many "design" elements that I wouldn't necessarily think of as part of photography but makes total sense. I was also surprised with how many "single color" themed photos I choose and that I strayed from landscapes. There were a ton that didn't "grab" me and those that did seemed to be in the uniform, fantasyish, vivid color categories. As far as "pinning" goes, I love it mainly because it let's me "collect my inspirations" and go back and get inspired over and over again.

Part 3: Write me a letter -

"I want you to write me a letter telling me a few things. Tell me what you want this mentorship will help you with. Assume I know nothing about you and you want me to get to know these things about you as a photographer. I want it to include what it is about photography that makes you pick up your camera. I want to know when you have a choice, what you prefer to shoot. I want to know if time and money were not an issue, what then would you shoot. consider these questions and answer them honestly."

Well, I've been working in the broadcast industry for years and most of it as an editor...putting together the story. Because it's been on a small scale...ie. not Hollywood...I've spent a lot of that time also as a Producer/Creative Director. Basically, I see the big picture in my head and put it together for others to see also. Sometimes this is on paper (a script), sometimes via a website or marketing package and others it is through moving pictures. This is how I've made my living, creatively telling stories. I've always loved photography and have done it as part of my job when clients need something as part of the "story" that I'm telling. But, I have never let my passion for it really come out. I've never had time. Last year I decided I would make the time. I want to be an artist, not a photographer. Sure that's the end result but I want my work to be so much more than "ya, that's beautiful". I want it to move people. I want to elicit emotion. I want it to be gallery worthy. Now, that being said...I see many "photographers" on G+ that I consider to be artists. What I mean is that an artist does it for the art...not the client. I want to get to the point where I am making my living telling stories one picture at a time...and telling them my way. I want film/video to be my hobby. I need to reverse my roles. I'm good at what I do but I want both to be an art. Right now, it's a living.
When I grab my camera and decide "oooh ya, nice", it's usually to capture a creature, an interesting flower/tree, architecture or texture. I adore macro but I hate being on a tripod, most comes from handheld zoom lens right now. I NEED to learn how to get good quality photographs...I need to learn the ins and outs, the technical. I keep reading it, but it's not clicking for me. I think that my brain is so fried and I'm terrible with remembering the "little details", remember I'm big picture. So, my biggest frustration comes in not being able to duplicate the image that I have in my head of how something should look. I want that to stop.

OK, so here's the bucket list so to speak, mainly because like I said I see big picture. I dream big and let the pieces fall. I LOVE to travel, to experience different cultures, to meet people, to share in that joy with others. I LOVE nature and wildlife...there is sooooo much out there that I am in awe all the time. I LOVE creating...from molding clay to making movies to writing stories to new ideas to making creatures out of office supplies. My mind does not stop. Everyday I say these words "I really need to figure out what I want to do when I grow up", no lie. Right now I'm doing the social media thing for my clients and working with an amazing musician and yes, I'm happy doing it.  But,  if tomorrow I could do anything, go anywhere and money was no issue...I would travel all over the world (with a small band of equally insane travelers looking to get all they can out of life) and capture "glimpses" of each experience as a frozen moment in time. Each area has so much beauty in it...animals, architecture, flowers, music, culture...all that are distinctly their own. And yet, somehow we are all connected by it all. And then share it all in stunning HD on this incredible free resource we call the internet with blogs and video of the amazing people that we meet sharing this crazy planet and above all I would cherish each new experience, each joy and savor it until the next shiny nugget of existence creeps into my field of view and takes me on a new adventure. Pure joy.

Advanced Mentoring Program: It begins

Well it's 2013 and since the 2012 mentorship program I have been snapping away but haven't had much time to devote to it.

So, I'm SUPER EXCITED to begin this new year with a new focus on my passion for photography.  I've learned a lot in a year and look forward to this next journey. I will use this space for my lessons, my thoughts and my photos but you can always come visit me on G+, links on the side. Thank you +Ron Clifford for this incredible opportunity to learn.

I shall leave you with an image that I took as part of the +Chrysta Rae's Photography Scavenger Hunt last year and one that I submitted to #plusonecollection2012

I see that as my stepping off point.