I used to suck

I was recently going through the archives to get ready for a new art show we've got coming up. In doing so, I forced myself to go through some really old stuff. You know it's old stuff when I see jpegs coming up - back when life was simple and I didn't have to convert all the RAW files that fill up six hard drives and counting...

I used to drive around and try to find cool things... exactly like I do now. Except now, when I find cool things, I know how to photograph them.























A recurring theme for me is photographing graveyards. I love them, and each time I go, there are new things to photograph. Back in the day, I just wasn't very good at it. The picture here, taken with some really unflattering, harsh light, just doesn't work. I, of course, was trying to do "framing" and I probably thought I was being cute... but the final photograph lacks any kind of complexity, and it's just dull.


















I've always liked old trucks. this one is especially cool, but it's ruined by me using the camera on program mode, shooting (again!) with some horrible lighting conditions, and trying to get the entire truck in the photo.


Here is me tragically trying to take pictures of trees that I thought were cool... but taking bad photos of those trees.
Things began to change, close to when my buddy Zach began to get into photography. Here, on one of our photo trips, is Zach at Toadstool national parks in Nebraska. My photos are getting better at this point, even in the harsh mid-day sunlight coming down through the clouds.

Here, on another trip to a small town (again with Zach), is a somewhat cool photo of a cemetary grave marker juxtoposed with the town's water tower in the background. At this point, it's still pretty bad light, but I'm getting better and trying to be a bit more visually stimulating.

More recently, at the Botanical gardens, I didn't take one photo of the ENTIRE building to the left. I just focused on the unique details, and came out with much cooler stuff.



















Now, at this point, I'm beginning to think in terms of the final print and what my audience will see. I'm now learning how to communicate the beauty I find to the world in ways that simply make for better photos.



I'm still learning, and that's what makes it fun. I hope I'm still saying the same thing when I'm 70.