Shooting Daily

In order to be good at something you must practice. I cannot tell you the number of hours spent swimming up and down the pool. Or the number of flip turns, starts and finishes I did so I could be better than the rest. It was engaged practice day in and day out that propelled me to the top of swimming. So why would it be any different with photography?  

Besides swimming, photography has been the only thing I felt I excelled in. I believe I had the eye for composition and the ability to pick subjects that most overlook. So when I was young I spent time taking photographs of everything I could, well as long as I could afford it. See back in the days of my youth photography was of chemistry, film and paper. It was more intense but it was also more expensive so experimenting was limited by your finances and not your ideas. 

Now that digital has arrived other than the initial cost, digital photography cost almost nothing when it comes to experimenting. Instead of waiting until the next day to see if your images had come out, with digital you can see instantly. Then if the image is not to your expectation then you make your changes and try again. So why wouldn't anyone spend the time practicing and learning to get it right in the camera?

Well there is no reason in my life that should hold me back from taking photographs on a daily basis, but the reason I haven't is because I'm lazy which I will change this year. I started today by creating photos were texture compelled the image I captured. I walked around looking for subjects of texture and I wasn't disappointed. I started with my neighbors fence and ended with a tree. Every image I created grabbed me but not all 40ish images survived the editing process and that was ok. Not everything I shoot will come out to be a work of art. 

The first image I was attracted to the highlights of some golf the leaves against the darker decaying leaves. It reminds me of the underlying hope of what could happen among the decay that surrounds us. 

The second image was really not about texture but the lack of it. Sometimes it is the negative space or the subtraction of light that gives the image it's power. For me that is what this is about. 

The last is about the texture of the metal lock against the weathering of the wood it is attached to. 

My goal is to do create photos daily and if they are interesting enough I will post them from time to time. My mission is not to create masterpieces each time I take a picture but to be able to see and create a photograph better on the projects I am putting my energy into. To be a master of my craft I should practice, don't you think?