Lent & Luck

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Ahh, wie gehts?

LENT

So today is Ash Wednesday and although I didn't make it to church (sorry Grandma) - I did spend some time thinking about what I wanted to give up for Lent....now I'll be the first person to tell you I am no good at fasting, when I don't eat - I get grumpy and irritable and just no fun to be around but I do want to participate in this Lenten season, so I finally decided on all things sweet (yes that includes my beloved brownies) and TV (shock shock horror horror)....I'm hoping it will get me focused on my spiritual life and general self-discipline, so watch this space for my progress...my record so far is 3 days - pitiful I know

LUCK

So I read an interesting article on one of my fav photographer's blog today and I thought I would share as I'm sure quite a few photographers can relate to this. The article can be found on his blog at :
https://jeffascough.typepad.com/jeff_ascough_blog/2009/12/you-got-lucky.html

You got lucky

"One of my favourite haunts on the internet is the Telegraph's Photography section. Today it was this article on the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year images that caught my eye, and in particular this quote from the article;

"Few things irritate photographers more than that knowing smile as someone looks at one of their pictures and tells them how lucky they were to get it. But with modern cameras capable of doing much of the photographic process automatically, it is hard to shake off the suspicion that photography is getting easier."

So much of the content of the article rang true with my own experiences albeit in wedding photography rather than shooting wildlife. If I had a pound for every time I've read on forums and heard people say to my face "You got lucky with shot" I would surely be a millionaire by now!! All this shows is profound ignorance of the processes involved in taking a photograph, and a belief that in order to be a photographer, you just need to know how to work a camera.

Photography is as hard today as it has always been; granted the mechanics of photography (pressing the shutter, working the exposure out etc) have become easier, but that is such a tiny part of taking a picture. A photographer is usually hired on their ability to see a picture - their 'eye' if you like, not how easy their camera is to operate.

For me, the camera constitutes just 10% of the actual picture taking process. The latest camera technology just makes that small part of the equation a little easier to accomplish, and for the experienced and creative professional, that 10% can allow the photographer to become more creative as a result. However it must be stressed that the camera does not take the picture - the photographer does. A poor image will still be a poor image regardless of how great the camera technology is."

My internet is misbehaving - so can't attach my piccies - will try again later.

Nyt nyt.

🙂

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