I have recently crested the age of, well old, and with each passing birthday I have taken a hard look at my year past. I measure up what I have accomplished with what is still needed to be done. Well at this time I feel that I have not completed much and it is not for a lack of trying. No my problem is procrastination. I love putting off what I could do today for tomorrow, just ask my wife. However I do believe that I am getting better at completing tasks that I don’t always like but I still have to work at it. The proof is in my long honey do- list that is brought out by my wife from time to time.
With the passing birthday I have set out to to do that one thing I have always wanted to do but felt I was not sure where to start. I have thought about it, people have told me to do it, and now it is time to do it. With pencil to note pad I sketched out a plan to work into a large project like this. It is not easy to start photographing a project this size without a plan...Right? Not having a plan is one of the principle reasons I have not attempted this earlier but now that I have a plan why not try. I can always change and update what I am trying to do and in the end I am creating the images for me with the hope someone else might like them too.
I have admired a lot of different photographers in my life time. I was drawn to the striking black and white images of Ansel Adams, the beautiful color of the prairie captured by Michael Forsburg , the Nebraska Images of Joel Store and Jim Brandenburg’s wolves and ravens. Not to forget the images of Texas that Wyman Meinzer that did .My dad had sent me that link. All those images have all filled my head and moved me to want to in some way recreate that. I can’t, nor do I wish to but instead I would like to accomplish what they have done in the state I live in.
So my goal this year is to start photographing Iowa and capture the images that best reflect the way I am moved by the beauty of this state. I plan to do this in both color as well as black and white. Try to reflect the life and all that goes on. Yup I just might have just bitten off more than I can chew but I have to give it a try. Life is short and that is no more apparent than when you work in a hospital, so I have to try. Otherwise I fear that on my death bed I will be saying, “I should have tried” instead of “I did what I wanted to do.”
So today I started on my quest with a trip to Kepler State Park and walked around with no intention to photograph anything. I just wanted to see the park and get familiar with it. I have always found my best work comes from what I know best. I figured that if I get to know the area in and around the park then I could get some great images. And as time moves on I can radiate out from there until I have covered the state.
The other thing I am trying to reconcile is whether to display my images as I finish them or hold them back for later. The great thing about showing them off on the internet is the immediate feed back but the surprise or freshness of the image is gone at the time of display. I am afraid that I will get caught in the need to shoot more to fill the book or show when I have the photographs already. I guess I will try to meet in the middle somehow.
With the passing birthday I have set out to to do that one thing I have always wanted to do but felt I was not sure where to start. I have thought about it, people have told me to do it, and now it is time to do it. With pencil to note pad I sketched out a plan to work into a large project like this. It is not easy to start photographing a project this size without a plan...Right? Not having a plan is one of the principle reasons I have not attempted this earlier but now that I have a plan why not try. I can always change and update what I am trying to do and in the end I am creating the images for me with the hope someone else might like them too.
I have admired a lot of different photographers in my life time. I was drawn to the striking black and white images of Ansel Adams, the beautiful color of the prairie captured by Michael Forsburg , the Nebraska Images of Joel Store and Jim Brandenburg’s wolves and ravens. Not to forget the images of Texas that Wyman Meinzer that did .My dad had sent me that link. All those images have all filled my head and moved me to want to in some way recreate that. I can’t, nor do I wish to but instead I would like to accomplish what they have done in the state I live in.
So my goal this year is to start photographing Iowa and capture the images that best reflect the way I am moved by the beauty of this state. I plan to do this in both color as well as black and white. Try to reflect the life and all that goes on. Yup I just might have just bitten off more than I can chew but I have to give it a try. Life is short and that is no more apparent than when you work in a hospital, so I have to try. Otherwise I fear that on my death bed I will be saying, “I should have tried” instead of “I did what I wanted to do.”
So today I started on my quest with a trip to Kepler State Park and walked around with no intention to photograph anything. I just wanted to see the park and get familiar with it. I have always found my best work comes from what I know best. I figured that if I get to know the area in and around the park then I could get some great images. And as time moves on I can radiate out from there until I have covered the state.
The other thing I am trying to reconcile is whether to display my images as I finish them or hold them back for later. The great thing about showing them off on the internet is the immediate feed back but the surprise or freshness of the image is gone at the time of display. I am afraid that I will get caught in the need to shoot more to fill the book or show when I have the photographs already. I guess I will try to meet in the middle somehow.
Want to see more? Like me on my
No comments:
Post a Comment