J Eason Photography Blog

Photographic Life

J. Eason — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:17:42 +0000

“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” ~Ansel Adams

As hobbyists, it can often be difficult to find the time to shoot and express yourself creatively through photography. Not everyday is going to be conducive to satisfying the creative needs of your soul but everyday can have an impact on your photography. Although you don’t have time to take pictures, edit them, or promote your photography, you can almost always find time to think about your photography and about other photographers’ work.

One of the things I do is listen to many podcasts and try new podcasts out on occasion. The podcasts I listen to on a regular basis are:

Thoughts on Photography with Paul Giguere: In Thoughts on Photography, Paul Giguere talks only about the creative side of photography and living the photographic life. At times he interviews other photographers and speaks with them only about their inspirations and creative processes. It’s a great podcast to get the creative side juiced up while you can’t actually take photos.

This Week in Photography: TWIP is a podcast that speaks more to the technical side of photography and how the technology we use today affects our artwork.

Lenswork Podcast with Brooks Jenson: Brooks Jenson, the editor of Lenswork Publishing, creates a podcast in which he talks about a central issue he experiences throughout his photographic journey. Each podcast is short and sweet and offers a lot of information to get you thinking about your own photography. I find that I spend about an hour or so thinking about my photography after each two minute or so podcast.

The Art of Photography: The Art of Photography is a podcast done by Ted Forbes. It offers technical instruction for all types of photography not just digital. If you want to learn about Holgas, different film sizes, or how to process your film, this is the place to go.

Another way to live the photographic life when you are not able to take photos is by looking and analyzing the photos of other photographers. I often do this exercise when I am in a creative rut as well. What I’ll do is log onto flickr.com or pick up a book of one of the greats such as Robert Frank’s, The Americans, or Walker Evans’, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. What I do is find some place quiet and spend some time looking at the photos and finding what I like and don’t like about a photo. It’s much more than just looking at something that attracts my eye but finding out why it attracted my eye. Then seeing if I can use that same sort of technique or something like it in my own photos. Don’t copy the photo verbatim because that will not help you think creatively but figure out how to create an appealing photo in the way that the other photographers did so.

How to Keep Your Motivation

J. Eason — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:41:35 +0000

It can be fairly difficult to keep a steady stream of photos in your portfolio. There are times when you just feel content with the pictures you have taken and feel like you are doing the same thing over and over again. Well the best way to remedy is (it may be obvious) to try something different.

I used to consider myself a landscape photographer and only a landscape photographer. I found that while I enjoy taking landscape photos, that I found it difficult to find new landscapes due to my limited ability to travel. I also grew to become content with my abilities to shoot a great landscape photo. While my landscape photos are not the best out there, I was satisfied with them.

So, I began to take my photography in another direction. Instead of focusing on landscape photography alone, I decided to try some other areas of photography. I’m a big fan of natural light and how it affects a scene and the moment in time that a photographer decides to snap the shutter. So, after looking at the work of classic street photographers I decided to try my hand at street photography.

I picked up an old 35mm rangefinder (minolta hi-matic 7sii) and went into a few small town squares to try it out and also the big city of Atlanta. The spark was now ignited. I absolutely love shooting street style photos. I’m continuing to work on my street photography to make it better and continue to practice and learn from my mistakes.

Another way to keep photography interesting and motivating for yourself is by taking a picture that is worthy of showing the world at least everyday. In order to do this I began carrying a camera with me everywhere I go. Whether that is a camera phone, a digital compact, a dSLR, or a 35mm rangefinder, it doesn’t matter as long as you take a picture a day.

Inspiration

J. Eason — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:12:11 +0000

As creatives, it can often be hard when the juices are just not flowing. Like authors, photographers can often go through something like a writer’s block; something that can be very difficult to break and can often last for months until you think that you may never have the skill and gift of photography again. One common misconception about this “photographer’s block” is that you just have to sit and wait for the creative juices and muses to start working again. Every time I get in such a rut, I work to get out of it. I start reading and looking and then eventually seeing in a photographic manner again. It takes a lot of work but I usually get out of the rut much faster than I do when I don’t work at all.

Some things I use and do to help me get out of the rut are:

Photography Books: There are a great selection of instructional books all over the place. Just go to your library and look up photography or on amazon. It’s amazing what will just pop up. Also, the internet can be a great resource for technical training. You can find just about anything on the web so do a google search.

Other Photographer’s Work: If you want to be good at anything you need to study the past. Musicians study past musicians, athletes study past record-breakers, and photographers should study the work that has come before them as well as the work that is being made by the great photographers of our generation. Try studying great photographers such as Walker Evans, Henri Cartier-Bresson, or Dorothea Lange.

Podcasts: A podcast is like a radio program that you can download automatically every time the program adds a new show to their line-up. Some are just audio while some have audio and video. They are a great resource for photographers to keep thinking about their photography on a daily basis. They are also great because you can listen or watch them anywhere if you have a portable device to view or listen to them. One of my favorite podcasts is Paul Giguere’s Thoughts on Photography. I will do a post on the many podcasts that I think really help enhance one’s photography.

Photo Blogs: Photography blogs are also another great source. They can combine great writings and essays on photography as well as great photos and photographer’s takes on issues surrounding the art of photography.

All of these things can help get you out of a creative rut or inspire you even more when you are not in one. Inspiration is one of the main key elements to any creative process without it we will never want to create beautiful work. One thing to be aware of though, is that changing or buying new equipment does not enhance your photos in a meaningful way nor does it help you get out of a creative rut. It only makes you poor from what I have found.

Time Constraints

J. Eason — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:35:38 +0000

As creative photographers who use this art as a hobby and a means of expression and not professionally, it can often be very hard to find the time to practice your photography or to just shoot anything. Between a day job, taking care of the kids, being with the family, and other activities it can be hard to squeeze in an hour or so to just shoot.

One thing I have found to be important in setting aside time for myself is to merely set aside time. Take a day once a month to do nothing but focus on photography. If you can set aside one whole day then you go out and shoot and not do anything but photography. I find that the vast time allows the creative juices to flow and if the light is right I don’t have to leave it immediately. If you are constrained by time you can be pressured into taking pictures that are not the best. I find that when I don’t have a lot of time to shoot, I take the shot and move on. I don’t take time to examine my subject and try to capture its soul. I just shoot it from one angle and move on as to not waste time.

Although unlimited amount of time can be great, there are times though when the creative juices just don’t flow. Last Saturday I set the time aside to shoot. I left my house at seven thirty in the morning to make sure I had the whole day. I planned on heading to a few small towns in the area and photographing the culture, architecture, and people. But I just wasn’t feeling it. It was a grimy day and no one was out in the town squares and there was just not that much to photograph, I felt. So, I went home and spent most of the rest of the day reading about photography. I still focused on photography even thought I wasn’t shooting.

Part of living a life of photography is surrounding yourself with photographic materials. Later I will do a post on the books, photos, and other materials that can help you lead a photographic life. Looking at great photos and reading about photography can truly help you improve your photography.

Quality vs. Convenience

J. Eason — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:19:08 +0000

Photography is a constant battle of compromises. Unless you’re shooting HDR Photography, you have to compromise in what you expose a single frame for: the highlights or shadows. You have to compromise image quality and crispness if you need a high ISO. Photographers also make compromises when buying equipment: whether to buy the lens with a large aperture or image stabilization.

I just recently made a fairly large compromise. I decided to sell my digital SLR and buy a digital compact. For me, it just made more sense. I can take the camera with me everywhere I go and I am therefore taking more pictures. I am taking much better pictures now because I’m practicing much more and a compact camera allows me to practice throughout my day instead of waiting for the evening or the weekend to go on a “shoot” and spend a few hours practicing and taking pictures.

If you are just starting out on your photographic journey, I’d recommend buying a compact digital camera. It allows you to take it everywhere you go and constantly take pictures to determine what works and what doesn’t work for you. Also, a digital camera allows you to see what you just shot immediately and change it in the field if need be. Compact cameras are also usually cheaper. As you start out and don’t know if you will continue with the hobby, you don’t want to spend tons of money that could end up going to waste. Once you figure out what type of photography you like the most and realize that you will stick with it then you can spend more money on a digital SLR or film camera as well as try different types of photography out.

Why is Photography so Expensive?

J. Eason — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:37:08 +0000

News Flash: It doesn’t have to be! You can buy the latest and greatest and easily spend $10,000 in one order at B&H. But you can also spend about $200 and get just as good pictures for some uses in terms of quality. The equipment I use most often is a 35mm film SLR which I bought from KEH for $50, a $100 50mm f/1.8 and a $5 roll of film. So in total I spent $155 on the camera and equipment I use on a daily basis. Photography does not have to be an expensive hobby if you focus on what is important: taking pictures and improving your photography. If you focus on improving the quality of your pictures and having the latest and greatest camera then you will go bankrupt.

The Latest and Greatest: Cameras today take pictures, cameras made 100 years ago still take pictures. The latest and greatest have features that increase the cost of their cameras and make it easier to get photos in more difficult situations. Canon’s 1Ds Mark III is a full frame camera that costs $8,000. It will allow you to take a high quality picture in very low light and it will allow you to focus almost instantaneously and accurately. For non-professional uses the image quality is way of the 1Ds is very unnecessary.

The Oldest and Strongest: What the 1Ds can do in daylight is the same thing that I can do with my $50 SLR and a good roll of film. I can take inspiring and moving photos with cheap equipment and if I fail to do that it is my fault. Most people think that if they only had this lens or that camera they would be a better photography and I say baloney. The only thing that makes someone a good photographer is hard work at the craft and art of photography; studying the past great photographers and knowing how to take a moving photograph. The equipment one uses has no affect on the skill of the photographer.

The fundamentals of photography never change no matter what camera you use. Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO are always in a constant exposure relationship that does not change and has not changed since the beginning of photography. If a camera comes out that changes this, you may disregard this whole blog but until then the quality of a photo will not be in it’s level of sharpness or in how much distortion it has but in how moving and inspiring and captivating the composition and story of the picture is.

Three Gifts to Improve Your Photography

J. Eason — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:05:45 +0000

During the holiday season and the year’s end, I always come across threads, articles, blogs, etc. about what photographers plan on upgrading or buying for holiday gifts or in the coming year. These are ok but they tend to focus mainly on equipment and other things that may improve image quality but do not improve how the photographer sees his/her subject or knowledge about photography to improve the actual composition or other things that really affect the beauty of a photograph. So, I’ve come up with a list of things that will improve a photographers photos but that does not include any equipment:

A Workshop can be a good way to improve one’s photos. Working with a professional photographer and taking photos with someone who has been in photography circles can actually really help a photographer improve their photos. While some can be pretty expensive if you have to travel to a remote location, you can most likely find some closer to home that won’t break the bank too much.
Books. What a better way to learn photography than through education. How-to books are great for the beginner and someone who doesn’t necessarily know the technical side of photography. For those I’d take a look at Scott Kelby’s Books. But if you’re someone who has already mastered the technical side and you’re (or your photographing loved one) looking for something more, I’d look at David DuChemin’s eBooks. DuChemin looks at using your vision in order to make an excellent photo. His books are very inspiring. Finally, what better way to learn about photography than by studying the history of photography. Books of past great photographer such as Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, and Dorothea Lange can be truly inspiring and open up new avenues in one’s photography.
Time. Sometimes the best thing to give your loved one who enjoys taking pictures is the time to practice and enjoy photography. Setting aside a weekend to focus only on photography can greatly improve your artwork.

Disclaimer: I do not know David DuChemin or Scott Kelby and do not receive anything from promoting them. I enjoy their great work and support them because I believe in what they do for the photography community.

Why I Threw Away my DSLR!

J. Eason — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:17:58 +0000

Ok, so I didn’t actually throw it away but I did sell it and I no longer have a digital SLR. I no longer used it. After I started using film and bought my 35mm SLR and 35mm Rangefinder, I no longer felt the need to have a digital SLR. I did buy a compact digital camera so I could use it for family snapshots and have it in my back pocket for those times when I want to take a color picture and I have black and white film in my camera.

I find that the compact camera fits my needs much better than a digital SLR did and I will be able to have it with me all of the time. Since I only use my digital camera for prints no larger than 8×10 and posting on the internet, the quality I can get from the compact is just as good as the DSLR for my use.

So, no matter what everyone says, you do not NEED a DSLR. You don’t even need a 35mm SLR. As long as you can take pictures that you are happy with and that meet your expectations why would you spend money on something you don’t need?

Now, if I was doing photography professionally and relied on the equipment to provide for my family, I would never dream of selling my DSLR. But since this blog is not about making money with photography, I figured it would be necessary to share with you the idea that you don’t have to have the latest and greatest camera to make beautiful photographs.

What the Future Holds

J. Eason — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:30:31 +0000

This is the first post of my new blog. Here I’d like to lay out what I plan on using the blog for and what the future hold for the blog. First of all this blog will be most about photography although I think everyday life greatly affects how we as photographers create our art. So, I will bring in some aspect of life and the daily experience that tend to affect how I create my personal artwork.

So, what makes this blog different from the thousands on the web about photography? My hope for this blog is that it focuses more on the art side of things. The art is what drives us to want to create and make beautiful work. As creatives, we are constant looking for ways to express ourselves and I hope this blog can help in the process some way. Equipment will not be ignored though. Equipment is good as long as it enhances the art. But if you can understand the art side, the technical side will benefit from the understanding. The blog will provide some equipment information but mostly in how it affects the photographer’s expression through the craft of photography.

As with this picture, I will post an image sometimes just merely to break up the text.

It’s more than just a diary of my personal experiences and photography, though. I would like it to be a constant conversation about the art of photography. A sort of way to talk about ideas, techniques, information, equipment dealing with the craft and art of photography.

Keep checking back for more information about the art of photography as a means of expression.