Wyoming (Canon 20D infrared, 1/800 at f/7.1, 25mm, ISO 100)

I’ve often been asked if I edit all my images immediately after taking them. The answer is yes and no. The instant gratification part of me always rushes to edit the images I have the best “gut” on…meaning those images that I feel I really connected with and nailed. I can’t wait to edit those shots, while at the same time neglecting many images that just don’t seem to meet a particular criteria at the time, or those that I’m not as excited about initially. Now that I’ve amassed a photo library approaching nearly 75,000 images, I’m finding myself going back to review my not so obvious choices. I’m not going to lie. Some of these images aren’t obvious choices for a reason…they stink! But for every 8 or 9 stinkers there’s a welcome surprise that I’ve overlooked in the past. An image, that for whatever reason, I passed over for months or years simply because I didn’t have the vision for its direction at the time. It could be an image that I originally shot in color, but now I can see how it would work as a B&W, or possibly it’s an image where I just didn’t see the right angle or crop for at the time. Regardless of the reason, it’s silly to assume that as our technique and vision change, we simply should abandoned the past. The one sure fire way to look at an image in a new light is consider playing with some preset. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say, “Wow, it’s like looking at my images for the first time.” So here’s my assignment to you for those days when you can’t get out and shoot: Take a look at your library of images and go mining for some lost gems. Play with your presets, try a different crop, but most importantly have fun experimenting. There’s nothing like finding a new vision in an old image…

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Love the travel photography, photo by Kajsa Stolberg

Kajsa here for the weekend post and we’ll be starting a new poll.  The results from the last poll, “Do your photographs capture your personality” show that most people feel that their photos do capture their personality.  Great responses and explanations  – we love to hear the why’s as much as viewing the results of the polls.  Like when Darrell Branch said, “My images are all over the place… some you just like to have around just because they make you feel happy.”  From goofy to too serious it’s fun to see a person’s personality shine through their work.
This week I’m curious what kinds of photography you like to look at.  Does the microscopic view of a macro shot draw your eye, or would you much rather look at a mountain range in the distance?  Can you never get enough of portraits or black and white abstract images?  Vote for your favorite on the side panel and tell us why with a comment!

Foggy Tree (1/160th at f/8, 80mm at ISO 200)

I’ve been in Michigan the last few days attending a few meetings and visiting family.  It seems as though much of Northern Michigan has been covered in fog as the snow is slowly giving way to the Spring rains.   Ever since I was a child I’ve always been fascinated by the fog.  I love the idea how it transforms our perception of reality.  The fog truly creates opportunities for seeing things in a different light. It creates new and interesting images that might otherwise have seemed unworthy of notice.  A tree in a field is transformed into an unknown landmark to be left to anyone’s imagination. For me…the fog opens up my backyard again.  It transforms my familiar surroundings into a foreign and mysterious land and creates countless new images limited only by my imagination.

Idaho Farm (1/640 at f/7.1) 16mm at ISO 200)

Old Tire Swing

I don’t know about you but I really enjoy shooting old abandoned buildings.   I don’t quite know what it is that I love about these rundown buildings other than I think I’m drawn to their solitude.   David E. Jackson, a photographer based out of Appleton Wisconsin, spent several years photographing “rural abandonment” in Wisconsin.  His book, “Simple + Dirty” should have been labeled “Simply Amazing.”  The book is beautiful and his work is well worth checking out.  If you’re not familiar with his work then do yourself a favor and check out his work HERE.   If you’re into shooting abandoned places, I would love to hear why.  Maybe it will help reconcile that I’m not suffering from some Freudian fear of abandonment myself…;)   So drop me a line and tell me why you like shooting these empty, rundown, old buildings.

Frozen Ladder (1/100 at f/8.0; 16mm at ISO 100)

This weekend I had all intentions of taking my camera out and shooting a few frames. But as they say, “life got in the way.”  Between grocery shopping, walking dogs, exercising, and spending time with my kid….time just seemed to slip by.  Instead of beating myself up or making excuses, I’ve decided to embark on a yearlong journey to photograph an image a day.  I’ve been debating this for quite some time, but have shrugged it off due to what I feel would be my inability to deliver the goods.  Like most things, it’s all about making time and giving yourself permission to stink from time to time.   Having said that , I decided to establish some rules that I feel I could live by:  1. It’s ok to take some crappy photos 2. The image or video must be posted on the day it was shot 3. The only way out of posting for the day is in the case of an emergency or zero internet (which sadly enough is an emergency in my world) 4. Most importantly – have fun.  This is all about growing as a photographer and experimenting  a bit to get the creative juices flowing.  I plan on embarking on this journey beginning April 1^st (no, this isn’t an April Fool’s Joke)  and pushing through for the next 365 days.   I’ll let everyone know where I plan on posting the images in the weeks to come, but until then wish me luck…John

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