It’s not about sex!

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Ok, here is an update and mainly a little rant. First of all, I have neglected this blog as I have been working(my day job) a lot during the last 6 months. Sorry about that but gotta pay the bills somehow. Anyways, I am done my day job for a while which frees up time for me to get behind the camera as well as the keyboard. So, expect to hear from me more often for the next few months. BTW. The photo was taken in Lopburi, Thailand in 2008. 

The biggest news of my life right now is my trip to Vietnam quickly approaching. Of course, since booking of the airline tickets a few months ago… the topic of vacation and Vietnam come up on occasion with co-workers and others. I must admit that I am getting a little miffed at the fact that many non-photographers ASSUME that I am going there for the young girls! Many times I have told somebody that I am going to Vietnam and their reply is usually something along the lines of “why?”. Or, other gutter minded people make comment about the young girls there.  Even my Doctor had said, “Why, is it easy to meet girls there?”. As if I were going there for one reason and one reason only! I am a happily married man to a wonderful woman who met me when I was broke. So, I don’t have to worry about her loving my wallet. She loves ME!

Still some others ask “why” as in “Why don’t you go to an all-inclusive in Mexico or gamble in Las Vegas?” I am getting a little sick of that reaction as well. Soon my reply will be, “If I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand.” I guess my idea of a vacation is different from most others. I am looking for a little adventure. I am looking to see things I would not see in an all-inclusive or Las Vegas. For instance, seeing a town over run with Macaque monkies in Lopburi, Thailand is not something that I could see in the “other” type of vacation. Maybe vacation is the wrong word to describe my time away from my home. Maybe I should call it something like  ”adventure-ation” or “va-venture”. What I am looking for new stimulus for my eyes and soul NOT my private parts!

On the job that I had just finished, I did met a few people who did GET IT. One guy had been to Thailand several times both as a single and as a married man. Mik and I had great conversations about travel NOT about the sex tourism and girls. We talked about crazy shit we saw. Also, Mik had also gotten a tattoo done by Big in Ko Phangan. We talked about his experience with the tattoo and places and people. Our minds did not equate Thailand or any other Asian country for that fact, to sex tourism. I don’t deny it doesn’t exist but that is not why I go to these countries.

Also, a little info on the photo above. It was shot in Lopburi, Thailand. We wanted to visit there to see the Monkey Temple. It’s a temple that is over-run with Macaque monkies. Actually, the whole town was infested with monkies. It’s crazy shit like that I don’t see in Las Vegas or some jail, er I mean,  all-inclusive. Anyways, the rain had started so Trish(my wife) and I took cover in a bar. Don’t get me wrong, the girls here are pretty but the REASON that I took the photo is because where I am from we only have one maybe two people on a scooter… NOT FOUR!

The reason I desire to go to these types of places is, not in any particular order:

  • Meet people
  • See different scenery
  • Curiosity
  • History
  • Live adventurously
  • See crazy shit

Anyways, we leave for Vietnam in four days. There is still packing and errands to do. Hopefully, I can get a “What gear I am taking” post up for your amusement before we leave.

A Deeper Frame

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Really now, what’s there to know about depth? Ensure a foreground, middle ground, and background, right? WRONG. There is more to it than that. David DuChemin explores the subject of depth, in depth. Dimension does not usually get a lot of talk but here David gives “depth” it’s due.  ”A Deeper Frame” is not his largest eBook that he has written. It only weighs in at 23 pages and 12.5MB. However, the content is all good. David explains, as he always does so well, ways to turn a two dimensional frame into a dimensional scene that has depth. He explains with examples of his photography. David uses arrows and diagrams over-laid on his images to ensure the reader understands what he is talking about. It certainly helps us visual people get a more solid understanding of concepts.

David also talks about optics and lenses such as what 24mm or 200mm really mean. It’s not something, I had thought about much but I am glad to know it now. After all, we should know our tools very well to be a good craftsman/woman. This is where David fills in with some technical explanations for us. I am very glad for that portion of the eBook.

I also like his analogy of thinking of the frame NOT as flat but more of a CUBE. I usually try to get an element of dimension in my photos but “A Deeper Frame” now offers me some other techniques and ways of looking at the frame, or cube, to get the desired results. So, the next time you are trying to frame a scene that is “deep in meaning”, you will be able to add a feeling of dimension to the scene with the help of “A Deeper Frame“.

From Pixelated Image Blog:

“For the next five days only you can have A DEEPER FRAME for $4 (discount code DEEP4). Or you can buy 5 eBooks for the price of 4 (discount codeDEEP20). That’s our usual deal. But this is my 12th eBook, and I’m feeling punchy, so we’re offering our deepest discount yet. 12 eBooks for $40.That’s about 34% off the already ridiculous price. That’s $3.33/eBook! Use discount code DEEPER12 when you Visit Craft&Vision, fill your shopping cart and check out. These codes expires at 11:59pm PST July 2, 2011.”

What I took from A.R.T.

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For those who don’t know what A.R.T is…  it’s an acronym  for Artist Round Table. It was part workshop but mostly conversation hosted by Ray Ketchum. Dr. Ray, as I like to think of him is what I would call an Art Psychologist. Sports athletes may use a sport psychologist to help them improve their game. Dr. Ray helps the artist with art. In our case, photography. Anyways, there was literally, a round table for us to discuss and converse about photography, art, and most importantly -what is our own unique voice and how do we find it.  Today’s post will hit a few points of what I took from ART.

Well… where to start? There were many discussions at the round table and other venues but all had a core subject -FINDING YOUR VOICE. In other words, are we truly expressing ourselves? or are we echoing what somebody else has taught us? We finally decided that we all have a voice and it is like a finger print and  nobody else can copy it.  We must be ourselves and let our photography speak for us, not for somebody else.

As Dr. Ray would say, “get out of the way of yourself”.  Or,  as writer Wes Cecil say’s, “don’t try to be clever”.As David DuChemin says, “shoot from the heart”. To me, these people are saying don’t over think of complicate your photography. Just shoot with your instinct. Your instinct is the true you. Shoot with your gut, your heart, your instinct.

I will use hockey as a metaphor.  Sometimes, when a hockey team is desperately trying to score a goal, they try to hard. They tend to cough up the puck to the opposing team by making fancy passes. They try to get “clever”. A coach’s favourite saying would be, “The players are gripping the stick to tight”. In other words, they are trying to hard. They haven’t relaxed enough to let their instinct take over and have fun. That is how goals are scored. Stick to the basics, be relaxed, have fun, and don’t over think.

How do we “shoot from the heart”? or “let our voice speak”? First, relax and don’t get uptight looking for the perfect frame. Enjoy the moment.  I have figured out that when I  get a little tingle in my chest, I push the button on the camera. That is when I get my strongest images.  I have learned it is the true me showing in the images when I shoot with my gut.

This is what happened with the image above. Because I like dogs, I was looking for a portrait shot with the dog, Juniper.  However, she wasn’t co-operating with what I was kinda looking for. My gut told me to keep the camera in portrait orientation though her positioning changed to suit a landscape orientation. I kept framing her in portrait orientation regardless of what her movement… and then my gut said, “push the button”. The image above is the end result. I broke some rules without thinking about it. I did not “break the rules” for the purpose of “breaking the rules”. I just went with my gut, my instinct, my heart. The result is a broken rule or two and an image that has a feeling of oddity. Now, I  don’t think of myself as too odd of a person. However, sometimes my thinking is odd and I definitely  have a sense of humour. Those things don’t show up in my landscape photos but they do with Juniper. I think the image of Juniper say’s more about me and my “voice” than any of my pretty landscape images do.

I know there is a technical issue that I am not happy with but the  feel of the photograph works for me. That’s the important thing. That’s why I published it.