Monday, July 12, 2010

Photo Challenge #1

Let me start off by stating the obvious: I am not a professional photographer. I am a very visual person and love to peruse photo collections in whatever form they take- Flickr, websites, books, photo albums. I love the surprise of a good image. But I am not a professional photographer.




I bought my first camera, a lovely Kodak Pocket Instamatic, for something like $28 in about 1976. You wouldn't believe how long I had to save- that was a mountain of money way back then. Photography proved to be an expensive hobby. Not only did you have to buy the film but also the flash cubes- the "Magic Cubes." You got four pictures before you had to yank off that little cube of blasted glass and plug in another. With each snap of the camera the little cube on top would flash and then turn 90 degrees to the next flash bulb, ready to go. I think the magic part was getting the cube off without crushing it to bits or lacerating you hands.




Plus, each camera came with an extender thing-y intended to raise the flash thus eliminating red-eye.



Ah, those were the days. Funky as it was, I was so proud of that thing.

I've forged ahead over the years with a new camera every so often, learning mostly by trial and error, hit and miss. Right now I'm using three cameras: a Canon G3 (an oldie-goldie), a little Canon A410 that I carry in my purse, and an iPhone. I've been trying, really trying, to see from the right side of my brain, to see like a photographer, to see pictures in the world around me.

So I issued myself a challenge- a picture a day for seven days- as a short little exercise in discipline (ha!) and taking the time the time to stop and look around. Some days it was easy, other days, like the days I worked, it took more of an effort. At any rate, here are the results of Photo Challenge #1.


Sunday



Monday


Tuesday


Wednesday


Thursday 



 Friday



Saturday



So I did maybe cheat just a bit by using photos to blog with as challenge photos but it's my challenge and I make the rules! Yippee!

3 comments:

  1. I love photography too. I am also very ADD! So, I ride in the car with my hubby and see so many things that everyone thinks is 'ordinary', but I can just see it framed on a wall somewhere in my overcrowded house. What happens next is, I reach for my camera from the backseat, but of course it is at home on the dresser.

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  2. That's the key to nurturing your creativity- seeing things differently. I always always always have a camera with me- except when there's an awesome shot. Sigh. I too am running out of wall space.

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  3. Beautiful photographs no matter where the come from. Its always great to push your boundaries, even if it's just looking at things differently for a week. The exercise whether its your pictures, finding other pictures, or what not, will reverberate in whatever you do from now on. Great going!

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