I'm pretty sure that FDR, in spite of owning "the most photographed dog in the world" did not have a strong skill set behind the camera. The same should be said for Thomas Jefferson seeing as cameras were just a little bit after his lifetime. But that doesn't mean that as a photographer some lessons can't be learned from men who had enough character to lead our country. I'm participating in a 'mini amazing race' style event called 'Expedition Give' tomorrow and one of our tasks was to do some research to find something that inspires us through some of the resources on www.values.com Naturally, I looked for something inspirational to me as a photographer, but the challenge lies in being able to apply the inspiration we find and put it into practice. This blog post represents my attempt at doing so and I challenge anyone that reads this to take some time to do the same in their own lives.
"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Some people may say these are photoshopped, I assure you they are not (other than the color scheme). A few weeks ago on an engagement shoot with Danny + Sam, we tried some new things while shooting like intentionally shifting the camera with a slow shutter speed to get some motion blurring action. I kid you not, 100 shots were tried... Less than 5 came out. These are two of them. Call me crazy, but it was worth every failed attempt.
“I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
-Thomas Jefferson
As a photographer, its crucial to know your surrounding area for photo hotspots and always be prepared to shoot unexpectedly. I try to live by these words. And well, whether or not you count an amazing lightning storm directly over my apartment as luck or a random heart planted in the grass at Piedmont Park during an engagement shoot as coincidence, some of my older favorites wouldn't exist if TJ's statement weren't true.
By taking Teddy too literally at 12:30 on a friday night, in my office, when I should be going to bed, with the closest camera to me, I learned a few key things...
1) I am going to have an awesome wrinkled old man face in 50 years.
2) My dog is an attention whore.
3) I need a haircut.
And with that I will leave you with my "final thoughts"
“If I had permitted my failures, or what seemed to me at the time a lack of success, to discourage me I cannot see any way in which I would ever have made progress.
-Calvin Coolidge
“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
- Abraham Lincoln
1 comments:
love!
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