Weakness

Hardly a waking hour passed without my Domke bag implanting itself further into my shoulder. Yet this was my first vacation since many a fortnight passed, and thus more often I occupied this time conversing with my long time friend and recently introduced acquaintances and far less time with my Nikon outside its canvas residence.

Here my greatest weakness is exposed.

My recent excursion to Portland, OR had many examples of this. Above you will see some of the shots I was most pleased with. You will not see however the many flashbulb memories held only in my head. Some were left alone due to poor light, while the vast majority were momentarily noted while in the midst of some other activity where it would be grossly inappropriate to stop and interrupt, or where it would have removed me from a moment I was presently enjoying. I was there for fun, and any shots though potentially marketable, would be taken for my own enjoyment (stock photography is not currently a focus of mine). So thus I can not share any images from the most pleasant evening of a dozen musicians jamming on a back porch, or the towering sequoias with an afternoon shower of sunbeams.

Many other professional photographers live for an amazing shot, I shoot for an amazing life. In this weakness I hope to find an even greater strength. Instead of always shooting, and hoping for quality in quantity, I will put down my camera and look to engage on a personal level. As compensation for what may be missed in those moments there is an added quality of humanity and relationship hopefully conveyed in my photos. By being a photographer and not just a tripod with an eye for composition and colour, I look to live not by proxy through my lens, but to live a life highlighting the best parts with my lens.

(note: The above is my general philosophy and not an expression of my exact approach to shooting on assignment or any other instance with the expressed sole purpose of capturing imagery.)