Owning a camera and having your relatives say they think you should be a photographer doesn’t mean you should become a photographer. This is a photographer.
It’s take more than a camera
In other news … new Flickr layout
Flickr is (feebly attempting to prove it’s) not fully dead (just severely wounded) and has introduced us to “bigger” photos, with this ultra new idea of responsive languid liquid layouts.
In other other news, Flickr is still the same site it was 5 years ago.
Brand shmand
What’s most important is what comes out of your camera, not what went into it.
A noble goal
“The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each to himself. And that is the most complicated thing on earth.”
— Edward Steichen
While it’s easy to attribute (a made up, “deeper”) meaning to a dead leaf, photography that truly leaves an impression and lasts through time are those that contain a glimpse of humanity.
Using a flash isn’t always best
Using a Flash to take pictures of fireworks is like taking a bath with your clothes on. I know it’s hard to find time to read (with all the rushing around and ignoring people aound you), but learn some basic functions of your camera so that the rest of us aren’t blind. More often than not you’re built in flash makes a photo worse.
Jurassic Camera
To paraphrase the immortal words of Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Just because you can (take a photograph) doesn’t mean you should (take a photograph)”. Words to live by.
Do something, don’t just have something
Often it feels that “photographers” are more interested in their equipment (and aquiring “vintage” Polaroids, etc) rather than the images they create. Do something (with what you have), don’t just have something (because it’s cool to own it).
You’re not fooling anyone, except that maybe you are
You know what you can’t fix with Photoshop? Taking an actual good photograph. Look past the colorizing and fliters and composites of 25 separate exposures and see if you can find a story. If there’s no story, there’s no photograph, just a snapshot for a scrapbook dedicated of a to some faceless hipsters feet.
Time to move on top another style
When a cellphone app can replicate that coveted “I’m so cool I use film but not really because I don’t have the money to spend on it but I’m really awesome, look at this lonely tree” look, it might be time to think about taking real photos.
