What fun. I’m doing training in Charlotte for the week, which means all the usual - a small hotel room, bad restaurant meals and sporadic internet connections.
What this also means is that, god willing, I’ll be able to take photos of things other than Duke University, downtown Raleigh and my dog.
More tonight after I’ve run around like a lunatic.
Look at what I found nestled into my bed when I came in to go to sleep tonight:
I finally got bored of the crap on my fireplace mantle today, and decided to reorganize. Instead of the usual myriad of knick-knack shit that ends up on the mantle, I decided to be a bit more selective. Here’s the result:
OK, so it’s not the height of cool, but I did try to be thoughtful about my selections.
The first thing is the little toy tractor. A few years ago I got back into woodworking, and this little toy was one of my “signature” pieces. This was a one-off that I did in cedar, and I’m rather pleased with the way it came out.
Next up is one of my favorite old cameras. I still put film through this camera once every few months, and it always delights and amazes with its nearly-inaudible “click”, and its ability to fold up into a “pocket” sized camera. Slight caveat around “pocket”, since it would have to be a purse-sized pocket to fit.
This little Welch clock was a fairly recent restoration project that came out rather nicely. The case is covered in a mahogany veneer, and with a light oiling it really comes to life. It still keeps pretty good time and has what many would call an “obnoxious” hourly chime. I like it, and it reminds me of my good days as a watchmaker.
This box is made out of wenge, and the hinge was my own design. Everything is handmade out of wood, including the dowel pins. I never used screws or nails in my woodworking; the only thing holding it together is a traditional hide glue. Another nod to my woodworking past.
And finally, the aloe plant. It brings the freshness of life to my mantle!
I get asked this question at least twice a week: “What camera should I buy?”
In the past, I would take a lot of time to explain the nuances of various camera types and make polite inquiries about the type of photography that this person did. This would culminate in a rather lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of some camera models currently available, and a sidebar comment about the merits of used camera gear.
More often than not, this was wasted time. People were usually flattered to have someone take this much of an interest in their amateur hobby, but I would inevitably get sidetracked by a fast-talking camera salesman who convinced them that such-and-such-a-feature couldn’t be lived without.
And - not surprisingly - many of these camera purchases are languishing in drawers and in a camera bag under the bed. And their owners’ photos are as bad as they were with their last crappy camera.
My new response is shorter, more succinct and may actually help the person: “Before you invest in anything, take a basic photography course.”
Sometimes people heed this advice. Sometimes they get defensive, and the ones who simply want to “look” like a pro photographer will outright ignore it. But consider the reasons for offering this advice:
And before you jump all over me for bring “old school” terms up like “push” and “pull”, remember that the concepts aren’t all that different in the post-processing of digital photographs.
These questions aren’t easy, and I’d venture to guess that there’s a lot of professional photographers who would struggle with these.
I come back to wondering how someone can make an educated camera purchase without at least a basic understanding of the science of photography, much less the art? Sure, we can all go out and buy a nice point-and-shoot for basic vacation photos … but wouldn’t it be nice to take shots to be proud of? Shots you would want to frame and hang in your home? Shots that others would look at and remark about how beautiful they are?
It doesn’t start with the camera, the lens, the flash or any other piece of gear. It starts - and ends - with the photographer.
Later addition to this article: I have already received some kudos and hate-mail from this post. To the latter, I’m not suggesting that understanding F-stops and the sunny-16 rule is the be-all-end-all of photography. But photography *is* a technical activity, and one needs some technical proficiency to use the equipment properly. And the question about which camera to buy *is* largely technical; one rooted, of course, in the artistic and practical needs of the individual. Picking a camera simply because it has more megapixels is far too simplistic to make a meaningful purchase that will help the photographer develop his or her skills. And taking a course will hopefully give a person a solid footing in the basics of composition; the rule of thirds, Hogarth’s curve, symmetry, etc. - all the things that need to be understood and practiced once a person has a solid understanding of the fundamentals.
Nothing profound to write about today … but I did enjoy a beautiful day at Oakwood Cemetery and the Duke University campus. Here’s some shots for your viewing pleasure.
Wade Edwards - the son of presidential candidate John Edwards - is buried at Oakwood Cemetery. Regardless of your politics, it is a shame that Wade lost his life at the young age of 16. The sculpture marking his gravesite is huge; at least ten feet tall. It wasn’t hard to “get low” and silhouette this shot with the sun behind the adjacent cloud.
Recall my earlier post about Jim Valvano. I stumbled across his grave - literally - while I was traipsing around Oakwood. Someone thoughtfully left a Duke basketball parking pass on his grave … and I wanted to subtly work this into the shot. I think this photo works … what do you think?
I admit - I have a hard time with the military sections of graveyards. The sun was still low enough in the sky to cast long shadows, and I continued my experiments with silhouettes. I really like the way the sun shines through the flag here; maybe there’s even some metaphors in this that I won’t explore right this second.
I don’t know Walter Caswell Lewis. Two things caught my eye about his stone, though. First is the name “Caswell” - the surname of North Carolina’s first governor. The other thing was the mention of the purple heart. I had no idea what this meant, but it sounded cool … and the Wiki page I linked to explains it. Again - I think the shadow works nicely in this shot. (editor’s note: it was only after I posted this that I realized the name on this stone is spelled CaRswell - definitely not the same as Caswell. But what the hell - it’s still a nice shot.)
Fallout shelters are another thing I had to lookup. This must be some sort of creepy reminder of the Cold War, and I’d probably rather it come down. Honestly, if a nuke falls near here, an old brick building that was built during the Hoover administration will not be the first place I run to.
No photography trip in the triangle would be complete without a few brownies from Duke University. My first stop was the chapel, where I attempted to do some justice to shot that didn’t work out so well the last time. This is one of those rare shots where the shadows just “work” - and I can attribute it mostly to luck.
These spires contrast brilliantly against the blue sky. I don’t recall which building they were on; somewhere, perhaps, between the chapel and the athletic complex. And it’s these details that make Duke such a wonderful place to photograph. I can’t imagine that all of these architectural oddities were planned entirely, and I’d like to imagine that some brilliant architects wandered around the university and randomly added these touches as construction took place.
I won’t even attempt to pronounce his last name … but he’s an important coach at Duke. And this is where students are camped out for basketball tickets that go on sale in March. Yes, you read correctly - they are camped out now (January 28th) for tickets that go on sale in March. Insane, or the pinnacle of college foolery? You be the judge.
Alas, the tired photographer and his faithful companion.
