Okay, I’ve got another confession to make. I’ve always wanted to take a class in photography. Today I know several people with albinism that are fantastic photographers, and one who does it professionally. But it’s one of those things I didn’t think I’d be so great at and now I wish I'd tried it.
When I was in high school photography still involved dark room work. I remember taking art classes and having to go into the photo lab occasionally to retrieve supplies. The stench of the chemicals made me feel as though the wind has just been knocked out of me. (Maybe one of those early signs I didn’t know to notice about HPS.) The idea of working in there with that smell for hours turned my stomach. (Probably a blessing. It wouldn't have been good for me.) Plus, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to see the photos clearly enough to tell which ones were in focus. I still have that problem at work. I can tell if the composition of a photo is good, but focus sometimes eludes me.
Then a few years ago I got a digital camera. It’s wonderful. It means I can experiment and play as much as l like without worrying about the costs of film or developing. I’ve had a ball taking pictures.
I was secretly really pleased when our art director selected a few of my photos for the layout of my story about New Orleans earlier this year.
And then recently Nicole, a photographer with albinism who I know from the albinism international yahoo group, posted about a photo contest she’d entered. She wanted us to vote for her, which I did. Her photos were beautiful!
The magazine having the contest was very intriguing. It’s called JPEG and features all amateur photography. Each month there are different themes and thousands of people submit amazing work. I’m not sure that I’m ready for that. I don’t really have the time to make photography a serious hobby. But, I thought it might be fun to try to snap a few shots based on the themes they’re planning – just to stretch myself.
For the past few days I’ve toyed with the idea. It made me start going through the thousands of photos I’ve taken in the past few years and I’ve decided to add a photo section to the blog. Some of the photos aren’t mine. Some are intended for HPS purposes. But some will just be photos that I snapped and liked.
When I was a kid I LOVED these coffee table books called A Day in the Life. Each featured a day in the life of another country. The photos were mostly of every day things, but something made each one interesting. They had a spontaneous quality to them. They’d have an interesting expression, interesting action, interesting composition or interesting use of light. Few looked staged.
I found that as I looked through my personal photo archive, I was drawn to the photos that had those qualities about them.
So, I’ll start posting those just for grins.
I also have more NIH photos that I’m posting both to share with HPS’ers familiar with NIH, as well as a few I’m talking to right now that haven’t been before and are curious what the place is like. They aren't "pretty" just "useful."
When I was in high school photography still involved dark room work. I remember taking art classes and having to go into the photo lab occasionally to retrieve supplies. The stench of the chemicals made me feel as though the wind has just been knocked out of me. (Maybe one of those early signs I didn’t know to notice about HPS.) The idea of working in there with that smell for hours turned my stomach. (Probably a blessing. It wouldn't have been good for me.) Plus, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to see the photos clearly enough to tell which ones were in focus. I still have that problem at work. I can tell if the composition of a photo is good, but focus sometimes eludes me.
Then a few years ago I got a digital camera. It’s wonderful. It means I can experiment and play as much as l like without worrying about the costs of film or developing. I’ve had a ball taking pictures.
I was secretly really pleased when our art director selected a few of my photos for the layout of my story about New Orleans earlier this year.
And then recently Nicole, a photographer with albinism who I know from the albinism international yahoo group, posted about a photo contest she’d entered. She wanted us to vote for her, which I did. Her photos were beautiful!
The magazine having the contest was very intriguing. It’s called JPEG and features all amateur photography. Each month there are different themes and thousands of people submit amazing work. I’m not sure that I’m ready for that. I don’t really have the time to make photography a serious hobby. But, I thought it might be fun to try to snap a few shots based on the themes they’re planning – just to stretch myself.
For the past few days I’ve toyed with the idea. It made me start going through the thousands of photos I’ve taken in the past few years and I’ve decided to add a photo section to the blog. Some of the photos aren’t mine. Some are intended for HPS purposes. But some will just be photos that I snapped and liked.
When I was a kid I LOVED these coffee table books called A Day in the Life. Each featured a day in the life of another country. The photos were mostly of every day things, but something made each one interesting. They had a spontaneous quality to them. They’d have an interesting expression, interesting action, interesting composition or interesting use of light. Few looked staged.
I found that as I looked through my personal photo archive, I was drawn to the photos that had those qualities about them.
So, I’ll start posting those just for grins.
I also have more NIH photos that I’m posting both to share with HPS’ers familiar with NIH, as well as a few I’m talking to right now that haven’t been before and are curious what the place is like. They aren't "pretty" just "useful."
Comments
Thanks for those...