Since I started writing for DSLRBlog.com (all of a few days ago), it got me thinking just how long it’s been since I’ve really been actively into photography, and looking through some of my old archives. It really got me thinking about how every photo is its own moment, and you can’t really go back and capture that same moment ever again. It also hit me that the first pile of photos I took really piss me off when I look at them now.
Thousand Islands at Sunset.
Take the photo above for example. It’s one of the very first photos I took with my current camera (a Nikon d70s), taken from the top of a sightseeing tower over-looking the Thousand Islands at sunset while trying not to fall the 300 and some feet and break my neck. It was a fun shot to get, if only for the experience.
I think back to that moment now and realize just how much better a photo I could have taken if I knew then what I know now, and it aggravates me just a little. Still though, it makes for a great reminder about learning from your work.
That photo is essentially a reminder to myself to always take something away from the experience of taking a photo, whether good or bad. I’ve taken horrible photos at times that have taught me an insane amount to improve on for the next time, and I’ve taken great photos that have given me experience in other ways. This shot is far from my best work, but it is probably my biggest inspiration out of my personal archive.
Anyone else have a photo you’ve taken or an experience you’ve had (good or bad) that serves as inspiration for you personally? What about other people’s work? Am I alone in pulling inspiration from a photo that is nowhere near as good it could have been?
5 Comments
Sorry to get off topic on the first comment but I’m curious as to what you would have done differently with the shot with what you know now.
@Trevor – For starters I would have properly set the white balance and camera settings before climbing into a position that made it damn near impossible. I would have also used a different aperture setting to try to get a more evenly focused image…hard to tell with the small version, but it’s not focused very well at all for the sort of landscape shot it is. I would have also liked to use a tripod or some sort of shoulder mount so I could have left the shutter open just a wee bit longer without giving it some serious shake. Of course, the photo is a few years old now, so I’ve had plenty of time to obsess.
I’m sure even some very minor changes would have given a better imagine, but my mind is no doubt blowing things a bit out of proportion at this point.
That is the exact reason why I am not a fan of editing / deleting images in camera. You never know what gem might be in there or what you could learn from screw-ups, while other screw-ups could turn out to be the best photo you ever took.
I got started in photography on film years ago with no formal education, no experience and no EXIF data to look back and help figure out what went right or wrong. I learned the hard, exspensive way how to reconstruct a photograph using shutter and aperture to accomplish what I wanted.
Personally, any of my photos can serve as inspiration and / or motivation. For others, I have a list in my iGoogle RSS reader I watch on the regular or sometimes I’ll just scroll through a few pages on DeviantArt or Flickr.
@Mike – I agree completely about not editing/deleting in camera. You never know what you’ll see when you get an image home, and good or bad, it tends to be a learning experience…and one you miss out on if you’re getting rid of things right from the camera while you’re shooting.
I ‘borrow’ liberally from other artists, in photography as well as in music. My rationale is that even though it’s been done before, it hasn’t been done by me. There’s a lot of satisfaction in recreating someone else’s work – first trying to copy it, then putting my own touch to it. “Light painting” isn’t new, but I did some. http://www.blackroses.com/~skip/fallride08/96.html through http://www.blackroses.com/~skip/fallride08/98.html
and I’ve seen shots like this before: http://www.blackroses.com/~skip/fallride08/105.html
really long exposures aren’t new either, but none of these things had been done by -me.
http://www.blackroses.com/~skip/fallride08/109.html