The Photographer's Question

There have been hundreds of thousands of people... forget that... MILLIONS of people that find their art, and creativity in photography. People love it!! People have a passion for it. People see the world through a camera even when a viewfinder isn't lifted to their eye.

Something happens to a person once they snap the shutter, and they've captured a specific moment in time. Hell, maybe you dont feel that way about photography, but I do! Sometimes I just see something, an urge takes over, and I NEED to capture it. Even if it doesn't turn out to be the best photo ever I still needed to take that photo. I always go with my feelings when it comes to photography.

That relationship, or connection with pictures that I have probably comes from my parents. We've always put photos on our walls, either of just the family, or of a great sunset my father got to see while fishing. My mother always creates these cool scrapbook-esq pieces to put on our walls. I know thats where my love of scrap-booking comes from. There's just so much to do with photographs, and thats what makes this medium so great!

So, the passion is there. You have the creativity. Hell, you even have a camera. For those who want to become a photographer have to ask the question: How do I make a living doing this??

My generation has seen photographs go from just 35mm film to the whole Instagram situation! The transition to digital was mind blowing for everyone, I think. Everything became SO easy!!! Today, everyone is a photographer. Everyone that can get their hands on a smartphone and create an Instagram account, slaps some filters on their pictures calls themselves a photographer. Call me a snob, but I've had training in photography, and I feel like I've developed a style, and an eye for certain detail. I have practiced my photography, looked into techniques, ventured into what I think is art on a photography standpoint, and I'm sorry but Instagram?? If thats what in fact you are doing... YOU ARE NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER.

Being a photographer is far more than just taking a picture. Anyone can do that! Especially now, more than ever. So, what is it that sets the real Photographers a part from the fakes? Anyone can learn the equipment(depending on how quick you learn, and your ability to pick up on tech-y things.) We've already established anyone can actually take the picture. So, what do I think it is? There are so many out there utilizing our precious moments like our weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and even our children to make a buck and to call themselves photographers. These are the things we want captured. We want to re-live those great moments. We want to freeze our child in time to remember how cute they were at 4 years old, especially when they become that horrible, rebellious teen. I'm sure several people have encountered the terrible class photos, family portrait, or even wedding photos where you ended up wasting thousands of dollars. When things like this happen that's when you know not everyone can be a photographer. Mainly because you're pissed that you got shitty photos out of the deal.

There are many different types of photography out there, and I'd like to think that the beloved "Long-Arm photography" as I like to call it, is not a type of photography, but just the thing that those instagramers need to fulfill whatever attention needs they have. We live in a world of instant gratification now, and Instagram is just the thing to satisfy the needs of the attention-whore. I wont even get into the duck-face and bathroom mirror photos!!

Long Arm Photography!! 

See, even I've done it. 

I will not say that everyone on Instagram is talent-less. I have seen some great things on there!! I have always said that it doesn't matter what equipment you use to be a great photographer. I've seen some crazy impressive equipment owned by a half-assed photographer and didn't really impress me with what they produced. I've seen amazing things come from people that could only afford a cheap point and shoot. So, equipment does not make the photographer!


The Photographer's question isn't, "How Do I make a living doing this?" Now, it's "Am I REAL Photographer?" A great photographer is humble, and know thats there is always room for improvement. They never get to cocky either. They always work hard with the equipment they have, and they go with their instinct, and feeling when they take a photo. A great photographer has immaculate attention to detail. It's the difference between a ruined photograph when a photographer doesn't see that bra strap, or a lop-sided tie, or the garbage-can in the distance of a great landscape. A photographer that sees the tiniest detail, and the big picture, all at the same time! Knowing your equipment is half the battle, it doesn't have to be a Leica, but whatever you are using make sure you know how to produce the best picture possible. Knowing how to work with what you have is a great skill, and I'll go as far as to say thats even a talent.

When I think about how I take pictures, and if I am in fact a "Real Photographer" I often wonder if I passed the bar, or are up to par, or whatever measurement you want to use. Do I measure it by how many people say they love my work? Do I base it off of how much I sell? I'm not really sure. I do appreciate the eye that I have. I think that composition, and whatever you put in that frame is the most important. It doesn't matter if you had a bad camera, you were freezing, and couldn't achieve a steady hand, or that person just photo-bombed your picture. If you have a vision make sure it makes the frame exactly the way you wanted it to.

Capturing a moment is one thing, but if you can capture that moment, the emotion, and make someone else, even a total stranger, feel that emotion years later from looking at it than it goes way beyond just snapping the shutter. When you can do that you can then say yes, I am a REAL Photographer.

I like the Black and White!

One on-Going Project I have going is this NYC black and white project.

So, what do I mean Black and White? When I look at things I feel like I always see things in photograph form. I can see the composition constantly. When I see a photo with my eyes, and the urge strikes "Yes, you need to take a picture" thats exactly what I need to do.

Sometimes while walking around the city on my everyday errands I see colors that just stand or POP out. For me, the color black is such a striking color, and very aesthetically pleasing to my eye. It's my favorite color. I dont know why. It just is. The color black happens naturally in a lot of ways in the city, and I wanted to capture that. I didnt want to make just make some regular black and white photo. I love black and White photography, but I wanted to find black and whites that were already there.

I'm real big on contrast too. I want things to be striking!! I love black and whites. I am really into the giant contrast between the two. I love the combination. To find that combination in the city is a bit more challenging. This project is definitely in progress. I think as I go along my end result may change, morph, and develop into something I am not aware of now. Who knows?? But thats the beauty of art!!

Here a few examples of what I mean. These aren't edited. Once I think I am done shooting this than I will go into my editing stage.

Those are just a few examples of where I am going with this. I really wanted to avoid the continuous picture of texts, signs, and things of that nature. The nails picture isn't really a Black and White per se, but I liked it. I may include the grey areas into this whole project. I'm not sure. I took the picture so, it has to be connected in some way. I'll find the connection down the line somewhere.

New Zealand Panoramas

I wanted to feature a few pictures that I just absolutely love!!

To start, I want to get into the whole panorama style. We all have seen the apps on the smart phones that do the piecing together to make 360 panoramas. We also have the point and shoot cameras that do that as well. I feel as though the whole environment of making absolutely everything easier makes a lot of things more insignificant, or at least just not as special. It also takes out the skill required to take great 360 panoramas. Don't get me started on the whole Instagram phenomenon. Now, everyone under the sun is a photographer, right? UGH!

All we have to do now is hold up our latest addiction called a smart phone. Swipe it across the room. Press a quick button, and in 2 or 3 seconds flat you have a brand spanking new 360 panorama photograph!! Dont get me wrong I love seeing them! I think Panoramas are awesome even if it is done with a smart phone. But I DO NOT use those apps!

When I first discovered how great a panorama photo is, I looked into how it was originally done before all of this smart phone business came into play.

Take your camera, make sure you have proper consistant prospective, exposure, and a damn good steady hand, or tripod. You later take all these photos(you usually take any where from 15-40 photos, depending on what you want to include. Sometimes even more) and than edit them together. There is specific software you can use that can seam all your photos together for you. I know photoshop has photo-merging. What I wanted to do was to seam everything together manually myself. My first panorama ... geez was that hard!! I knew I needed more practice shooting it, and also editing the seams! It's tough!!!

The above panorama was my first one. It was taken in Goa, India. Colva beach. It was shot as a complete 360, but because I wasn't really even with my horizon some pics trailed off and weren't aligned with the other photos and I wasn't able to get the ends in. I loved it, I picked such a hard location. The people made it extra hard to make sure it was a smooth seaming. I had a hard time with the sky too. You can see the inconsistent color, and exposure in the sky. The sky in photos for me is the hardest to seam together. Also the horizon is a bit lop-sided. Practice was needed!! It helped me shoot better the next time around.


Why did I want to go through all this trouble?? I don't know, I just felt I needed to learn this way first before jumping into some crazy software. I wanted to know how hard it was. Was it paying respects? Maybe. Paying my dues?? Most likely. There is a plus side to doing it all your self though. I am able to control everything, and not have to deal with the details of a software program to make very tiny changes. Cons: it just takes more time.

I have been taking a lot of photos to do panoramas. I have a page on my site that features them.

My Panoramas

I have been working on a big one!! I can't wait to finish it, and show everyone. It was taking me a long while to finish it. I was working on it for hours a day for weeks!! I finally decided to take a break from it. I will be getting back to it, and finishing it soon. I think taking a break from creative work, and going back to it is definitely good for the artist. Your mistakes become more noticeable, and sometimes you can see things a bit more objectively, which will only make your art better, or more of what you envisioned for it in the first place. ON the other hand it can morph into something greater than you originally though. Taking a break is never bad, well, at least not to me. Others will beg to differ.

My most recent finished panoramas are below. They have to be my favorite ones to date!!

This one was taken at the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand. An absolutely amazing place! I remember how I felt that day, and how lucky I was to see that! I felt like I was seeing perfection! I wasn't able to get an entire 360, but a pretty, damn good 180.

I really love this Panorama! It really has to be my top pick thus far. This wasn't a full 360 either. I could have made it a whole 360. The other side was beautiful as well, but there's a viewing area that includes railings, concrete and cement. I'm just not into showing that sometimes. I wanted this one to be just the view, not HOW we viewed it to be included. I am not against showing the entire real environment, but this one, I wanted it to be just the view I got to take in.


You can definitely see my progression, and growth when addressing my skill in panoramas. My first to my most recent, what a difference!!!

So, for aspiring photographers, even if you think you aren't any good at photography, or not up to par now, just know that you'll get there, and definitely get better!! Dont give up!!