No Do-Overs

 Picked up a book during lunch a couple weeks ago by Jay Maisel called Its Not About The F-Stop.  I bought it for the pictures, browsing through it at the Tattered Cover.  Turns out its sort-of a how-to, which I in my typical fashion didn't actually read until 10p one night after my day job got done pummeling me.
 
Normally I'm not a fan of how-to books, being very much a proponent of learning-by-doing.  The author does make what I feel to be a couple relevant points amid photos of trees and people and scenes from around the world - if you see something that inspires you, stop, and take the shot.  With photography there's no such thing as "I'll come back..."

This morning's firecracker lilies embodied this nicely.  Beautiful at 7a in the morning sun; tonight withered.

Its really all about the pictures :)

As I sit here a conversation with a long-time friend of mine comes to mind.  After dinner one recent Sunday she mentioned that she didn't feel my recent work was as inspired or as powerful as my older work - like four-years-older, that the newer work was more staged and the older more impulsive.  I somewhat agree and disagree.  Yes, my newer pieces are more thought-out and less shot-from-the-hip.  But I also get into more art shows now than I did four years ago.  I'm coming to truly realize that different audiences are inspired by different things.  For my friend she appreciated the less practiced approach where perhaps the lighting wasn't quite right or the proportions were off.  The show judges and my sister seem to appreciate form and function and proportion.  Thinking I'll keep a mix and not worry about it. 


visit Samantha Byrnes' gallery online..