Category: Photography
January 1, 2022 / / Journal

2022 Photography Goals

2022 has arrived, and I have some ideas for my photography for the new year. Photographers are constantly looking for what’s new to shoot, new gear and new challenges for ourselves. So here goes.

Shoot with iPhone Less

Yes, it is the camera/phone I will always have on me and it would be so easy to just grab, go and shoot. But I want to shoot with intention this year. This means that Sonya will come out with me more frequently. Because film stock is now more expensive this year (thanks a lot Kodak), I ordered 20 rolls of 35 and 110 mm film ahead of time. Shooting film and digital can be a more rewarding aesthetic than just quick iPhone snaps.

If I am being honest, the iPhone will still come out to play. Just less. I didn’t upgrade to the 13 Max Pro cameras for nothing!

Delete Social Media

Forget Instagram, forget Flickr, forget SmugMug, etc. etc. This is a new year and a new opportunity to build your own photography portfolio website like mine. This way you have more control over what and how you want your work to be displayed. Adobe Lightroom subscribers can use the additional Portfolio platform at no extra cost. Host your photos on WordPress or Micro.blog.

One Camera & One Lens

This should be an easy one for me since the new Sony camera, Sonya, was so expensive. She comes with one 28-70mm lens, and it’ll be a long time before I decide to get another lens in addition. This camera will have to become a part of me. I am still learning how to navigate through all the menu options, but what better way to learn than by doing? Now is the time for me to learn and practice with one focal length and master it. Then I can move on to the next one.

Photo Books or Zines

Based on the type of photography topics you prefer, you can print photo albums or books. For me, digital photo zines are ideal. Inexpensive to make and widely distributed to anyone on the planet with internet connectivity.

Black/White Or Color?

Back when I shot color photography, now and then I’d challenge myself to change the aesthetic by switching it up. “Black & White Appreciation Month” was fairly frequent, so much so that now I prefer B&W. Change your genre as well for those happy surprises. You just might like it.

January 1, 2022 / / Photography

Digital Photo Contact Sheet

Ever notice how the Photos app resembles a film negative contact sheet? I am amazed with the viewing experience from the iPad/iPhone/Mac and all the information that is built into it. My workflow is simple: Take images with the iPhone, let them sync to the cloud and they are visible on any device you want to view or edit. I can also shoot images on my digital camera, load the SD card into the reader, insert reader into my device and transfer there for post-processing.

Why do I prefer the iPad to do this with? First, the experience of viewing, choosing, and editing your photos on an iPad is much more fun and interactive than just seeing them on your laptop. I can take my digital photo lab with me everywhere. And seeing my photos on a brilliant screen is more intimate for me. I am able to hold my digital images in my hand and interact with them, flag, post-process, and even sketch the composition.

To speed up my photo processing workflow, I will first look at all my images taken as large thumbnails (just like an old analog film contact sheet.) Neat.

Digital and analog contact sheets
December 22, 2021 / / Journal

Neon Nights NFT Collection

My first foray into NFT and cryptocurrency trading has begun. I have just minted two digital images for sale on the OpenSea market for .25 ETH coin. This translates to a lot of USD$ for only two images. Will they go to an earnest collector/curator? Time will tell as they are up for a three day auction. If not, I’ll try again for a month long auction.

It’s different, and I’m learning as I go but the speculation is fun!

And we’re live.
December 21, 2021 / / Journal

Travel Photography Tips 

Like everyone else, I am tired of this damned pandemic and want to experience a different reality. So, I’ve masked up, received a vaccination and started booking flights.

Where to?

Migratory birds and pensioners have it right, so I suggest going south for the winter. New Orleans is a little slice of Europe here in the States. Guadalajara has a great blend of Europe and Mexico. Mexico City is on the list for its views. I’m always keen to go back to the Dominican Republic.

Boca Chica

When the weather turns warmer, I’d recommend San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Savannah, Charlotte, Miami, and Chicago.

Hit The Road

I’ve traveled the length of Route 66 from Chicago to LA and kicked myself for not taking the time to stop for better photographic opportunities, so this is definitely on the list again. Big Bend National park on the Texas/Mexico border has been canceled twice due to the pandemic or wildfires. Maybe this year? Pitch a tent, rent an Airbnb or rent, even better, a trailer in a west Texas nomadic hotel.

El Cosmico, Marfa Texas.
Joshua Tree National Park, California

Stealth Mode

Wearing a mask and shooting street photography from a distance can be beneficial and fun.

Minimal Clothing

One backpack filled with limited apparel and essentials. No checked bags at the airport, buy what you need when you get there.

Minimal Gear

For me, it is one camera, one lens, the iPad, external hard drive and the chargers.

Shoot Everything

Memory cards store numerous data, so fill them up. When done for the day, dump them on the iPad and then go back out to play.

Plan Ahead

Map out where you want to shoot, do your homework and take notes. Check out Atlas Obscura for unique finds, Geocaching can take you to unexpected places that aren’t in the tour guides. Refer to these often, so you don’t miss anything.

Airplane Mode

Not just a good idea when you are on a plane, but when you are on the ground and trying to focus. Leaving the phone in Airplane mode limits your distractions, to disconnect, to think, meditate on your life, to create images, you know, the whole reason you started this adventure.

Recover

I go away to get away from it all. It’s funny to me that I rarely do so. Next time, I must promise myself to be in the moment and enjoy it. Otherwise, what was the point?

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve
December 19, 2021 / / Journal

Constraints

Lately I’ve been frustrated with the lack of shooting opportunities in small town USA. By comparison, larger urban cities are target rich for photo shooters. I’ve spent two hours on two Sundays and walked away with maybe 10 images on the new camera.

Maybe I need to adjust my thinking here and appreciate the creative constraints to just keep shooting for the hell of it.

December 19, 2021 / / Journal

Photo Denbow Redesign v. 55

Because I am never satisfied with the way my online portfolio looks, a new coat of paint has been added. Also added is the new download page where that one person (thanks, mom!) can download and read my photography zines.

December 19, 2021 / / Journal

Artistic Investments

We’ve been taught that it is wise to invest in your future, so you should save and retire comfortably. So, you save and invest in hopes of a nice return on your investment. Now that you’ve saved and invested, what happens? Wait and die without living an enjoyable life? I say invest in what makes you happy, as there are no guarantees anymore. The 401k retirement plans can be worth less than what you’ve invested. Social Security is not sustainable either. But we are still taught and encouraged to keep at it anyway. Sounds like a trap for complacent sheep.

So I’ve done all that, but have a ways to go before retiring. Now I am choosing to invest in my life through other means- by doing what makes me happy while I still can.

For me, this is photography. It is a creative passport that allows me to go anywhere, capture anything and after thirty+ years, I am vested heavily.

A lot of my free time and money go to producing, developing, processing and publishing images with little reward except it makes my soul happy.

Now that I have the tools I want to accomplish these things, I will invest more time in working with other photographers and their art. Investing money into experiences, not gear. Investing both time and money into travel experiences, workshops, and anything else that furthers my desires.

Sonya, the newest and last gear investment

It is difficult to create something in a small town, in a land-locked, flyover state, in the winter, during a pandemic. So, I invested in a trip to New Orleans next month to change my perspective. I love NOLA and feel as if I can never explore it enough. The camera comes with of course to capture those experiences. Instead of investing in all the best cameras, lenses etc. etc., I’ll put my money into travel expenses.

Banksy in NOLA
Banksy in NOLA
Karma
Jackson Square
Jackson Square

Investing in my own website has paid off beautifully for me these past twenty years and I encourage all artists to do so. Stop sharecropping on Zuck’s platforms and develop on your own land.

I recommend Namecheap for buying your own domain name and web hosting. After making the rounds with most of the web hosts myself, these guys are some of the most reliable. Domain name can be as low as $2 a year. Web hosting as little as $20 a year. Congrats, you have your own website, with your own email address for the cost of 3 Starbucks visits. What a great investment in yourself and your work.

Investing in photo experiences gets me out of the house and since I am currently workin from home it is a lifesaver. New experiences for the wandering misadventurer gives me fresh eyes and new perspectives to make new photos.

Investing in my life and my lifestyle is a wise choice for my time and money.

It is financially wise eating at home more than I eat out, but I haven’t been doing that. This needs to change. The money saved on dining in can go towards that next flight instead. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

More money saved can go towards books, self-educated tools, or even investing in others through cryptocurrency to speculate on photographic works of art (NFTs.) I am slowly seeing opportunities for the blockchain to overtake “social media” photography.

Like most investors, I wish I had the wisdom to have started earlier. I want to take advantage of these new opportunities of investing in myself and earning those rewards.

December 13, 2021 / / Journal

My First NFT is Now LIVE!

Finally I have minted my first NFT (non-fungible token) titled Neon Nights at Buck Atoms Cosmic Curios on Route 66. Hopefully it will generate enough interest where someone, a curator, will purchase it with the cryptocurrency known as Ethereum.

I don’t have lofty expectations, but it would be fantastic to see it sold the first time out. After that, it’s time to generate some more images of interest and keep this going.

December 12, 2021 / / Journal

New Download Page!

I am proud to finally offer digital downloads for the first time ever. You’ll find a dedicated space for my digital photo zines and wallpapers. These files are free to download, enjoy and hopefully share.

Let me know what you think.
December 11, 2021 / / Journal

December 11, 2021 / / Photography

Sonya

Meet Sonya, the Alpha 7 mirrorless camera system from Sony. I managed to grab her, an extra battery, charger, two 128GB memory cards and a Lacie all-terrain mobile 1TB hard drive. Now I need to think about a new photography work flow.

December 2, 2021 / / Journal

Photographic Memories

After organizing decades and terabytes worth of images recently, I realized that I rarely take time to appreciate these images. I have thousands of images of my daughter, but I never look at them. They are stored in the dark, collecting digital dust. I want the best camera I can afford, so I can create photos that are forgotten. That doesn’t make sense.

Some of these photos will come in handy when old age catches up and my memories fail me. I prefer not to wait that long.

Despite their neglect, these digital memories mean everything to me and to anyone else, they would mean nothing. Sure, they represent my photography skills that grew along as much as my daughter has grown, but they are not award-winning compositions either. But they mean the world to me. If my home catches fire, the iPad and the hard drives are coming with me. Everything else can be replaced.

These precious digital files captured moments that will never happen again. They tell stories of where we were, how we were doing, and remind us of how blessed we are.

Despite all this realization, I will still take photos, knowing they may never again be viewed unless I re-organize them. I will continue to purchase external hard drives and upgrade my iCloud storage to fill them up.

One of these days, I will have them displayed out in the open in a paper format, be it in a book or a frame. They mean everything to me.

November 28, 2021 / / Journal

Zine v.2

I just published Photo Denbow Zine volume 2, Neon Nights. It is now available for download in a 1.2MB sized .pdf format. For best viewing, I suggest opening in Apple Books or a PDF reader.

zine-v2Download

Below is Volume 1.

photo-zine-v1Download
November 24, 2021 / / Journal

Volume 1

A few months ago I wrote about my own publishing house and how much fun I was having. Even more recently I mentioned that I wanted to branch out by creating digital photo zines. After jumping on a Black Friday deal, I finally decided on Affinity Publisher over Adobe InDesign.

It didn’t take long to work out the basics of the software app, so I combined some images and text, hit “publish”, converted to the PDF format and done. I then uploaded it to Apple Books for easier, more enjoyable reading. Assuming there are any interested parties, the download link is a .pdf. Enjoy!

photo-zine-v1Download

Now I need to do a deep dive on how to produce a proper zine.

November 21, 2021 / / Fitness + Nutrition

MORE PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCTIVITY

SIMPLIFY YOUR PHOTO WORKFLOW WITH THESE SUGGESTIONS.

.jpg for daily snapshots, .dng for the keepers. Take it from someone who has been shooting RAW images, these files take up a lot of hard drive space. RAW files are slow to transfer from one location to another. Do yourself a favor and shoot in jpg format whenever possible. 

SIMPLIFY YOUR PHOTO WORKFLOW

Apple Photos is a stock app on every Apple device. Photos is a basic processing and organizing application that is great for quick and simple photo edits. Free, and your photos sync to your devices automatically thanks to iCloud. Save the heavy edits and large files for Adobe Lightroom. 

GET OUT

I intend to travel more in 2022 with road trips and quick turnaround weekend flights. This is possible now that I am finally content with my camera gear. Want to buy a new camera or lens? Be content with what you have and save the money on experiences like travel instead. Photographers love to capture new experiences and explore new photo opportunities. 

TAKE A HIKE

I am a big fan of hiking and photography. The fresh air, the thrill of discovering what is around the corner or over that hill gives us a new perspective. Photo walks around town can be included here. Plus, you want to get increase your daily step count as exercise, right? 

PHONETOGRAPHY OR PHOTOGRAPHY?

Take your iPhone or your camera to your next photoshoot. Want to capture the moments with simple snapshots, use the iPhone. Want to capture lasting memories? Take the camera.

UPDATE YOUR OWN WEBSITE

After self-hosting my website for a decade, I decided to simplify and host on WordPress.com. I can publish images or text to my site on the go thanks to Ulysses, Lightroom, and WordPress from my phone or iPad. I am really enjoying this mobile darkroom and publishing setup. Forget social media and stake your own claim to the World Wide Web.