Unfortunately I have not been able to keep up with this blog. I recently started law school in Seattle and it has taken over my life. I haven't been taking on a lot of professional jobs but do participate in a lot of film based street photography while I commute to school. Stay tuned and when I'm able to develop and scan some film rolls, I'll upload it for your viewing.
G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
in Photography, Review
All to often do we fall into an activity, that we get so caught up in things that aren't so important that we forget why we got into the activity in the first place. In terms of photography, this could mean that a photography acquires G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).
I have to admit that I myself have acquired this. In the recent months, I've been caught up in acquiring new and old lenses, just to try them out and to have the best lens for every situation. The problem with this is that I ended up with a bunch of lenses that I have to drag around and a hole in my wallet.
When you have a lot of options to choose from, you often don't know what to choose. When I travel and visit new locations, I often don't know what to expect and would have to carry as much gear as possible. This just causes more physical strain, takes away time as more time is needed to set up, and just reduces my productivity over all.
I recently saw a post about this subject and it was suggested that the reader should stick to a single focal length/lens. I decided on using my 35mm lens as this was the one that I started on. The 35mm really forces you to work for the shot. It's more on the wider side of the spectrum so you have to interact with your environment and subject.
Of course for someone who is a working photographer, this may not be the wisest decision. I'll be shooting a wedding in a few weeks and I will not be limiting myself to just the 35mm. This would be careless and not fare to the bride and groom. If I limited myself to just one lens, I believe that there is a great probability that I will miss a lot of important shots. Other than in paid situations, I will be sticking to my 35mm.
If you yourself are struck with G.A.S., I would highly recommend trying to use just one lens (preferably a prime) for an extended amount of time. See what you can do with what you have and explore your creativity.
Dirt Days
in Photography
I was recently invited to go to a family dirt vehicle riding day. Luckily for me, I work at a motorcycle shop and one of my coworker's nickname happens to be "A-Class". If you can't tell by his nickname, he's pretty fast and pretty good at riding. I took the opportunity to invite A-Class to accompany me to this dirt party so I could get some action photos.
This outing was greatly successful as I got some amazing photos that is very different from what I'm used to taking. Action photography is very fast paced. There is little opportunity to stage a photo. You just have to set up, then prey and spray. Of course it's not that simple but you will definitely take a lot of garbage photos just to catch that one moment.
This opportunity definitely sparked in new interest in my photography. I look forward to doing more of this kind of work.
Photography while Traveling by Motorcycle
in Travel
I recently acquired a Harley Davidson Sportster and have been spending the last month or so of my life building it and turning it into what you see in the picture. It has come a long way and believe me, it started out nothing like what is pictured.
My decision to buy another motorcycle was mainly because I wanted to travel by motorcycle and be able to take pictures. Traveling like this definitely forces you to carry just what you need to get the job done. You have to think about the location and what kind of photo you're going to take. For most of my personal work, I would only need my 14-24 f/2.8 and 24-70 f/2.8. These two lenses cover quite a large range of focal lengths that can be used for most applications. Stay tuned for a future post in which I lay out my entire travel bag.
California Love
in Travel
I recently took a little 8 day vacation to California. If you didn't know, I'm located in Washington. I try to take a road trip down to California every year or so. The drive takes about 21 hours to get get to the Mexican border if you just stay on I5 (the main highway) or closer to 30 hours if you take the much more scenic route along the pacific coast.
I've never taken the short route (by using the main highway) down to California so I decided on doing that this time. This trip included stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego and everything in between.
As a photographer, my camera is almost permanently attached to my hip. I was able to take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland, Universal Studios, the San Diego nightlife and a family's baptism. Overall it was a successful trip and a good opportunity to get away from my life in Washington. I hope that everyone who reads this is able to take some time once in awhile to get away from what they're used to and enjoy a change of scenery. You never know what you may discover!