New Years Resolutions for Photographers

Happy New Year to all my photography friends !  Can you believe it is 2019 already? Time flies huh?  

Are you one of those people who makes resolutions every January and then fights to keep them?  Even though I have a hard time sticking to some of the resolutions I make, I still find that the practice of making resolutions helps me to get myself motivated. It is also a chance to look back at the year and to see what I have learned from my experiences and what I need to work on.  For myself I find it very useful to set some clear (obtainable) goals. 

Just about every photographer I know says they’re going to try to shoot more in the coming year. Practice makes perfect right?  How about raising the bar a little and start sharing more of your work online or on social media platforms? This can be a great way to build up your business and network more at the same time.

In the winter months I try to update my portfolio (s) and get my backups in order. Depending on how thorough you are throughout the year, this can be a simple project or a major one. Another good resolution can be to get your gear lust under control and try to maintain your current gear instead.  Here's a great tip; stop comparing yourself to other photographers. 

Here are a few ideas for resolutions you might try in the coming year

• If you have a website (or websites) you could try updating it or maybe giving it a fresh new look with a much needed overhaul?

• We all have books in our libraries we have never gotten around to finishing yet. Break out some of your photography books and read or re-read them.

• Improve your skill set by either taking a class at your local community college or online. Classes in retouching or post processing techniques are always helpful. Face it; unless you’re an Adobe Certified Expert we can always improve our Photoshop and/or Lightroom skills.

•  Teaching a photography or lighting workshop.  Maybe you have some experience editing or taking photos with your iPhone. These days everyone has a cell phone that takes photos and videos and a lot of them would like to improve their photography.

• Improve your own lighting skills with off-camera flash or with studio lighting. Photography is all about light and the better we get at it, the easier our jobs become right? 

• Maybe you could organize a photo trip with fellow photographers.  I find these not only fun, but very educational at the same time.  

• Print more photos. There is nothing better than a beautiful print right?

These are just a few suggestions but the list can go on and on. Stick to your guns and make 2019 your best year yet. As always, remember to keep shooting and have some fun!

11th Annual Worldwide Photowalk

This year marks the 11^th year of  Scott Kelby’s Worldwide photowalk. Each year on the first Saturday of October, photographers and a lot of photo-enthusiasts from all around the world get out their cameras and meet up at designated locations in their towns or cities to walk around and take photographs. It’s a great way to socialize, and to make new friends with people who also enjoy photography. Plus, you can also win tons of prizes, and be a part of a great cause during Scott Kelby’s Worldwide photowalk. 

The cause is helping to support the Springs of Hope Orphanage in Kenya. The orphanage houses, educates and helps young orphans get the help they need to succeed in life. Donations are not mandatory, but they help to make a huge difference in these children’s lives. 

Last year marked the ten-year anniversary and was the largest walk to date.  This year should even top that!  No matter what continent you are on or where you are in your photographic journey (or what type of camera or phone you use) you too can take part in this year’s event!  

Sign up now and be a part of this year’s Worldwide Photowalk!  Join us October 06, 2018!

Advancements In Digital Photography

Every now and then I’ll be roaming around the Internet and randomly clicking on things that catch my attention and a few days ago something caught mine that I just had to check out. Like a lot of other photographers I use the Internet as a tool for all sorts of things, such as checking out new products or reviews or just looking for new creative photo ideas from various photographers. The video I came across was from The Camera Store TV website and originally aired back in October 2015. The reason it caught my eye was because the man doing the video was talking about my first DSLR camera, the original Canon 300D Digital Rebel. He was describing how far digital cameras have advanced and how far the prices have come down since they were first introduced to the general public. Think about it, these days some cell phones can shoot 4k video and shoot images over 15 MP. Isn’t it amazing how far the digital technology has come? 

When I purchased my Canon Digital Rebel in 2003 I had already been shooting digital for about three years and had been using Photoshop for two years (version 6.0). My first digital camera wasn’t the Rebel, it was actually a Panasonic PV-SD4090 SuperDisk PalmCam and shot at 1.3MP. It was released in 2000 and it actually recorded images on a 3 ¼ floppy disk that slid into the side of the camera and cost about $2000. Although it had an optical as well as a digital zoom lens, you couldn’t change lenses like the SLR’s camera I was used to. I probably would have kept shooting with it for a while longer but it could only hold about 12 shots on a disk (even at 1.3 MP) and you needed Windows ME to run it which was getting phased out by Microsoft for numerous reasons. Fortunately for me I was already converting all my files to DNG format or I would not even be able to open them these days. 

Panasonic SuperDisk

I remember there were sneak press releases in November 2002 announcing the soon to be released Digital Rebel. The Canon Rebel was going to be the first consumer priced digital camera designed to get people interested in DSLR cameras and it boasted a 6.3MP sensor and could shoot at a lightning fast 2.5 frames a second. That sounds like a joke now, but at that time it was fantastic. Before the Rebel would finally be released, Canon would first introduce the semi-pro EOS 10D in February of 2003. The EOS 10D was priced at $1999 (body only) but the Digital Rebel was scheduled going to be offered at $999 (body only) but would also be offered as a kit with an 18-55mm lens that featured Canon’s new EF-S lens system for around $1199. 

The 300D Digital Rebel was finally released in August of 2013 and because people were so anxious to get them Canon couldn't keep up with the demand. Believe it or not, you had to be put on a waiting list to get one for yourself. For me it was definitely worth the wait because now not only could I change lenses but I could record my images in Camera RAW.  It would be about two years before I was shooting totally in Camera RAW. It was pretty easy switching over to the Rebel because my main camera was a Canon AE1 film SLR and all the functions were the same except I now I was shooting on a CF card and I had a LCD to preview my shots. I kept photographing families and events, and actually shot a few weddings totally in JPEG mode and my customers were very happy with the images. To check out the video click  Canon 300D Digital Rebel.

I hope this post brought back memories of your first digital camera. As always, remember to keep shooting and have some fun!