Posts Tagged ‘about’
25 things.
There’s a meme going around on various social websites where you tell 25 things about yourself that someone might not know. You’re supposed to tag 25 people who you want the same thing from but I really don’t care to go that deeply into the meme.
- My first camera was one of those a 110 film camera. I think it was from kodak, but I don’t remember. I recall it having one of those flash cartridges that had 4 or 8 uses on it.
- I quietly lust after new camera equipment. It’s not uncommon for me to sit with a B&H catalog for hours.
- I’ve shot digital cameras for the last few years but I want to get a Holga just so I can experience film and have fun with it.
- I have a hard time remembering that I’m supposed to talk to the people I’m photographing. I zone too easily and have to constantly remind myself to not do that.
- I know it’s been a good evening shooting in the studio when I have to lay down and pop my back. Sometimes you just have to lay there and relax.
- I get an adrenaline rush when I’m shooting for a long time.
- I love Ansel Adams and his photography, but I don’t think I could ever be a landscape photographer. I absolutely hated his autobiography. I thought it was dry.
- I don’t have any formal training in photography. Everything I’ve done has been self-taught and gleaned out of many mistakes.
- I find it funny that people are surprised when I tell them I’m only shooting with a Nikon D40. For a consumer-grade camera, you can really do a lot with it.
- I suck at photoshop.
- I understand the meaning of the word “deviant”. Unlike a few photographers I know. ;-)
- I’m not big on shooting models. I like photographing people I’ve met. I find they have more character, even if they may not be considered “pretty.”
- After working on Strobist techniques for the last year and a half, I can no longer look at porn because I spend more time figuring out the lighting setup than I do looking at what’s really in the photo. Sad, isn’t it?
- Photography has been the longest hobby that I’ve ever been able to consistently follow through on. This surprised my wife because I have a bad habit of getting bored with something in midstream.
- I prefer low key photography to high key. I like the moodiness and darkness of shadow.
- I have a long term goal of changing careers and becoming a full-time photographer. Another 6-8 years of hard work and I might have a shot at it.
- I like the look of leather and latex in photos. I don’t know why. I just like the shiny highlights.
- I plan on going back to school and getting a degree in photography. Or, at the very least, getting some college-level classes done. I think it will help out my abilities going forward.
- One of the best things that has happened to my photography is gaining access to a studio. I’ve had such an improvement in the last six months because of that. It’s been a great source of learning and practice.
- My next home will have a 20×30 studio. Mostly because I’m lazy and want to be within walking distance of it whenever I’m at the house.
- Joe McNally rocks my socks. He does things with light that I find positively amazing.
- Why, yes, I do look at women’s magazines for ideas. Why do you ask?
- While I shoot a lot, I have no earthly idea on how to print photos so they look good. Ironic.
- There’s a pair of hawks that lives on a road near my house. Every time I see them I think about taking a photo of them, but … it’s hard to do when you pass them doing 60mph. I think they sit there taunting me and laughing loudly in a shrill hawkish way. One of these days I will stop and get that photo.
- Getting bored with photography is my biggest fear and something I constantly struggle with. There have been times where I’ve gone a month without taking a photo and I have to kick myself in the ass to do something about it.
The young lady at the top of this post is Donica. This was from our first shoot in January. I love how this blue turned out in the light. Heck, I just love how all of the photos turned out.
A fresh start
Hello! I’m Travis and I’m a Strobaholic.
It all started last year when I found this website about some bloke up in Baltimore who did these really cool things with flash. I instantly became green with envy. And then sad. Really, really sad. You see, I had this Fujifilm S7000. It’s one of those cameras that bridges the gap between dSLR and P&S. My wife and I had bought it on a trip to Florida with the kids to visit family. For it’s time, it worked reasonably well.
But, as I read more and more of this “Strobist” thing I began to realize that it would probably make life a little difficult. I mean, I couldn’t even change lenses on it. How limiting! So, I went forward in a one-man battle to convince my wife to spend money on a new camera, one that would be the basis for my hobby going forward. After weeks of intense negotiation, she finally agreed to let me spend $1500 on new camera equipment. It started going down hill from there.
Should I get Canon? Should I go Nikon? This Hobby guy, he was doing Nikon. I want to be like Mike! … err, David. So pillaged camera sites for a few more weeks looking for reviews and opinions and information and … well, you get the idea. I settled on a Nikon d40, a 55-200mm lens, and a small light kit, and a Nikon SB-800. And that’s when things went from bad to worse. You see, I was suffering from a common illness, only I didn’t know about it. A horrible, debilitating disease, I tell you. NAS. Nikon Acquisition Syndrome. It made me restless. I couldn’t stop thinking about buying more and more Nikon gear. Everywhere I looked, I saw a guy in a dark corner beckoning me with shiny Nikon bodies, sharp lenses, more flashes!
And then, I discovered Pocket Wizards. Kids, let me tell you … they’re worse than heroin. And the first hit most certainly is not free. I convinced my wife that I needed these wonderful little black boxes of flashing control. And a second flash. More negotiation commenced and by summer I had them in my grubby little hands. Two PW’s and a Vivitar 285. I felt INVINCIBLE! I felt like J in Men in Black … I’d walk around the house with a pocket wizard-enabled camera in one hand and the SB-800 and pocket wizard in the other and flashy-thing the cats. the dog. the kids. little knick knacks. apples. the occasional bottle of wine. You name it. I flashed it.
The NAS is worse than ever. I touched a d300 a few weeks ago and now it haunts my dreams. But I couldn’t get one. Not yet. So instead, I convinced my wife (again!) for more camera equipment and picked up a second SB-800 and a third pocket wizard. BWAHAHA! More flashy-thinging the cats. Only this time, in STEREO!
Ok, ok. Poetic license is over. ;-)
I’ve been photographing stuff for a few years but didn’t really get “serious” about it until early in 2007 when I got my d40. When I’m not flashy-thinging stuff, I spend my time reading various blogs and websites on photography. I began my photography with Ansel Adams as my idol. I’ve always loved his photography and style. My photography certainly doesn’t measure up to his, but I’m finding that each time the shutter clicks, my skill gets a tiny bit better. My composition has certainly improved ALOT over the last year. Strobism has helped me understand how to photograph people more. This as one area that I always felt I sucked at. I think I’m getting better. :-)
Everything I’ve learned has been self-taught through the help of books and various resources on the net. (And I admit, I occasionally go through Cosmo and cut out interesting photos to build ideas upon). I’d love to go back to school and get a degree in photography. At some point, I’ll be able to do that. For now, I think there’s a lot to learn from the people around me and that’s good enough for me.