so you shoot a lot of macro right …

so i just put up my photography portfolio

and i was showing it around to a couple of people …

one person says “nice work man, i can see you shoot a lot of macro.”

i say “what?”

“you shoot a lot of your stuff in macro mode … i can tell because the background is out of focus.”

i dunno what people are smoking these days … but there must be some really hardcore shit up on the street if a person (especially one who claims to be a photographer) can say something like that.

but when i asked him to show me some of his photos, all i got were shitty photos from a 2MP mobile phone cam.

figures. 😉

that shit cost him about $400. i guess it’s worth that much if it gives you the ability to shoot buildings at 2MP. 😉

same guy told me that my photos are “friggin national geographic good.”

whatever that means.

but yeah … i finally up’d my photography portfolio … feels good for it to be in the open.

i’ll be updating it frequently with photos from different concerts and street stuff.

it was kind of a bitch … i had to figure out hosting. ended up going with dreamhost. they seem to be very reliable and you get every cent of what you pay for. and it’s fast too. what more can one ask for from a hosting company?

then i was iffy about the design … didn’t know what i wanted to do with it.

i designed it all myself by the way.

coded too …

yeah, it’s nothing special … it’s simple … but that’s the way i like it.

and i haven’t designed or coded a website in about two years so ess my dee. 😉

i like it though.

a lot.

before i go … i’ll tell you another funny story …

another “photographer” … from my school … was telling me about his camera.

“a sick 8MP SLR”

“i don’t give a fuck about mega pixels … what kinda lens do you have?”

“dunno.”

“what brand is it.”

“i think it’s panasonic.”

“you think?”

“yeah.”

“which model.”

“no clue.”

…gotta love it when they don’t know their gear.

i then asked “what kinda stuff do you shoot?”

to which he responded “mostly landscape and stuff like the science center.”

can it get more pro than a person shooting landscape and the science center with an “i-think-panasonic” and an “i-dunno-lens?”

i dunno …

i think he’s pretty close to “making it” …

he brought his camera to school today … since he was taking the class photos for the yearbook …

and i said “yo buddy can i see it for a second.”

i looked over at the mode dial …

and what was it on?

only the most professional mode ever …

AUTO.

“do you know what M is?”

“…no?”

definately a pro.

but i could tell as soon as he told me that he shoots with an “i-think-panasonic.”

that was the giveaway that he was shooting at a high level.

anyways …

i gotta go finish up some work …

and i’m shooting aerosmith and motley crue TOGETHER on monday …

should be really wicked.

i’ll put up some of the wedding photos soon, i promise.

and go check out the portfolio!

all of the stuff there was shot with an “i-think-nikon-d70s” 😉

cheers.

Something you’ve probably seen before

So I was browsing thru some other photoblogs.

I’ve taken quite a liking to them.

I see so many more photos this way.

Saw some on Severin’s blog.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of him. Seen his photos. Faved his work on dA. Got pissed from the ban. 😉

Here are some photos I really liked from his blog:

Haha, I laughed at this one:

Really like this one:

And this one too:

Very cool stuff on there.

Go check it out.

Read … see … get inspired.

And then get your ass out and make some photos. 😉

There will be a rant coming up … I just don’t have the desire to get angry again or the time to write it at 1:08AM.

I will say that I never wanna hear someone ask me to “teach them how to shoot.”

Photography can’t be taught. You can learn what ISO, shutter speed and aperture does … how they work together. Or how to create nice color temperatures using white balance. But you can’t be taught how to shoot. You can’t be taught style. You can’t be taught an eye that observes, realizes, and captures. You can’t force photography. All there is to it is practise. If you don’t go out and try new things with lighting, and play around with your tools and subjects and SHOOT … you’ll never make a worthwhile frame. If you have your camera set to auto, program, aperture-priority or shutter-priority, your CAMERA may make a good photo … but you are just the average Joe who pushes the button. Anyone who’s ever shot on something more than a Nikon Coolpix3200 can tell you (hopefully) how all of the above affects a photograph and why NOT to have your camera set to anything other than “M.”

I don’t mind telling people about ISO, shutter speed, aperture etc …

But it’s ALL ON THE NET.

I didn’t ask anyone about that.

I read … and I made photos.

I doubt any of the legends asked anyone about those things.

They read … and they made photos.

I ask questions too …

I mean I’m new to photography …

6 months ago when I got my first camera I didn’t even know what aperture was.

I still don’t know what a lot of things mean in photography.

But I read … and make photos.

I experiment.

I try new things.

I’m not afraid to take it off of “P.”

I’m not afraid to make mistakes.

I don’t care if I don’t know every term in the book.

Because I, like most other photographers, am learning.

I always will be.

It’s okay to ask questions.

But when something is so widely regarded by every single photographer … and is displayed and explained in crystal-clear-fucking-detail on 10,000 pages on the beloved Internet …

Why ask me?

Don’t get me wrong.

I love helping people. I explained every term that I knew about photography … and how it affects a photograph. The pro’s and con’s. Because I like helping. I’m glad if I make a difference and inspire someone to shoot manual rather than program. I’m glad.

But it’s annoying sometimes.

I don’t get asked a lot. Rarely. Very rarely. But I guess it was just the attitude of the person who was asking me.

I mean I’ve known this guy a while.

We’re friends.

He’s interested in buying a “real” camera.

And as I said, I love helping people.

But when I’m approached by “I wanna get the feel of shooting, I dunno if it’s the right thing for me please tell me how to work a camera” … I’m not so hot on explaining things.

In other words, I don’t like wasting time.

If someone isn’t “sure” if photography is “the right thing” for them …

Then it probably isn’t.

If you aren’t sure that you wanna capture moments … and record time … then photography may be a hobby for you for a few months … maybe a year … and then it’ll die out.

And as I said … I don’t like wasting time.

Nevertheless, I still explained everything I could.

I hope it helped.

But I doubt it did.

I’m sure he forgot it all. Which is fine. People don’t learn overnight.

But …

As I said …

I don’t like wasting time.

And sometimes, you just have a feeling. And you know that it’s not gonna happen.

Anyways … there’s my rant.

Didn’t think it would happen.

But it did. 😉

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHOOT MANUAL.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHOOOOT.

AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHECK OUT SEVERIN’S BLOG. 😉

H&K to all.