Clicking About

I had a fantastic childhood. Although it was not without bumps and bruises, I was blessed with an outstanding family. My brother and I were constantly outside roaming the neighborhood when we were home with a group of friends. We rode bikes, built forts, battled unseen foes, played sports and had to be forced to return home for dinner. Our parents took us all over the country in a Volkswagen mini bus. We camped, trekked, fished and learned to love the outdoors away from the house too. We learned right from wrong. Learned an appreciation for the arts and one of the siblings (not me) was quite a talented student and thespian. In other words, we had a well rounded childhood. Of all the things my parents did right, they could not have known at the time the impact of one of them however.

My father was a professional photographer when I was a kid and I grew up in and out of his darkroom. I went on a couple of assignments with him, but the process of taking the film from the camera and turning it into actual photographs was pure magic to me. Some might call it good parenting that he allowed a curious kid who was a crappy student, got plenty of skinned knees and more than a couple of well deserved sore bottoms to learn about photography. I call it excellent parenting and divine intervention. Who would have been able to predict that many years later I would pursue photography with such passion and that my son would also become a talented professional photographer.

My father’s excellent parenting and passion for the craft ultimately led to two other generations of family members behind the camera and tens of thousands of photos. My iPhoto told me today that I have 6,194 images. Considering that I only keep about 10-15% of what I take…

In the twenty first century photography has changed quite a lot. There is AI, digital enhancement and everyone has a smart phone and thinks themselves an artist. In their defense, the cameras on modern smart phones can do an awful lot. Here’s what I think photography should be. It should be original (certainly not fake) and not done a million times over. It should not be over edited. And most of all, it should move the person(s) viewing it.

The sunrise this morning on Saint George Island was beautiful. To add to it, I was up early enjoying the wind in my face and the sound of the surf on Easter Sunday. One of the reasons I enjoy nature photography so much is that animals are challenging as hell to take good photos of. They do not follow directions to pose, hold still and rarely are where they are supposed to be when I expect them to be. I do enjoy the challenge fortunately. I also enjoy never knowing what they are going to do and I’m often pleasantly surprised.

I try not to over edit my photos. I want the viewer to see what I saw…or as close to it as I can get. Oftentimes I see digital photos (specifically nature photos) that are so over edited that they wind up with colors not found in nature. They are still stunning. However, they have moved from the realm of photography to digital art. The eagle above for example, had just a light touch up.

Lastly, I like for my photos to tell a story and move the viewer if possible. My goal is for the viewer to feel something…to be transported. If I can hear someone say “Awwww!” or “Holy cow!” or something to that effect, then the image has had the intended effect. I figure maybe 1% of all the stuff I’ve taken has risen to that level even though I try with every frame, with every snap and every edit. The series above I’m hoping conveys the beauty, peacefulness and tranquility of the moment. Sometimes I shoot stuff just for me too. I take a picture and save it simply because it pleases me, because I find it beautiful, moving in some way or it tells me a story.

I hope that some reader finds this story encouraging. As a parent, encourage your curious child to learn things. Sow those seeds. You have no idea how they will sprout. Try a new hobby. Photography is an easy one to start. Most people have a smart phone. Start there and see what happens. Anyone can take a photograph in our modern world. Practice. Point and click…then click some more. It’s more difficult to take a good photograph and downright rare to take an excellent one. I should know…I don’t know that I have ever achieved that mark. But, I’ll keep trying and keep clicking about.

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