Well, really an old obsession come alive again. My mom was always taking pictures when I was little. I still remember the day we went to San Antonio (a big deal as we lived 30 miles south in a very small town) and my dad bought her a real camera. She was so excited. When I say a real camera I mean one with an interchangeable, manual focusing lens and a removable flash. I love some of my mom's pictures. One thing I love most is that she is not afraid to grab her camera and shoot anything at anytime. My Mema (grandmother) is the same way...sometimes Mema is too bold. She took photographs at my Grandaddy's funeral last February. Who was to tell her no, it was her husband for crying out loud. It made some people uncomfortable...guess I am just used to it. She even sent me a picture of his headstone once it was placed at his gravesite. She was very proud of how it turned out as she had designed it and commissioned an artist to create it. Just a little background for ya...now back to me...
I love photography. I love journalistic style and portrait photography the most. It is so amazing how pictures can tell a story without a single word. I love photo essays as well, words and photo's together are great too. Annie Leibowitz is an amazingly talented photographer. Some of her subjects and the way she captures them are a bit extreme, but some are beautiful beyond description. Emotion jumps out at you and you feel as if you know something more about her subjects.
The first photograph I took that I was really proud of was of a tree. I was taking a photography class through 4-H (told you I grew up in a small town). They taught us how to make a camera out of an oatmeal container. It would take a single photo. I sat it in a bunch of leaves and positioned it towards a towering Live Oak Tree. It was amazing (to me at least). I have no idea where that pic is now. I am sure stored away at my parent's house.
I have become inspired again. Food & Wine Magazine is having a contest on food photography. Grand prize is a Canon Rebel Digital Camera. That would be so awesome. So they have combined my love of food (cooking & eating) with my new desire to take beautiful pictures. I will let you know how it goes. It is a one time shot (no pun intended) as you can only enter a single photo into the contest. I might upload some of my pictures to get your opinions.
If you know of any good books on photography let me know. My husband does not know this but he will be my first serious portrait subject...oh what he is in for.
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3 comments:
I will have a look through my photography books and report back. :-)
My son came to the darkroom with me once (I did b/w photographing, developing and printing silver gelatine prints) and one of the photographers there made him a pinhole camera out of a Quaker's oatmeal box! He loved it. :-)
Here's the one book I recommend:
AN ANSEL ADAMS GUIDE
Basic Techniques of Photography
John P. Schaefer
Little, Brown and Company
It has the basics, yet takes you all the way to become a very sophisticated camera user. :-)
I will pick it up tonight at the bookstore on my way home. Thank you so much for you advice.
I will report back on the fun things I learn.
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