I think the primary reason that I still remain involved with photography, is that I love viewing and commenting on other people’s imagery.  I use Flickr and the Earth Images group (sometimes Facebook) as my primary vehicle for keeping in touch with what kind of work the general population of photographers is producing.

Those that I am connected to on Flickr, whether it is because they are a “contact” or they belong to my group, run the whole gamut of photographic prowess.  There are shooters on Flickr that are equal to anybody in the world.  There are many that are “merely” excellent photographers.  There are those whose equipment is a liability, and there are others who are just starting this journey and have not gained enough experience to produce good work.  It is those last two categories that inspire me to continue.

It amazes me how experienced photographers on places like Flickr will ignore photographers whose work is less than spectacular, or whose name is not well-known.  How quickly we forget.  There is nothing in life that gives me more pleasure, than boosting the confidence of those who are struggling at photography.  After all, photography is what I claim to love.  If you love something you must want it to blossom. When you post photos in Flickr it keeps a count of those who have viewed or commented on specific photos, or have saved that picture as a favorite.  Who needs more attention from an experienced shooter than that photographer with one view and one comment on their posted photo.  That one comment likely came from Mom.  I always tell the truth when I comment.  I find the good. I will critique an image but only when asked.  About six months ago I made it my business to follow and comment on three different photographers.  I am so proud of them and how they are blossoming.  One has just spent her hard-earned money on a top flight Canon camera and another will be making his first “photo trip” to the Pacific Northwest this autumn.

When I was teaching photo workshops I often said that I loved teaching experienced photographers who just had a few questions, or wanted to add to their skills.  Instead it seemed that I kept attracting and teaching mostly new photographers or those who were struggling.  Towards the end I realized, that was where I belonged.  With those photographers who actually needed me.  It gave me value instead of just money.

It is to those struggling photographers that I owe so much.  Without them I do not believe I would remain involved in photography. It allows me to once again take that journey through photography, only through the eyes of others.  I get to live it all over again.

I owe each of you a lot and I thank you.

I love images of sparkly or colorful things on black backgrounds.  Especially when they are natural.  When I was making pictures I was always on the lookout for backlight or sidelight, with a dark background.  I would frequently change the camera/tripod position, or switch to a longer lens to narrow my background view down to a small shaded area.  The only “tricks” that I employ in images like the one below is to add a moderate amount of contrast after I get home.  Adding contrast means separating light and dark by darkening the dark areas, and brightening the light areas.  There were small amounts of variations in tone in the background of this image.  Adding a little contrast darkened those variations all to the same value.

I love to share and talk about flower photography.  I am usually showing single blossoms, and writing about where I placed my point of focus.  A lot of depth of field or a little.  The other main flower photo from me is the landscape of flowers.  Hyper-focal distance, or better said, total depth of field.  Today’s image is different but still of a sort that I have made many of in my life.  I absolutely love finding small patches of flowers like this Phlox, and composing the colors and tones while shooting with total depth of field.  In this image the grasses are just as important as the flowers.  I cannot see this picture with anything less than total focus, with every blossom and every blade of grass appearing sharp.

Give someone a little boost in confidence today.  Show them that what they do in life has purpose, and will be noticed by others.

I have mentioned many times that I love mountains and I used to live in Colorado.  I consider CO my second home.  I made many great friends when I lived there and have made new ones on subsequent trips.  There are a few of those “old friends” who found me through my website (now gone), and we kept in contact via email.  We have slipped away from each other again, but if you do find me on this blog, please know that my prayers are with you as so much of Colorado burns.  Be safe.

Wayne