I have made a point of looking back at photographs that I have taken during the last six years that I have been using a digital camera and a PC monitor.
The process has made me review the image quality, the technical skill and the subject matter with a different eye.
I have edited down my 'best shots' folders on my PC and printed these out so as I can see them as real photographs as opposed to PC monitors renditions. I have found this process interesting in that what looks good on a TV screen and what looks good as a photographic print are not always the same. There is something about the physical object that forces me to be more critical. I am guessing that watching TV and working on PCs for so long makes us all experience images differently. Perhaps my visual acuity has been desensitised by the ubiquitous nature of the screen format. I suppose there is a physical difference and a response difference to a TV which is projecting light and colour to a photograph which is reflecting light and colour.
I have also been thinking about the way my working method has changed from film to digital. It is now much easier to capture the initial image and to carry out post processing changes. This may have made me lazy at the point of image capture.
There has also been a change in the way that I take photos brought about by the significant cost savings from digital technologies. I used to think about wastage a lot more due to the price of film and processing. It has become cheaper and easier to fire off 'cheap shots'. I think that this will provoke the first change in the way that I am currently working. I will certainly be taking more time with each shot. I am planning a photo shoot where I will use an old 128MB memory card in my DSLR. This will limit me to a 36 exposure shoot.
I have noticed some distracting features in a number of my photographs. Distant pylons, microscopic birds, distant walkers with annoying red jackets and tiny cars in otherwise timeless landscapes consistently appear. These could have been resolved by taking the time to look forensically around the frame.
I understand that some photographic opportunities will require a fast working method but I shall bear in mind that I may need an arsenal of different working methods for different subject matter.
Collecting examples of work (Google images etc)
Collecting subjects for photographing (form, texture, colour etc)
Make lists of subjects (locations, people, buildings, events etc)
LOCATIONS : Coopers metals, Town centre, Coate Water, Radnor cemetery, Railway village, Steam.
PEOPLE : Family (Tracey , friends (Eric, Mandi, Lee, Fleety, JP, Hop), work colleagues (Richard Simpson, Doug Garroway, Dave Davies, Ray Stratford), DAR passengers, Me (makeovers, hats, wigs), Max Keiser.
Collect background materials (textiles, paper, card, plastic, wood, stone, etc)
Make lists of changing lighting possibilities to revisit locations (rain, after rain, low sun, street lighting, seasonal variation)
Review professional work. Keep photos from colour supplement magazines in a folder (make notes about composition, subject, colour, lighting etc)
Think about the photographic equipment. Understand the core functions that give creative control.
Tripod.
Cable release.
Flash.
Digital viewing (PC monitor). BenQ GL2450HM 24" LED HDMI Monitor ???
Storage and backups.
PROJECT : Getting to know your camera
