From time to time I have submitted my work to galleries.  The first time was crushing.  I gathered up twenty of my very best shots and brought them in.  These showed the width and breath of my ability.  I spread them out and the curator walk over and hard looked at them, she turned to me as said, “I am not interested in you best work!”  I was shocked but I learned.  Artists are judged on the body of their work.  Photographers are judged on there last images.

Now this gets me to the subject I want to talk about.  A few night ago I attended a show and talk by Nancy Rose.  Who is Nancy you may ask. She is the Squirrel Lady.  As she did her talk in Bridgwater she was featured on national television.   Now let me back up, I have been following Nancy for a very long time’ Long before she was the Squirrel lady.  She is an excellent photographer that can handle just about any situation.  Along the way she started to photograph squirrels that came to her backyard feeder. Squirrels are easy to photograph as the are not afraid of human, and in cities, they get much of there food from us.  Then Nancy got the bright idea to add props on her deck.  This is how the Squirrel Lady was born.  She has the most wonderful body of Squirrel photographs, each one is as cute as cute can be. So now you are thinking what value is there in taking cute pictures of squirrels?  She has gained international fame for her work, she makes money selling stock and she is having fun.  Think of it, the news is on the tele, you have been bombarded with stories of bombing, murder, rape and all sort sorts of tragic event and at the end they show one of Nancy’s images and you are left with a smile on your face.  That is the worth!

So what does all this mean to the average photographer. Nancy’s work was only seen by a very small group of people when she was working so hard taking all sorts of wonderful pictures. When she specialized she became noticed.

The world is saying, “I am not interested in you best work only your best ideas!” So if you want to be a great photographer show your best images, if you want to be a great artist show your best work.

Specializing may not make you famous but it will make you special.

A few days ago I attended a talk given by Mariette Roodenburg a local artist/photographer and someone in the audience asked her, “Do you photoshop.”  Her answer basically was, “Of course I Photoshop, why do you ask?”  She went on to say that before digital no one was concerned about her darkroom manipulations and now with digital it has become a big deal.  She was also curious why people question photographic manipulation but embrace manipulation in other forms of art.

The reality is all images are manipulated.  This process starts long before you even pick up the camera.  You see something that attracts your attention and you choose to photograph it, or not, and that is the first step in selectivity.

When put a camera to your eye you start to make even more decision that refine how your final image will turn out.  You may move around to avoid, or include, distractions that appears in the viewfinder. The framing is a selection of your choice.  You may prompt your subject to smile or not, to look this way or that way, to move to the left or the right.  If you are clever you select lens, aperture, shutter speed, the focus point and exposer to your advantage.  You may even do a lot more creative things like adding filter and such. There are countless selections you make.  When you feel it is right you trip the shutter.  Next, you may even take a dozen or more images of the same subject so that you can later pick the one that most appeals to you. Even the camera you choose will effect the final results.

At this point all you have is a latent image.  If it is film it is just a chemical change, if it is digital it is a group of number, but it is not yet an image. The latent image has to be worked to bring out the final picture. Film has to be processed, digital image have to be interpenetrated by computers.  It is called post processing. Sometimes, like in slides, the processing is more restrictive that by other means. Make no mistake processing is essential to the final image. I don’t know of anyone that waves a flash card in the air and says. “Look at my pictures.”

People choose the degree of control they apply to post processing.  Some decide to let Nikon’s software engineers and the local Photo Booth do there best job. Other take a more hands-on approach and with it the responsibility of do it all themselves.  All you have to know is that it is about choice.

For some reason their are those that thing Photoshopping is a negative concept.  I suspect these are the people who feel that because a cameras can capture a very realistic representation of the world that is the only thing it should do. By thinking this way they are doing themselves a disservice by confining their photographic boundaries. Photography is not about reality it is but about perception.

Do I Photoshop?  Bloody right I do! Why do you ask?

I guess we have all been there, it seems I am often the designated photographer.  In the beginning I felt it is a bit of an honour.  After a while I realize they pick me because I’m cheap and have the equipment; most don’t even know if my images are good or bad just that I can do it.  After a while I think it is a bit of a drudge and in way it is.

This week I was asked to take part in organizing a photo contest, helping to make a photographic record of our community’t assets, take portraits of residents in a seniors complex and finally asked to support a local arts group by documenting their concert.

Other than portrait photography none of this is my first choice and I really don’t get a lot of pleasure out of doing it but I do it and I do it cheerfully, without grousing. The fact is I am a strong believer of community and as part of a community I feel it is my obligation to share my talents.  Without volunteers many organizations couldn’t survive let alone flourish.

When I was a boy, before Canada had a health system, I was the recipient of people who were generous with their time and money.  I feel it is only right to return such favours, so it is pay back time.

The problem, or maybe the joy, of with being a photographer it that it is not always altruistic.  As I am introduced to new challenges I learn new skills.  Along the way it is true that I have good feelings for helping out but I also managed to get images I would have never tried for.  Today I would have rather sit on my ass and drink coffee and read a trashy novel I am happy I said yes to the shoot.

Helping out for me is a win/win situation.

So when ask to step up to the plate say yes, you won’t regret it.

I live in a very old town, by North American standards, this year is our 260^th anniversary.  Last night I was at a meeting where the Heritage Project Officer – Town of Lunenburg made a pitch.  Thirty years ago there was a photographic record made of the town. They want to redo this project and need photographers. In the days of film this could have been a very expensive project but with digital it can much simpler.  Areas of the town will be assigned to photographers and when they are out and about and have spare pixels shoot houses on their list.

This got me thinking of a talk I had with a friend of mine who is a historian.  He was bemoaning digital.  It seems that because film is not involved it is now so cheap to click.  Most people become more critical in what they print and they loose far more images than they keep. To a historian old images good or bad are a wealth of knowledge. In the future they may be less wealthy. How many shoe boxes of imaged do you have under your bed?

I think we should make an effort to photograph the things what we take for granted.  Whether it be a mechanical or an artistic effort what we take for granted now will most likely be of great interest as time goes on.

Last night I went to a meeting and reconnected with a group of friends. On the way home I was tired and I came to a tee junction and turned left as I usually do.  My subconscious slapped me, I checked my review and did a u-turn.  I drove maybe 60 meters past the original turning point and parked my car.  There was this magnificent boat up on blocks having some overhaul work being done to it.  The company doing the work had the boats inside lights on and a couple of flood lights directed to one side her.

I had my little micro four-thirds with me.  I was using a slight wide angle lens so I set the aperture to f1.7, the shutter for 1/15 of a second, left the ISO at 100, and my white balance was set at 5000k˚. Because of the low shutter speed and hand holding I shot three shots hoping one would be sharp, in fact two were.  I could have bumped the ISO to 400 and the shutter would have been 1/60 but I elected to go with as little nose as possible.

The boat was all eerie and ghostly sitting there, alone in blocks and in the harsh light of night. I really wanted to create that feeling.  Because of the mixed light the image came out a bit mysterious. My first image I elected to go colour and just put a vignetting blur around it to lessen the structures around the boat.  This process can be done in camera but is some much easier to control in post.  I like what I saw but I wanted more.  So I decided to try B&W and give go for a film noir effect.  Once done I though OMG Humphrey Bogart is going to come out of the cabin at any moment.

The point is one should always list to their subconscious.