The Daily Practice

I've had a lot of cameras in my life but most of them were point-and-shoot. Right before my son was born, I decided I wanted the new Canon digital SLR.  It was really expensive and I had no photography training at all. I loved taking photos but I didn't know anything about aperture, lenses, or even the settings on an SLR. After months of pondering, I decided I was going to get it. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I knew that was a sign.

Right before I bought the camera, my husband and I went to Venice Beach with his 35mm and he taught me the basics: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I am a computer programmer, so understanding the technical bits wasn't too hard for me. What I needed to work on is what I call the magic of photography: seeing the light and developing my eye. Over the years, I realized that I was improving but I wasn't consistent and I couldn't tell if my better  photos were due to luck or because I was getting better at photography.

This is when I started the daily practice.

For the last three years, I've been taking photos every single day. Every day. Bar none. Some days it's photos of my children or backyard and other days it's more interesting things like views of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge or the redwood trees. I'll admit that most days it's flowers. I've taken hundreds of photos of flowers. And tens of thousands of photos of my kids. And while the subject matter might be boring to others (and sometimes even for me) it's done much to improve my photography.

The daily practice means that I can notice subtle changes in light better. I take many of my photos in the same area: my house and its vicinity. So, I am quite familiar with it and I can now notice the slight changes in light due to weather, time of day, or other factors. This has helped me figure out how to pay attention to the light. What different types of light does to the photo. It's also meant that I can experiment with different shots at the same light and see what happens.

The daily practice means I can focus on the photography more. I am not just grabbing my camera when I am trying to capture an important moment. When you're trying to "catch" a moment, you don't always have time to play with the settings in your camera. You are focusing on getting the picture, not optimizing the quality of the photo. Whereas, on many days, I am taking my photos during a perfectly ordinary moment. There's no butterfly that's about to fly away. I can slow down and adjust my settings. I can play with the aperture and see the effects of depth of field. I can focus on the photography and not on getting the shot.

The daily practice means I can develop my personal style. I take a lot of photos of my kids. Every night I download these photos and go through them. I notice which shots are technically better than others. But I also notice which shots are more interesting to me. What photo stirs emotions and why. For example, through taking these shots I've discovered that I favor closeups. I like photos where my kids are looking down and there's a hint of a smile or acknowledgment of the photographer but it's not posed.  I favor the right over the left.  Small, subtle differences that make my photos mine. Seeing the pictures night after night helps me notice patterns. Notice changes. Improvements.

I know that the idea of taking photos every day might seem overwhelming and too time-consuming but, like most things, the biggest part is showing up. Just getting up and doing it. Starting the habit of carrying your camera around with you. Choosing a special time in the day to snap the photo. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing. You can do more focused efforts like choosing a month to specifically address aperture and another month to do portraits only, etc. Or you can just snap something everyday and look and learn from what you get each night. The most important part is to just do it. Grab that camera and take photographs. Again and again and again.

Until it becomes a daily practice.

On a much more personal and practical note, the daily practice has also meant that I've captured thousands of our ordinary moments. What makes us who we are and the reality of our daily life. I know that regardless of how great I get at photography, I will cherish this more than all else.

Please share with us one of those ordinary day captures from your own life as we celebrate the daily practice. And if you have any tips, tricks, or insights on keeping up with your own photography practice, let's hear them!

Image and words courtesy of Guest Blogger / Honorary Sister Karen Grunberg of Karenika.

change of seasons

As much as I wish I could cling on to summer forever, autumn is here in the UK. I’ve been in denial even though the signs are clear. The days are shortening, the clouds have moved over and are staying longer, and the mornings are dark with that crisp air on your face.

Thankfully my lens will help me embrace the change of seasons, and luckily autumn has plenty of beauty to offer, easing me into this colder spell. The light changes as the angle of the sun moves and we see less of her bright warming light. The abundant greens, turn into a kaleidoscope of colours that makes my heart race. Even my biggest enemy, the rain, can be beautiful...

This year I’m going to soak up all that autumn offers and use my camera as a tonic to change. I will try and use my viewfinder to search and seek beauty, all helped by daily prompts from Tracey’s Picture Fall, which starts today, will you join us as we dive into autumn feet first?

How do you find the change of seasons? and will you share with us it’s beauty today?

light and dark

A photograph has the power to pull a story from the nothingness that is light and dark. Certain images can blend well with an overactive imagination, leaving the mind to embellish the details of a story untold. I find this intriguing, and especially true of silhouetted photographs.

There are words out there on how to acheive an interesting silhouette and striking examples of silhouettes, but what I find most curious is how the image makes me feel. What it stirs in my mind. Due to the facelessness, my mind is left a blank canvas on which to dream up a storyline equally as captivating.

What about you? What do you see or feel when you capture a silhouette? Today, try putting your subject between the lens and the light to see what story unfolds.

Before Dawn

"I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am." Story People

I am a big fan of the afternoon light and the so called "golden hour". But one of the greatest things I've also come to enjoy as a photographer is the time just before dawn. Now, big shoots are scheduled early in the morning to allow time for setting up before the sun is out. And even if I am flying solo, shooting for myself, I find great peace in tip-toeing out of the house when there is barely any light and driving to the beach or whatever location I'm headed to for the day. Something about the car all packed with gear, that first cup of coffee, a scone to go, thoughts and images swirling gently through my mind, creativity, clarity, freshness, the crisp air, the sky brightening slowly and the silent drive...  I feel whole. I feel right.

How about you? Are you a morning shooter, an all-day-play kind of girl or you'd rather sleep in and save energy for an afternoon delight?

Regardless... Today, why don't you share with us some shots of your favorite time of day?

the great balancing act

 

Balance: we all seek it. Yes, in our daily lives. Yes, in our photography. But what does it mean? That answer is probably as individual as we all are. Right now, I'm in a place with my arms outstretched, equally opposed, each hand full of light and dark. Maintaining balance is essential. So, how can looking at the world through our viewfinder teach us more about light and life and how to balance it all into a beautiful photographic package?

We've talked composition before. We've talked white space. We've talked light.

But what of balance? Balance is the feeling your photograph evokes.  Balance is what makes images look and feel harmonious. (And no, not always symmetrical. And yes, you can break the rules.) Balance, composition, space, and light: each one of these elements of photography has a certain amount of value in direct relation to all the other elements. Just like us, they are all connected. Without them the image loses its emotion, the subject falls off the page, the viewer loses interest of the subject, or the moment has passed.

All of this swirled around in my brain as I looked at this blade of grass and wondered, "How do I photograph a single blade of grass?"

More than anything, photography lends me a way to view the world. To seek light, to watch it bounce and flare and reflect. To appreciate the quiet of space and peace. To love the hold-your-breath-wait-for-it *click!* of the sought after image. What I find each and every day is that photography teaches me big life lessons in simple and small ways. I'm thankful for the learning, and I try my best to remember to carry these lessons with me when I am without my camera. This is the zen of photography. 

Today, show me how you find your balance (and not necessarily in the photographic sense, although a well balanced image is always welcome). Can you catch light? Do you get small?  Share with me a favorite moment of yours.