Comments on: why I like to photograph everything

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:08:51 +0000

…and Jim, congrats on your dedication. Zoos are amazing places for a dedicated pursuit, aren’t they? We have a great one here in Cincinnati, also, that has year-round exhibits. Tulips in the spring, Winterfest in the winter, a Jazz series in the summer and continuous opportunities with the plants, animals and realistic habitats.

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:02:08 +0000

For years I avoided shooting cliches (sunsets, fireworks, etc.), thinking they were overdone. Then I realized that the happiest people on earth seem to be little kids because they see everything with such wonder (they’re seeing things for the first time). It’s easy to become “numb” as adults, I admit. While we can’t become kids again, striving for a coninually fresh vision at least makes things interesting!

By: DigitalPhoto

DigitalPhoto — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:36:35 +0000

“A natural curiousity about different subjects has allowed me to make a living as a professional but still enjoy photography like an amateur.”

Making a living doing stuff that you love doing is one the best professional accomplishments anyone could have, not only you have fun working but you also put all your efforts into it. Nice photos BTW.

By: Paul D'Andrea

Paul D'Andrea — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:54:12 +0000

I’ve been thinking a bit about something I heard in a podcast recently, that photographers are “professional noticers”. I really love this idea, and I think what you’re talking about here fits it well.

A few weeks ago the photography club I belong to went out a local state park. I asked friend in the club why he hadn’t come, and he made the comment that he had shot enough trees. It reminded me of the professional photographer we met at a Flickr meetup who commented that she didn’t use Flickr because she was a “professional”.

I can’t help but think that this jaded attitude has to get in the way. It seems to be exactly the wrong way to see the world when what we’re about is capturing it in new and interesting ways. I remember thinking that when I get to the point where I have this been-there-done-that attitude it’s time to move on. Both artistically and from a business perspective this… visual curiosity is what sets us apart as individuals.

Anyways, thanks again for the post, Jim. They always serve as wonderful catalysts for some good conversation.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:39:58 +0000

At 70 years + I spend most of my time photographing at the very wonderful Zoo in Memphis Tn. This Zoo is Full of open Air Displays and with the various light changes is a real pleasure and Challenge, I spend 2-3 days each week there and there seems to be something new each time I go there, be it be a new animal, a different light or expression on something I have photographed hundreds of times, the flowers or the people that work or visit the Zoo. A Zoo is a wonderful place to experiment, hone or sharpen ones skills, and it is not great that we have digital photography to keep the expense down.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:23:33 +0000

I agree Marcin about the two textures at the bottom. The vingette is perfect. Without it, they would just be ordinary photos. Also, those are things I would pass up on a daily basis and never think once they could become such striking images. They have Power Point Background, Science and Geology textbook written all over them

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:41:56 +0000

Sometimes I do have to work at leaving the business logic behind. There have been periods where I’ve not picked up a camera for fun because “it’s what I do for a living” or “it has to be perfect”. The good thing is realizing that personal work is personal work and it doesn’t have to please anyone else. I do understand when people struggle with that.

My biggest hurdle to using Lightroom was the reliance on my old system. It’s taking some rethinking (and you really have to buy into the Adobe way) but I’m glad to finally be going this route!

By: Matthew Botos

Matthew Botos — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:40:36 +0000

Your textures make a nice collection on their own! I guess it just goes to show that you can still get great photos when you leave the fancy lights and business logic behind and just go out and shoot for fun.

By: Marcin Retecki

Marcin Retecki — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:28:12 +0000

It’s good that you pick up your cam to shoot so various things. You have your style that can be easily recognized. I like those two texture pics on the bottom. Simple but there is something in them that catches my eye.

By: JasonP

JasonP — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:25:54 +0000

Hooray for Lightroom!

I’m no professional by any means, but Lightroom has taken away the tediousness of sorting and processing the thousands of images I take of just about everything (EXCEPT portraits!) The problem I find is I’m pretty unreliable when it comes to keywording and labeling photos. I used to be able to remember which folder things were in if I wanted to find them later, but my shoot rate has grown exponentially (almost literally) over the last couple years and I’m falling WAY behind.

Some day, some day…