Happy

This picture makes me happy. Hoop dancer. The metadata suggests it was the Indian powwow on Labor Day 2006. It’s a good shot. Good lighting. Nice composition. I’m glad I was there. No complaints.

Striking

What catches your eye? Wildlife, bugs, birds – all difficult subjects. They are wild and act accordingly. It’s not easy to get close enough for a decent picture. Pose? Ha! I feel lucky to get an image. Sometimes we reach détente. I sidle up. The bug sits. I get a picture. Everyone goes away happy.

Better? Sure. But then you have to be happy you got anything. I would not be hanging out if something big and potentially threatening got up close to me. I was limited by the focus of my camera and the zoom. There is only so close you can get while still getting the camera to focus. Often the subject is too small. Enlargement loses detail. Imperfect or nothing? I’ll take the shot.

Quick

I need a shot to commemorate John’s birthday. Remembrance. A small token. He is not forgotten. I miss him. Time passes and the number of people who remember him diminishes. I will remember him always.

Christmas picture. 2003. Canon G3. The metadata is sure useful. A lot of time has passed. I wish it weren’t so.

It is easy to see that flash was used. Natural lighting would have had more yellow tint. Flash, you know it when you see it. Amateur. It’s a single flash built in on the point and shoot camera. But, it worked.

One shot

You think it’s easy? Does it look easy? Work? Does it make you shudder? Cooperation? Any??!!!

Even Colleen was reluctant… till I told her she could wear her favorite dress. Try to get a squirming cat to look at the camera. Flash helps – fast shutter speed. A pose? Just get the cats with their eyes open and looking forward. No cats were harmed in the making of this picture. We got it pretty much down to routine. I set up a tripod, so the perspective does not change. I load batteries in the flash. Each cat is wrangled into position on the table. The order is not important. They all fit side by side according to expression. Done.

Ha ha. Jen pointed out we got photobombed. Spice was in our picture over Colleen’s left shoulder. Yes, I do not have eyes in the back of my head. Hey, I got a shot! Let’s not get too picky.

Luck, persistence, and a lot of space on the memory card…

Me or the camera?

Oh boy! Terrible. What I know now…. And digital lets you shoot and shoot… Do over, please! Gee, but I was terrible. Good camera does not a photographer make. Not much else one can say about a bad pic. Mistakes everywhere you look. Potential. And at least there is something. My childhood had precious few shots – almost none. I could do much better now. Really!?

Lighting, composition, focus, pose… you name it. Focus? I had 20/20 vision. Lens? Camera? Photographer? A poor workman blames his tools. If I do it all over again…

None too cute

Whoa! I did a double take. That’s my kid?! None too handsome! I am embarrassed and ashamed – at myself. What a bad picture! Is it the kid or the photographer? It better be me! Gee! Fat faced and funny looking, could I have done better? I did. And he (no names please) got much better looking. Wow! That was startling to come across. I am still shaken.

Slide film. Poor lighting. Poor composition. I prided myself on knowing how to take a picture. Obviously, I thought too much of my skill. Go home. Try another day. Sorry, this was a bad day.

Early on

In my earliest days I was using black and white film. I was poor. Photography was expensive. Relative to zero income, it was a fortune. I wanted to shoot pictures… I transitioned to color slide. A two week vacation would be under 40 rolls of film – less than 1440 pictures. Ha ha, I can shoot that much in less than a day.

This slide conjures up a lot of memories. Get in line early and stand and wait if you want some kind of view of the spectacle. And the slide is softly focused. Age of the slide and degradation over time? Or was it the nature of the film? Or the photographer? Or the slide scanner limitations? Who knows? I could do better. But then there’s no desire to brave the crowds and stand and wait and…. They can change without me.

Humor

I guess I was doing street photography early on before I recognized the term. We were on a tour. My mother had worked for Pan Am and got employee ticket discount and a tour. We went as a family and were in Japan. Riding in the tour bus I glanced out the window and raised my camera to catch this slide. Yeah, right in the middle of traffic… you know, women put on makeup, and…. It struck me odd then, and it makes me smile now.

Hard

You think shooting a black cat is hard? Try a white one. It’s hard too. Camera sensors do not like extremes in lighting or color. Willow’s eyes are dark in order to expose his fur properly. Ok. One compromises. It can be altered and corrected in Photoshop easily enough. I do not like to work. For the most part, I accept imperfection in the picture. And I hope and wait for a better opportunity. Willow is unfortunately camera shy. He runs when he sees the camera.

Timing

Time waits for no one. The moment is lost forever unless you catch it precisely. Some subjects are slightly more forgiving. A spider web, art…? Others require the precise moment the action occurs. And others require patience for the elements to move into place.

I suppose photography is interesting because you never quite know what you are going to do or to get. Why not! Anything to do with cats? My cat looks. Good? Better? There is subtle difference. Pick? I did. You?