Not shooting people

Hi everyone. As most of you know, I'm a people photographer. If I'm not shooting people at a wedding or event, I'm working on my fashion skills with models. If I'm not doing that, I'm shooting my family. I took a good hard look at my images 6 months ago, and noticed it was seriously lacking in shots that didn't involve people. And the images of other things that were there, weren't very good. So I tried to figure out what I could do to remedy that. I didn't want to set up lights at the house and shoot still life, I wanted something that could help me in my actual line of expertise, shooting weddings. Which entails shooting the rings, shoes, dresses, centerpieces, flowers, cake, the interior of the banquet and church, the exterior of the church, maybe a beautiful bluff overlooking the water.

You get the point, wedding photography is so much more than just the "wedding couple", that if you want to do it right, you need experience and a bag of tricks to draw from to help you get all those shots. Now that's not to say I wasn't shooting those things, I do. I just thought I saw a little room for improvement.

The great thing about digital photography, the practice is free, and results are instantaneous. No more shooting a roll, then off to the lab to see what you got. If you see an area that needs improvement, you can focus on that and practice to your hearts content. So, I determined that I needed to focus on randomness. That should be easy, right? That could include ANYTHING. Way to focus and make a decision Frank. But I really want to improve at a lot of things in my photography.

So what did I do? Back in May I set off with a 2 other friends to photowalk Olvera Street. I had just gotten the new 5D MKII and wanted to put it through it's paces. It did admirably, and I walked away with several keepers that had no person in the frame.

Then it was off to Scott Kelby's Worlwide Photowalk in July that took place in Chinatown. My account of that is here: Frank's Blog on Chinatown. Now we were up to 50 people. The image I shot of the lanterns reflected in the pond won the local event, and was entered into the worldwide contest. To say I was hooked is an understatement. Photowalking with friends is a great way to remember what you love about photography in the first place. We shoot because we want to share. But why start sharing at the end of the process when the image has been printed? Why not start sharing at the beginning of the process? You know, at image capture?

Why not go off with a friend to shoot something. You probably have lots of other friends that also like photography. Maybe you both have kids. Take your kids to the park to shoot. The kids get some fun and exercise, and you get to share your excitement and passion with a fellow shutterbug. Your kids also get to see you doing something passionately. what a great thing to pass along to them. Even if they don't get the "bug" they will remember fondly that you were doing something you loved.

Like old cars? Head off with a buddy to a car show. Lot's of photogs there. Like beautiful sunsets? When was the last time you sat at the beach and waited? That is also great practice. One of the nuances of photography that needs to be learned is patience. Capturing the decisive moment. Wedding and sports photographers know this and practice patience.

The next step is to share what you each shot. I love looking at images that someone shot who was standing right next to me. What a great way to learn what types of things are appealing to other people. They may be shooting over your shoulder, but with a different lens, different framing, a different aperture, the image looks nothing like yours. What started off as a need and way for me to improve my images, turned in to a very fun endeavor. So if practice and work become fun, what's not to like? And by sharing with a fellow enthusiast, you are making friends. And that may lead to something else. Like shooting a wedding together for some $$. Or shooting the kids sports teams for $$. Or creating still lifes and having a gallery. Who knows? The possibilities are endless. Maybe you could put together a calendar to raise money or awareness to a cause you are attached to.

In the last few months, I've come across several Pro photographers willing to share their passions too. Maybe they aren't telling you what f/stop to use, or what mode to shoot in, but they do share their passion. They can be found here:

David duChemin He also has an excellent ebook available for $5 here: 10
Zack Arias
Chase Jarvis
Joe McNally

They all want the same basic thing. To share their passion.

It led me to wanting to share my passion with you. That's why Jeffery Saddoris, Nicole Rae, and I started this: Faded & Blurred We want to share our passion with you. We want to walk with you, and stand next to you and see the twinkle in your eye. We've got that twinkle. We want to share it. We want us all to grow, experience, shoot, live, breathe, and share. Have a question? Ask it. Don't know how to do something in Photoshop? Post the question. Have a charity that needs some assistance? Tell us. Need some exercise? We have walks coming up. Our 1st walk last weekend had almost 70 participants. Info on our upcoming walks are here: Photowalks. What's the worst that could happen? Meet some new, like minded friends? That would be horrible. Just remember, we want everyone to share what they've taken away from it.

So have I shot anything new that I'm proud of? That doesn't include people? Yes, I have...

I'm extremely humbled...

and very honored. I think many of you know that I participated in Scott Kelby's 2nd annual World Wide Photowalk 2 weeks ago. Several of you were with me. And many of you also know (because I haven't shut up about it) what a fantastic time I had, and that it was an incredibly fun day. We walked for the better part of 9 hours all over China Town, Union Station, and Olvera Street. We wandered together shooting, sharing, talking, laughing, and teaching. We shot in some places as a group, and in many places we each found something that intrigued only us. And it was all okay. We waited while everyone found and shot what they were looking for and then headed off as a group. I got to know some of you very well, and am a better person for the experience. So much so, that Jeffery Saddoris and I are organizing our own walk on 8/29 in Venice and we hope you'll be able to attend.


At this point your probably wondering why I am writing another post about the walk. Didn't I just do last week? Yes. But the walk has left an indelible mark on me. I did it as much for the camaraderie than I did for the pictures. And yet, in my mailbox yesterday, they crowned a winner of our shoot. There were more than 30,000 photographers participating in 900 walks all over the world. Each local walk would crown a winner, and that winner will be entered into the world wide pool of winners, and 1 Grand prize winner and 10 honorable mentions will be selected. Say hello to the Chinatown walk winner. I actually first heard I'd won on Twitter. What an amazing little program that is, but I will save that for another post.

The winning image is the one you see here. We started our walk at 8am, while Chinatown was still sleeping. It was very calm and peaceful, which was exactly what I'd seen when I noticed the reflections of the lanterns in this Koi pond. To say I'm honored is an understatement. I am truly humbled. There were so many great images, and again, I was already a winner just by participating.

Damon Webster, our walk leader and host of http://www.photoinduced.com/ had this to say about my image, "The winner was chosen for the depiction of Chinatown, and a feeling that it gave of a culture in its delicate reflections and composition. I could almost hear the music of a Ruan when viewing it. Congratulations Frank "

Of course, my wife has a way of making sure I don't get a big head when she said "so now your up against all the other winners from around the world. There are a lot of places much more beautiful"

Thanks honey!

Many more images shot by myself and the other Chinatown walkers can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1175978@N21/pool/

Coming up this week in class:

Monday night lecture

Tuesday night model shoot, in a brand new location (I heard you all say "Finally!")

Wednesday night Engagement shoot, bring your gear.

Have a great week, and see you soon!

Frank

Scott Kelby's World Wide Photowalk 7/18/2009

I spent 7/18/09 Participating in Scott Kelby's 2nd annual World Wide Photowalk. Our walk was located in Chinatown, Los Angeles California, and our walk was scheduled from 8-10 am.

Many students from our school, Tri-Community Photography Center showed up, so I was surrounded by old and new friends.

To say I had a good time is an understatement. I had a blast, and feel like my photography was re-invigorated and my soul recharged.

These images are in no particular order, as Blogger wasn't cooperating with me, but that's okay, because yesterday turned into so much more than a walk through Chinatown. We walked Chinatown, then we walked to Philippes for food and drink, then we walked to Union Station, then we walked to Olvera St, had some more drinks, then back through Chinatown. It got hot, and our 2 hour walk turned into a 9 hour walking tour.

Along the way, I talked and laughed with some I knew well, and some I didn't. We wandered off in groups, and we wandered off solo. When it was time to move on, we gathered everyone up and moved along. Then we talked and laughed some more. And laughed some more.

As photographers sometimes we tend to isolate ourselves. Photography often times is a solo sport. Your out shooting, then sitting at a computer editing, both tend to be very introverted activities

Even as we were shooting in a group, there was a good deal of private moments as each photographer saw something that caught their eye. But then we would head off to our next destination and laugh some more.

I wonder if Matthew got a release?

It was great to see some of my students practicing so many things that they learned in my class, and even teaching other people some of those techniques. It feels really good to know they get it, believe it, pratice it, and pass it on. Thank you for that, it makes me feel good.

It's okay Matthew,I didn't get this released either... ;-)

Did I mention we had fun? What a motley crew we were. And is that Vincent shooting a picture of his iPhone shooting a picture?

Look at that form!

Enjoying the local eatery Phillipes. My first time there, but not my last, and the beer was COLD!

I think each of us on the journey had different images we focused on. Mine became color and umbrellas. I like this one.

The Tri-Community group at the end of the Chinatown leg of our journey.

When in China....

We had beautiful morning light, and I got to show some students how to get those blue sky's by dialing down 2/3 of a stop exposure.

What is this Kodak film you speak of?

The red lanterns were obviously a focus of many of the shooters in Chinatown. I need to come back here soon at dusk.

My favorite image of the day, with the red lanterns reflected in a pond.

Sometimes, it all about the details. I was also drawn to the color of the orange tiles

It's all about contrast here

As it got hotter and hotter, this became a quest to find. ;-) And find it we did

Again, I had a wonderful time, and as I said, it became so much more than just a photo walk. Thanks to all who participated, and hung out with us in the heat. I certainly know it was worth it for me. And a special thanks to Scott Kelby for organizing the festivities. I know it must feel good for him to give back, as I learned how good that made me feel.

Here is a video shot by our walk leader Damon Webster of http://www.photoinduced.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgl3NUZfWBI

This week in my classes:

Monday night: Portrait photoshop techniques if I can get my laptop working.

Tuesday night: We are shooting up and coming punk band Death Punch

Wednesday night: Wedding shoot in Covina, bring your cameras and flash.

And if you are looking for something to do next Sunday, come join me in attending David Jay's seminar in Irvine. $45 and includes lunch. More info here:
http://www.fotografosdecorazon.com/

We made Scott Kelbys blog! He posted our video on his page from the Chinatown walk. You can see it here: http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/5580

Many familiar faces.

Have a fantastic week, see you all soon.

Frank