My Creative Mojo

I came across this interesting article last week, and had to give it some thought. While it was intended to be only half-serious, most of us are definitely guilty of at least a few of the following:

3) Wait until everything in your life is perfect - this is me to a T. Right now, I'm STILL waiting for things in my job to settle down. Guess what? They never will.

8) Resent the process, your community, and your audience - I wouldn't say that all of this is me, but I have been finding my last few photo sessions somewhat tedious.

9) Resist all urges to rest, play, eat, laugh, or fill your senses - okay, I admit this is me. I haven't actually had fun shooting my work in a while. In the past, every outing was an awesome adventure. Not anymore, sadly.

I've come far in the last few months. I finally have some of my pictures on stock photography sites, and have begun to specialize in a few areas. However, I really miss the fun I used to have taking pictures such as these:





In short, I need to revisit exploring options for my abstract photography. I miss it so much. That's the biggest thing I learned from this article. I am not sabotaging my success, but I've cut off more options than I've needed to. I've overspecialized.

Next time - revisiting abstract photography.

Part 4 - My Stock Photography Options

My final stock photography site (that I want to research, anyway) is Shutterstock.

The categories looked appealing, so I started there.

Abstract: Very similar to iStockphoto.com. So, no - not going to work.

Texture and Background: Possibly something like this:



Nature: Ugh, no!

Parks/Outdoor: no!

Flowers: no (okay, this is getting old)

Kites (a new keyword for me) - not so much

Orchids: possibly something like these:



So, I came to the conclusion that this site was too similar to iStockphoto.com for me to spend too much time here. After all, if it isn't a great fit, it isn't.

Next time - my conclusions and next steps. I also can't wait to cover last weekend's photo shoot. I'm long overdue for that! Here's a preview of it:

Real Estate Challenge

In my never-ending quest to improve my real estate photography skills (to see if I could sell my work as a service), I found a house that was on the market. Here it is:





Compare these pictures with the one in the listing:

Why I like mine better:
1) The house looks bigger

2) The framing is better

3) The focus is better

Why I like the one in the listing better:
1) The land looks nicer

2) The straight-on view is great

Here's a picture of a house that isn't on the market that reminds me of the one in the listing:



So, I can take pictures that enhance the appearance of the land. I'm capable. :)
I'll need to do another one of these - maybe this weekend - but what do you think?

Monday - how I scrapped an entire photo shoot - something I'd never done before.

An Imperfect World

It's really easy to take pictures of beautiful houses, as I demonstrated yesterday. But what about situations like these:





In both cases, the houses are nice, but the yards aren't. In the first one, I was able to focus on the nice, curved driveway. In the second one, I let the tree and flowers help me, as well as the blue sky. I also cropped liberally. I also focused on the spaciousness of the house.

How about if the house itself is so-so, like this one:



The solution is easy - take the picture at angle, and look for blue sky.

There were two other things about this neighborhood that I had to face:

1) It's cherry blossoms season, and there were "No Parking" signs everywhere. I had to photograph around them.

2) This neighborhood has huge, above-ground power lines. I had to stand under them to take my pictures. This is why a wide-angle lens is so important. Standing under the lines put me very, very close to some of these homes. Without the wide-angle lens, the houses would have been "cut off".

I have dinner meetings the next two days, and I'll therefore be working quite late. So, Friday - I'm going to compare my pictures with those of a house that is on the market. Whose are better?

Takin' it to the Streets

First, it's great to be back - with new content! It has been far too long.

A few weeks ago, I stepped far (far) out of my comfort zone, and took a class in a new area for me. But, what's the point of taking a class if I can't test myself and see if I learned anything? I suppose there is no point. Because the Kite Festival was postponed, I'd run out of excuses. So, out I went, in the freezing cold.

To make things a little better, I went out to one of my favorite neighborhoods to take pictures of my favorite houses. Here's a big lesson learned: Winter makes the nicest houses look very sad. So, how did I do? Well, here are examples of how I did with my "Tier 1" houses (aka my absolute favorites):







The intent of real estate photography is to make someone want to buy the house. I think I got the point across here.

The first picture was on a hill. As you may recall, one of the lessons I learned was to take the picture at the top of the hill. Here, I also wanted to showcase the green grass and the nice steps. I didn't love the picture straight on, so I took it at an angle.

The second picture looked very good straight on, so I stayed with it. Notice that the blossoms are beginning to bloom. If it were up to me, I'd make sure that all of my real estate pictures were taken during the peak blossom period. However, that's not always possible, and so it is what it is. :)

The third picture would have been FABULOUS without that car in the driveway. If I were hired to take this picture, I'd make sure that car were hidden somewhere else. Notice the blossoms, the curved driveway, and the green grass.

What settings did I use? ISO 400 (it seemed appropriate at the time), automatic white balance setting, and my wide-angle lens. Post-production, I cropped out some of the extra space.

These were my best case scenarios. Tomorrow - when the house isn't as pretty as these.

Deals and Discounts - Should I Bite?

I've contemplated buying Photoshop CS5 on and off for a while. I always figured it would be good to have in my arsenal. But, I always change my mind. What would I do with it? Well, I'd probably tweak a few pictures. These are examples:



I'd take the people out of this picture.



Or brighten this picture (and make the sky blue)



Or remove the cars from this picture.

Anyway, I got a discount card in the mail. Anyone who owns a recent version of Elements for Windows or the Mac can upgrade to a full-fledged version of CS5 for $299. That's a really good deal.

But is it? Not if I'm not going to use it. As some of you know, I spend some time in Aperture, but that's about it. I use it to fix pictures such as this one:



This one was unusable before I worked on it in Aperture. Beyond that, though, I hate editing images.

Unless someone convinces me that CS5 meets MY needs, I don't care how inexpensive it is, or what the discounts are. I find this interesting, because I sell software services for a living. I use exercises like this to get in the heads of my customers. Understanding their needs and what motivates them to buy (which might not always be logical) ensures I'm not throwing deals and discounts at people. My customers are consumers, after all.

Anyway, I've decided to pass on this. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in more details about the promotion. Have a great weekend!

Photo Challenges

As you know, I try to enter contests every month (that didn't work out so well last month). I don't participate in photo challenges, though. But what are they?

Well, from what I can tell, they're like contests, but with a very specific focus. So as an example, contests can be about a subject like macro photography, but a challenge might restrict it by subject (one particular object, like a bottle) or colors. Something along those lines.

I came across the following challenge topics earlier today:

Day taken at night

Urban nature

Water bottle

Two colors

Backlighting subjects

i would have entered the two colors one, but it was too late. The backlighting subjects one was really interesting. I found myself digging through my portfolio to see if I had anything that would work. I can't say that it was an easy task, but it was interesting. These pictures seem to fit the bill:













Will I enter any of these? I really don't know. I might. I have until the end of the month to decide. However, learning about the technique, as well as really focusing on my work were activities that were well worth my time.

Tomorrow: A promo offer I received in the mail.

Coasters and Fun Stuff

I read about photography every day, so it's not surprising to me that I see and hear about new ideas (new to me, at least) often. On LinkedIn, I came across a post from a woman asking about companies that make custom coasters from pictures. I thought - what a great idea! I could really get into that.

Well, easier said than done. A few casual observations:

1) UK companies seem to have a better presence than US ones, based on my search results.

2) There is apparently a way to do this myself, but ... I'm really not that handy or crafty.

3) The US offerings vary wildly in price - from 65 dollars a coaster (which seems excessive) on the high end, to around 4 dollars a coaster. I have to think that there's a huge difference in quality there.

As a result, I'll need to go and see these for myself. I can't recommend an online option. My plan is to check out Ritz Camera and Penn Camera. I can walk to Ritz Camera, and I'll have to drive to Penn Camera. At least that way, though, I'll make an informed decision.

In a perfect world, here's what I'd do with these products:

1) Order custom mugs for my Mom - she'd love one with a picture like this:



2) Coasters for me - mine are really old. I'd want pictures like these:



In other words, something bright and pretty.

Tomorrow, I'm going to discuss some photo challenges I've seen, and whether or not I think I can handle them.

Contest - My Finalists

Yesterday, I decided that I was going to enter the NCCF contest, and that I would narrow down my choices to 15 pictures (I can only enter 3). I actually did better than that, I'm happy to say. Here are my seven finalists:




So there you have it! I'll decide in two weeks. In the meantime, next week, I'll shift my focus to other topics ... like the Cherry Blossom Festival and my plans! Have a great weekend!

Joining Forces - My Friend

Yesterday, I mentioned that my friend and I took macro and abstract pictures. He had a point-and-shoot (the same one I had purchased a few months ago, actually), and I had my gear with my macro lens. So, how did that go for him?

Here is one example of a picture I took:



This was an abstract of a mailbox. While his wasn't as colorful as mine, it was better composed. It looked more like an abstract painting, in my opinion. His point-and-shoot did not limit him at all, and his creativity made a difference.

I also took this picture:



I had far more control over depth of field than he, because of my macro lens. With his picture, the background was highly visible (some grass). Here, you can only see the plant. Which is better? I can't say, but having more control is a definite plus.

However, these pictures don't tell the full story. My friend really excels at taking "whimsical" pictures. When I say that, I'm referring to the fun, whimsical ones. I don't even have an example to show you, because I'm not good at that style at all. However, watching him gave me some ideas. He learned from me, as far as being creative with mundane subjects is concerned (street signs, fences, plants, etc.). And that's why I like to team up with him - his best pictures don't remotely resemble mine, and we both learn a lot. It's a prime example of how it isn't always the camera - it CAN be the photographer. Till tomorrow!

Joining Forces - My Story

A few months ago (time certainly flies!), a friend and I took pictures together in DC. We had such a terrific time, that we decided to do it again. I was hoping we could go back into the city, but there were a few issues: 1) The Metro wasn't running too well, due to construction and 2) I wasn't feeling well. I therefore suggested to my friend that we stay in the area. I'm not sure if he thought it was a good idea or not, but he went along with me.

We found ourselves in a quiet, residential neighborhood. Our mission? To take abstract/macro pictures only. We didn't do a bad job! Here are my favorite shots:











Some comments, aside from the fact that only one of these pictures is actually colorful:

1) The first and second remind me of the futility of winter, but for different reasons.

2) For some reason, the third picture reminds me of a prison. Maybe it's because there are numbers, I don't know - but it looks kind of eerie.

3) The fourth picture is actually a reflection - if you look closely, you can see windows. Those windows were part of a house. It was really interesting, because the house itself was only windows (to a great extent).

4) This last picture (the only colorful one) was taken off of a construction sign.

I used my macro lens. How did my friend fare? Was he able to take similar pictures? Till tomorrow!

A Celebration of Color, Day 2 - Orange and Yellow

Hi everyone!

I have to say, this series is cheering me up, already. So, without further ado, here are my orange and yellow selections:













First, I was shocked to learn that I had almost no yellow pictures. I wasn't expecting that at all. I don't like orange, but I had more orange ones. Very odd. On my next macro photo shoot, I need to add to my inventory of yellows.

Anyway, thoughts and tips on each picture:

1) This is an interesting picture - it's received very good reviews. For this, I really had to focus on depth of field. I used a very low f-stop to ensure that the background would blur. I wanted the subject to be the full flower. Make sure you are not in bright sunlight when you are taking something like this - you'd lose the intricate details of the flower.

2) This is one of my all-time favorites - it's absolutely gorgeous. This was on a sunny, fall day. I stood under a tree such that some sunlight could stream in, but not too much. I used a relatively large f-stop (f/10) to capture as many sharp leaves as I could. A lower f-stop would have resulted in "strategic blurring", but that's not the look I wanted that day.

3) Speaking of strategic blurring, I actually took this in northern Syria - not the place where you'd expect to see an orange flower. This picture is a great example of how a simple houseplant can look very pretty. This was taken on my aunt's balcony, and I made sure it wasn't too sunny (Syria is very sunny in the summer) by waiting until later that day.

4) Some yellow! Had I a chance to take this picture again, I would have done two things: 1) Made it sharper by holding more still and 2) Either used a lower f-stop to make the background even more blurry or 2) Moved around to avoid this background altogether. It's distracting. I took this several years ago, though, so this was a nice trip down memory lane.

5) This could have been a disaster! The light level was very low, and it was crowded that day. I did not have much time to set up or take this picture. The ISO was bumped ALL the way up - 1600 - and the f-stop was a middling 5.6. A higher f-stop would have removed some of the blurring, but honestly, the light was so low and my "holding still" skills so low that I wouldn't have gotten a shot at all. Also, I made sure the white balance was Tungsten for color fidelity.

6) My worst shot of the bunch. How to fix? Fill flash would have been a start. In this case, though, I would have tried to find the light. Other options are to lower the ISO speed (from 200 to 100) to let in more light, as well as some strategic post-processing. However, brighter light would have made the biggest difference. This picture could have been perfect - it's wonderfully composed. Oh well, at least I have a new project in mind!

Till tomorrow!