Enigmatic title, just one I've been toying with in countless started, then abandoned mish-mashes of "Creative writing(s)" recently. My mojo comes back, but only for short visits........she doesn't stay long enough to really get me through to the finish line.
Wonder if anyone's used "The Finnish Line" in a Scandinavian poem? Hmm.....
Anyway. It's been dark, gloomy, wet, drizzly, mizzly, foggy, and that makes photography more of a challenge than ever.
Turned my thoughts to "outside your comfort zone" as I was kind of forced to, and invested in a Canon 90D early in September, so the subsequent crappy light has been little short of utterly disappointing. Especially after joining a User group on FB, where international amateurs post their (mostly) best shots, and ask for friendly advice, which is usually forthcoming, and absolutely no sarcasm, or bitchiness, which I am relieved to report, following many sour experiences in some photography, and wildlife groups over the years.....
It got me thinking more about a post I have thought about for ages, so here we go:
What makes a good photo?
Enormous question, and wholly a subjective one, maybe with objective elements......
Light/Weather..... Time of Day etc.
Subject Matter (And knowledge of it if appropriate)
Composition/Eye for "Art" or something along those lines.......
Focus/Selective/Broad and therefore Depth of Field in the interpretation of a scene.
Some basic knowledge of ISO/Aperture/Shutter Speed and how they interact......
Luck/Timing/Preparedness/Dedication/Experience (Maybe a separate heading.....)
Camera, but especially the lenses attached to it...........on a broader level, "Equipment" perhaps.
Post-Production Software, yes, I do have to include this, even with my very limited knowledge of anything beyond LightRoom 5.5, as I refuse to subscribe to a forever commitment to keep throwing more and more money at it all...... For the record I still have a very old version of a now unsupported ArcSoft Program called PhotoStudio, which I very occasionally use for one thing or another, not that often to be fair, but still........
If I think of any more, I may well edit this list, but it's a reasonable place to start. I am only a very keen, and often frustrated amateur after all........This post is for my benefit really, whilst I try to figure it all out.........
There probably ought to be a "Special Mention" for your cataloguing system, the way you can relatively easily find something from way back, when/ if the need arises....... I imagine there are loads of ways of categorising my/your photos, but mine has just self-evolved over the 15+ years since I got my first DSLR, a Canon 400D, which I instantly fell in love with.......
One very good way of judging your own shots, and those you see on-line, as we're bombarded with awesome, and not-so, constantly, is to filter them through what I like to think of as:
"Yes, but would YOU print it?"
It soon sorts the "Meh" out from the "Ooooh" but, of course, is utterly subjective, and even your own tastes might change over time, mine certainly have. "Would I like it in a frame, on my wall?" works for me, and rules out pretty much the entire world of fantasy Photo-Shop creations of imaginary scenes that simply couldn't be remotely real, even if they can look "Wow" when you see them......that's just personal taste though, and I'd love to master PS to have the ability to even try them...... Art is Art after all.
There are hundreds of YouTube videos, from hundreds of Pro, and Amateur Photographers, on countless aspects, some well worth a watch, some a bit "WTF?" and occasionally a proper gem, even if, at times you might, like me, choose to up the speed on the playback to cut through the chit-chat.......What a time-killer!
I think I'll have to try to tackle these in individual posts. I've set myself too big a challenge for a Sunday night......!
Is an ISO of 256000 ever acceptable? I think it can be......depends on a whole raft of things.......
Hamlet at Cartworth Moor, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
"Cook's Study" a hill above Cartworth Moor, Holmfirth.
Cartworth Moor Road.
Getting a lot of quarry wagons on it for the last couple of years.......
"Lane" a hamlet by Holme Village, on the fringe of the Peak District....
It's not been the easiest few years, but here we are, batting on, and keeping going. I will get pen to paper when I can, and will carry this on too, as it's past of avoidance strategy, as my books are due..... so, anything to get me away from typing hundreds of numbers into a spreadsheet for my accountant.......
Feel free to comment, not that anyone ever does these days.
