New Gear~

I just published a post that I thought I had already published. Fail on my part. So now this is going to seem a little weird. Three maybe four posts right in a row!

I have been bringing my camera with me more often. Not as often as I like, but more than usual. So I have been getting more shots and have also gotten a few new pieces of gear to go along with it. So I thought I would share the goodies first! I gave in after many mad reviews from my photog friends and got a Black Rapid strap! I can’t say I’m disappointed! Besides costing me a pretty penny….. 8000yen, rough equivalent is about 80$. Definitely worth it though. It saves on time and energy also my neck. I’m able to get the camera up faster and it doesn’t bounce as much as when I have it around my neck. Haven’t got to try it with the backpack yet but sakura season is almost here! I will let you know how it goes after that.

Since Sakura Season is coming up I went ahead and got a diffuser! A nice big one! If I remember right it’s a 52″. This year I will be attempting to do some photos of my friends frolicing among the blossoms. So that is a challenge in and of itself but hopefully it will turn out okay. One of the reasons I got this is I watched RC Concepcion’s video on doing shoots in midday sun. You can watch the video here! Definitely worth ten minutes of your time. Now what I really wanted was one of these, but was unable to find one at Bic Camera. May have to order one soon.

Finally I have had it for awhile but haven’t really gotten much play out of it yet. That should change here quickly. So last but not least I got a Canon 430 EXII. I have been goofing around with it and working on settings and that sort of thing. Though ttl is pretty easy to use and it doesn’t require me to do a lot of thinking, I would really like to get manual flash down. So more studying is necessary!

The previous post is SAKURA SEASON PLANS 2014!!! Let the frolicing commence!

Working on it

So with my last post deciding what I should work on I have started working! You should feel proud! I feel proud! However as I have been sick for going on about two weeks now I haven’t gone out and gotten new shots…… How am I working you ask?  That is a good question! Youtube and Adobe tutorial videos and such! Yeah for the computer!

Everyone knows that the camera can’t see what you see in fact sometimes it’s way off~ way way off sometimes if you are me. If you are working with a DSLR, welcome to heaven and purgatory! Better known as Photoshop and Lightroom in my case. One I have trouble getting it just right in but when I do it’s great and two is fantastic for organizing and non-serious edits but I hardly get any photos out of it, they just sit in limbo. More of a personal problem I know but I would like to believe that it happens to all photographers at one time or another.

So what have I been doing about it you ask. Well first I watched The Grid: How to be a better Photographer in 2014 and as you know I scrapped my 365 project, we had that lovely discussion earlier. I decided I needed to learn PS and LR better than I already do, which involved me buy Scott Kelby’s book covering Lightroom 5 because I like his writing and his book usually covers enough to get me going into the extras that I can later explore on my own. So started flipping through that learning some new tricks and tips. I headed online and watched a bunch of educational(FREE) videos because I wasn’t going out in the wind and cold. So with my hot chocolate I sat down to absorb all I could in about 3 or 4 hour segments.

I realized that I did not know as much as I thought I did. So then I decided to delve into all the photos! I mean ALL THE PHOTOS… I hate deleting, that just in case always gets me. So I decided to start just randomly and closed my eyes and clicked a folder. It happened to be my Shirakawago trip. I then picked a photo I really liked but I couldn’t get to work/look the way I wanted. This was the photo I started with….

So as you can see it’s kind of flat, a little boring and not really at all how that morning looked to me. The snow is rather gray and a little dirty~ Not really the pristine snowy landscape I saw. So using all the wonderful information I has absorbed I took it all into lightroom, took 3 of the different exposures, bumped them over and into HDR in photoshop and then SURPRISE, SURPRISE I bumped them back into LR as a 32bit TIFF! Oh the things you learn… So about an hour or so later, yeah I’m still learning LR, I had a final-ish product.

Now I tried to crop it so those little branches on the side disappeared but the crop looks funny and as much as I don’t like them I have started to like them. Not sure if that is good or not. So what do you think? Let me know! More and more the work continues. So much more to do and learn and hopefully when I get over this stupid sickness I will be able to get out and get more shots.

A need shutter actuations~

Kyoto and things~

I am back, I’m back again…. It’s been a day and an age I know but I swear the older you get the faster life goes…. It doesn’t feel that long until I look at a calendar.

Anyway, Life is continuing to happen. Just when you think you got everything set and laid out… well Murphy’s Law, I hate Murphy and his laws.

But onto photog news~ I went to Kyoto for the Kouyou/Momiji season! ONCE! I was planning to go twice but I got sick. I have never been as sick as I have this year. I give you odds if you took all the sick days from the first 29yrs of my life and added them up I would still be leading by a long shot for sick days just this year alone.

So anyway, I went to Kyoto and I learned 3 valuable lessons! #1 You need sleep to operate your camera, I am not as young as I used to be and my hands just aren’t as steady. #2 FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS. USE LIVE VIEW AND CHECK YOUR FOCUS >.<* and #3 Kyoto is a little sparse on bathrooms. I blame all of my problems really on #1 I just cant pull a 48hr no sleep go at it anymore without side effects.

So I had decided it made much more sense and money sense to go to Kyoto after my shift on Monday. (I have Tuesdays off) So I roll into Kyoto around midnight~ YEAH! and Cheap A$$ that I am you know that I am not going to throw down for a hotel so what do I do? What the smart traveler who doesn’t mind smelling vaguely cigarettes usually do? A net cafe/manga kissa of course! Now if this traveler also happens to be hauling around more gear than they are comfortable falling asleep with out in the open they should stay at the OWL net cafe. It’s at most a 5 min (2min) walk from Kyoto station and has private rooms that have a door and LOCK so you can go about reading manga, visiting the drink bar and the bathroom without bringing everything with you! Now it’s best not to ponder what exactly has gone on in these rooms before you showed up but other than that its great~ I recommend the VIP cushioned floor room! Its just like a giant mattress on which you lounge, read your manga, and dont think of what might have happened before in the spot that you happen to be reclined in. Its in Japanese for the most part but check it out here. It is pricier than a regular manga kissa but that door and lock are worth the extra price for me.

After spending 3 hours there… I decided to WALK to Arashiyama…. not my best decision…. but I wanted that sunrise picture… that was ruined by clouds. By then I was cold, shaking and tired…. oh so tired… but press on! My feet were also ice blocks…. it hurt to walk. I love my Vibrams, dont get me wrong, I think they have helped me a lot… but they aren’t really made for standing still in about 0 degree temps on cold stone. So after a few not so spectacular shots at Togetsukyo Bridge. I minced my way to Tenryuji! Surprisingly enough it was open! Most places in Kyoto don’t open until 9am so I am still not sure if it was a special day/event or I just got lucky and was able to walk in with everyone else that was holding a camera. So I got a few nice pictures~ It was very picturesque. However due to  lack of sleep, and my body unable to regulate my temp into anything of the warm variety a lot of the pictures were blurred by shake. Whip out the tripod you say? Ah my friend, you have never been to Kyoto have you? In most cases and places tripods are prohibited. As in they can kick you out and request that you delete your pictures. Also as a bit of random information. You can’t/should not sell your pictures of MOST temples in Kyoto. Unless you want to pay a big fine…. Most places fall under “important cultural property”… That’s translated and I have no idea where to find it in English… But here it is in Japanese. Quite simply you CAN’T that is right, CAN’T sell photos of certain temples/buildings/and grounds without it falling into a dark gray area… in which if they catch you, you must pay a big fine.

So temples and shrines and temples upon shrines later it became very apparent that the trees were all confused this year. Where Tenryuji had some rich gorgeous colors, a little down the road everything was still green. Even the hills around Kyoto hadn’t decided if it was time to change colors or not. So all in all the though it was a nice trip it was a little underwhelming. Luckily I was able to meet a friend there and get a little off the beaten path! Unfortunately, #1 struck again. By 5pm I was dead tired. Like falling asleep during conversation tired. So had to call it an early night and head back to Nagoya.

I had a great time but if there is anything I took away from this go around its that I need sleep before attempting a full day photowalk. I also need to start using live view and concentrating on getting the focus on the first shot. So I don’t come home with 500 photos to sort through and only find around 50 nice shots~  So here are some of the shots I got~

 

Golden Doorway

 

Bamboo and Momiji~

 

Tenryuji in the Morning~

 

As you can see even in these three live view auto focus would have greatly improved them~ Sad 😦

 

So now I am contemplating what to do for my next photo trip. Maybe Takashimaya xmas display, Nagoya xmas town, or maybe the illumination in Nagashima~ Decisions, Decisions. What to do and where to go. If there is anything you would like to see in the Tokai/Chubu area comment and tell me where to go and what to shoot!

What’s in a Name?

I am a big fan of Patrick Rothfuss. If you know who I am talking about then double extra bonus points for you! I have just finished re-re-re-re(maybe one more re-) reading his two books while I am awaiting the third and something struck me as interesting. I HATE NAMING my photos or entitling them if you will. I believe in a way it detracts from them! Well for the most part, sometimes I will find something that just works. If you have read the book or thee books then you will know why this is relevant.

So here is my question for you…. Do you enjoy naming your photos? If so why? I find it one of the hardest parts of my photography. In fact if you check out my G+ page you will find of a lot of the photos are named… Why you ask? Because I feel like its a failure on my part if there isn’t a name along with my photos. But at the same time I feel that in a way I am forcing my view upon whoever is viewing my photos. Maybe they don’t see the same thing, maybe it creates a different feeling, maybe there is some other connection that just isn’t there for me and by titling my photo I have now taken that chance away.  AAAAHHHHH THE PRESSURE!!!

This is especially true of photos of people or animals, for the most part I focus on nature and landscapes but sometimes…. ahhh sometimes its just too cute or too perfect to pass up and when I get it home and load it up its still perfect! But it will just sit there…. in an abandoned folder on my hard drive lost forever due to the fact I can’t, or won’t name it! *sigh* There is a literally a folder… and the folder itself was just left as “unnamed”.

The pressure… I pretty sure there are people out there that would love a job to just sit around a name photos, to be honest it would be a fun job, but I would still be afraid I am taking away something that someone else may see by the simple action of slapping a name on it!

 

 

THE BOX

THE BOX, you either love it or you hate it! Then again there are those of us that just don’t really care 😉

If you haven’t figured it out we are talking about Instagram. Arguably the most popular photo sharing social media site out there. Started in mmnnmnm (What Anne means is “October 2010” – K) and now owned by the Big Blue Giant FB the box hasn’t changed.

I use instagram…. >.>…. sometimes. My screen name is Chimera_Refelections. I usually don’t post a lot of mobile photography per say as much as I take my camera shots and crop them to fit the box. I also hate trying to hashtag all my photos.

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Sunset spinning~ #spider #spiderweb #spinner #sunset #golden #instagram #instamood #instadaily #instagood #instafamous #instagramhub #gf_daily #gang_family #photography #photooftheday #photowall #picoftheday #japan #japanphotography #canon #macro #clubpirates #nature

A post shared by Anne (@_chim3ric) on Oct 25, 2012 at 4:45pm PDT

I happen to use G+ for a lot of my mobile shots now. Even before it changed owners I wasn’t a big user and after well…. I felt much less likely to use it. From my previous trip I posted a few shots of Fu but other than that I haven’t done much. In all honesty if I used it more it would probably be pics of my daily life (which I assume is what its supposed to be) and my dog.

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I am enjoying the ride! Its absolutely gorgeous here! Fu has a front row seat! It's so peaceful here. I'm taking a tour with http://www.satoyama-cycling.com/en/ and everything is just about perfect even the weather cooperated today! I definitely recommend putting it on your to do list in Japan! Traveling with http://www.centrair.jp/en/japantravel/ and https://m.facebook.com/centraljapan.jp?__user=14829615 and https://m.facebook.com/japantravel.nagoya?__user=14829615 #japantravel #bike #bicycle #tour #bicycletour #japan #hida #vacation #escape #gorgeous #peaceful #satoyama #chubu #centrair #Fu #travel #tips #scenery #landscape

A post shared by Anne (@_chim3ric) on Aug 27, 2013 at 2:13am PDT

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Her first ocean wave~

A post shared by Anne (@_chim3ric) on Jul 24, 2013 at 6:55pm PDT

Being the stupid perfectionist that I tend to be when it comes to my photography I don’t like posting half thought out shots and thats what most of my mobile shots are. My bf on the other hand is an instagram pro, his screen name is shirokodogg  and he spends HOURS and HOURS (small exaggeration……not really pretty sure he spent an hr on some of those photos) getting that perfect instagram shot. He works from within the box to begin with and doesn’t crop. I on the other hand can’t spend that much time doing so with my phone. I like being able to enjoy the moments as the come rather than record them as they go.  Especially if I didn’t bring my big camera for just that reason. I am one of those people who get upset, well FURIOUS, at those people who can’t put their phone down and just enjoy dinner or the park or wherever we are. Also I hate it when my phone dies and the camera and auto-upload with G+ are two things that drain my battery!

I, on the other hand, use Instagram quite a bit.  You can find me as kwaterloo.  As per my previous post, I use it more to share moments in my life with my friends and family.  I do equal parts bringing a photo in to Instagram and simply using the camera feature within Instagram.  It depends on how quickly I want to get the shot.  And I don’t typically spend a whole lot of time perfecting a photo.  I worry less about “does this photo look amazing?” and more about “will this photo remind me of the experience I was having at the time?”  

http://instagram.com/p/cQBtYUkFCq/

I was very hesitant of using Instagram at first, but once I took those first steps, I broke out into a run into the Instagram craze.  I don’t have it linked to my Facebook or my Twitter.  I have more friends on Facebook and don’t necessarily want to flood their news feeds with pictures of my cats (read: they would not enjoy being flooded with pictures of my cats).  

http://instagram.com/p/YL-1VJEFMD/

http://instagram.com/p/drpE70EFJo/

But I am considering connecting it to my Twitter, just for shits and giggles.  I feel like Twitter would appreciate my cat pics more than Facebook would.  I tend to be one of those people that’s always on my phone.  But I think that has more to do with the fact that I’ve had a smartphone for less than a year and am still mesmerized by the whole experience.  If I am at dinner or out somewhere with a friend, what I usually do is snap a quick picture and deal with Instagram later.  That way I get to capture the moment and enjoy it!  

Daytrippin Bag, What do I carry?

This is sorta a what’s in my bag but not really as this is more specific for traveling all in one bag. Much harder than it sounds! Especially as a woman! So its more of a what you SHOULD have in your bag for day trips! (photos in this post were taken with the HTC One)

I recently just took a 3 day adventure with

http://www.Centrair.Jp/en/japantravel/
http://Go-centraljapan.Jp/en/
https://www.facebook.com/Centraljapan.Jp and https://www.facebook.com/japantravel.nagoya?refid=17

You can check out my photos on my FB or G+(Anne Vornbrock) as I am in the process of uploading them.

 

Here in Japan a lot of travel is done by train and bus so you are a little limited space wise. You shouldn’t have something that is too bulky or too big  or awkward you know just something would become a concern to others. For my 3 day adventure I decided to break in my new bag!! it was the first trip with this monster and I am ever so happy I decided to get it. Well thats not true, it was a gift for our 2yr anniversary from the BF, but all the same I am happy I insisted on this one! And even happier it was on sale when we bought it and IT WAS THE LAST ONE! So I am sincerely thankful to whatever photo deities were watching out for me on that day. I have a Kata Bumblebee 222-UL.

 

The bag is gorgeous in my opinion and fits my needs. Of course there are a few things I would change but I won’t get into that too much here. The two big things I would change are: I would attach the weather and rain cover somewhere on the bag permanently! Secondly I wish I could get some type of cover for the straps! They are amazing don’t get me wrong I have never had a bag that felt as nice as this one does on but let me tell you that material will rip your hair out. It just seems to catch it. You can check out more about the bag here –>> http://www.kata-bags.com/bumblebee-222-ul-for-1-2-pro-dslr-w-70-200-lens-4-lenses

Anyway the first thing I pack is…. Bug repellant! Sounds funny I know but nothing is worse than sitting in the grass to get a shot and getting eaten alive while doing so! In Japan they make these nice little devices you can wear or attach to whatever you like that look much like an oversized wristwatch that keep everything away. It’s light, lasts for hours, no smell and no chemicals on your skin! So I dont have to worry about touching my equipment or reapplying it. I just attach mine to my bag and go for the most part. If I know I am going to be moving into a highly infested area such as tall grass I will move it to my ankle or wrist and then I am good to go. The device looks like this

There are a few other things I always have in my bag that have been lifesavers or well camera savers! The first is rain gear for my baby. There are many different types and I guess it depends on what you will be exposing your camera too. I didnt want it to take up much room or cost me an arm and a leg. So I went with a soft type I can fold and stick in a pocket. This means that though I shouldn’t pull out my camera in the driving rain I can get by. I usually carry an umbrella also so this isn’t a huge deal but it gives me piece of mind. On the body without a lens it looks like this.

Of course I will need my camera. Here is a shot of the Canon 7D and strap. I love this camera! I started out with Canon Rebel XTi when it first came out. I stuck with it until my sister needed a camera and I wanted an upgrade. So I passed it down and went almost a year without a camera! Needless to say this is my second baby, my dog being my first 😉

 

Now all the camera stuff that I bring on a day trip or a 3 day trip. Here is my everyday head out with the camera stuff.  I always have an extra battery which I forgot to throw in this photo but I do carry one extra fully charged battery. Of course my battery charger for the just in case I blow through two. My two travel lenses which are a 18-200mm and a prime 50mm. I have found these two work best for my needs and that way I don’t have to carry extra weight. I of course carry an array of filters. On the 18-200mm I usually have my Kenko C-PL W filter on and ready but I also carry a macro, a ND 8(w), and 8x-cross for the 72mm and just a ND 4 for the 58mm. I carry my lens cleaners in a small clutch thing because well, I have a dog who sheds, and sheds small light brownish-red hair that gets EVERYWHERE and so as an extra step of protection I keep them in their own little pouch. Same with the blue bag. It holds an air blower and a Hakuba Sensor Klear 2 which I use on everything BUT my sensor!! It great for cleaning the eyepiece or getting a difficult smudge off glass. It works great for that!  IF I am going to do a sensor cleaning I buy a brand new one and use it once and then it goes into the blue bag. I am terrified of ruining  my sensor so to say the least I am paranoid about cleaning it. The blue bag also carries two extra cards in their own cases in case I fill my main one. You will notice I don’t have a speed light! I am hopefully getting one this month and then that will also be added to this pile along with a soft cover~

 

Following all the camera stuff there is of course my personal basics that I usually don’t leave home without for the most part whether it’s in the camera bag or in the purse. Some of these are specific to living in Japan while others are not. So we will start top left and just go around and around until we reach the center! Sound good? Good! Get ready! Here we go! First is a face powder, not that I’m vain but this powder also helps keep the grease off the LCD of the camera not to mention a matte face 😉 Then I always carry a pen! Black ink and this one is 1.0. I love the look it gives my crazy handwriting and if i need to jot something down it is readily available. Of course I have my phone charger. Its micro USB so it also works for two more things in this mess, bonus points for you if you can guess them! I have a mini-man fan! This fan is particularly aimed at men here in Japan its small and black but it fits my needs perfectly and boy do you need it some days in japan! I also carry a watch and sunglasses. Not just to be on time and look cool but so I also can plan out when to be where.  I then have a mirror, again for the vain part of me but also to help reflect light and in some cases act as a backdrop to something small. Going along with the small things I always carry a mini tripod so I don’t need to worry about setting my directly on the ground. Sand in the battery compartment is a serious issue! I try to carry a travel toothbrush and toothpaste because well… it just seems nice to do. It’s hard to see but yes that brown thing underneath the toothbrush is actually my house key. Can’t leave home without it! I also carry my train IC cards. Not only to get from place to place but these lovely things also work in convenience stores here in Japan making a run for a bottle a lot easier than fumbling for change. I of course carry my Kindle for relaxing on the train at night when I can’t really get a nice shot or just if I need a little down time. The white thing which is a little blown-out (sorry) is an extra battery for anything that you can use an USB cable with. Bonus points awarded to you if you guessed these to items! They can be charged using a micro-usb charger! I tend to also carry a wet wipe. These help for sticky fingers after lunch. The bright red case is mints, again why not? The small pink cloth is a necessity here in Japan as many bathrooms don’t have hand dryers or towels so its pretty much bring your own! I usually also have tissues, because along with no dryers or towels many bathrooms also do not have toilet paper… a definitely scary prospect if you are ever caught without! Next is my camera remote just in case I need a night shot or a selfie. The white thing its on is actually a stack of blank business cards which are great for carrying and jotting things down.  I haven’t gotten around to designing my own business cards yet but it’s on my to-do list for this year! A hair band! My hair is the longest its been since I was a child so I need this, always!  A business card holder is the small black and silver things just in case I get handed one. Chapstick! Again not vain but a necessity when traveling in trains and buses as it is usually dry, dry, dry, air. A small LED flashlight for pin pointing night shots or light painting or even illuminating the path ahead! FLOSS!! Beyond its capability of also acting as string 😉 It is also another thing that well why not? Finally my i-pod just in case the Kindle isn’t enough to relax me. Very hard to see but under the i-pod is a small container which contains ibuprofen for those days when lighting seems to strike and thunder seems to pound in my head.  That is all that I carry in more of a personal arena. It may seem like a lot but for me everything is kind of an necessity. The only other thing I can think of, but I had used all of it and thrown the container away, is sunscreen it is a MUST in my book!

 

That is all I regularly carry in my bag for small trips not including clothes and make-up and other things that surprisingly fit in this bag very well! I usually dont bring my tripod as it makes the bag a little unwieldy. This again though depends on the trip and if I think it is a necessity to get the shots I want! Going on day trips is something I greatly enjoy here in Japan. Its the perfect country for it if you don’t mind the train! If you are over here or make it over here and want to go on a photo trip just drop me a line! I’m always up for travel even if it’s some place I have been before! Hope you travel safe and prepared for whatever the world throws at you and your camera!

 

Remember it isn’t the camera that makes the photographer, it’s the eye behind it.

~Anne

The Highs and Lows

Its all about the light but in particular its how you see and use the light. Probably the hardest and most complicated part of photography beyond photoshop would be light. Composition is something you can study and it has rules. Lighting…. well its subjective.

Now most people know the “golden” hours and most also know the “blue” hours, however there are other hours based on where you live and whats around you. Here in Nagoya I have what I like to call the “blushing” hours, at dawn everything is rather pink-ish here. Spend a day watching the light, and picking out the hours you have,  whether its from your favorite cafe or from your bed through the window, this I lay down as a challenge to you.

Light as a whole though and how you see it and how it works in your photos is completely up to you. Subjective kinda sucks doesnt it? But I wanted to talk about two “styles” of using light in your photography as I cant really explain light to you. They are called “High Key Photography” and “Low Key Photography”. Even if you dont recognize their names you will recognize their looks.  The easiest way to explain it is high key is bright and Low Key is dark. Simple right? Or if you are a histogram person, high key leans right and low key leans left.

High key photography can range from a black and white picture, to soft pastels, to bright pops of color. They key is that there are no shadows or almost no harsh/deep shadows. High key photos usually give you that happy feeling or the soft romantic feeling. The amount of detail you keep in a high key photo is completely up to you. You have probably seen this style used the most in Instagram selfies, baby pictures, wedding pictures, pictures of flowers, and high end product ads(think any recent electronic). High key photos can be done many ways but the three most popular ways are to over-expose your shot, have your subject facing a bright lights, or photoshop. Photoshop can give you more control on what you want to keep and how you want the end result to look, especially if you are just starting out. Of course you can do all three. As for getting a high key shot this doesnt mean you blow-out all of your shots and voilà you have it mastered it! It takes a little bit. Go on and try it.

First Example of Bright color High key photo

More muted version of a high key photo

Low key as you can imagine is the opposite. It usually deals with spot lighting, low lighting, and of course dramatic lighting. These are also most commonly seen in black and white, muted colors or soft colors. It varies about but mostly you will have the subject against a completely black backdrop, harsh shadows and pinpointed lighting. You would usually see this type of photo for dramatic portraits, flowers, and “serious” introspective shots. As I dont have photos of people you can imagine that I fall into again…. dun da DUN! Flowers. Sorry, I know I need to expand my subject base. That’s part of the reason for this blog! If you want to see dramatic portraits open a magazine or simply google (yes i used that as a verb) Low Key Photography. Anyway on to the low key shots.

Low Light shot that retains color

Slightly blacker background but I liked the warm feeling so didnt black it out

These are two styles that we see almost everyday in various settings. Whether its online or in print. They are also probably two of the easiest styles to practice and hopefully perfect. I personally believe that high key photography is slightly easier than low key. Low key for me depends more on the lighting and how you read that lighting. Always a hard point for me. I hope that you learned something new today, and if not then teach me something new, that’s what the comments are for!

~It’s the time you take and the effort you make.

~Anne

Get a Different Perspective

Don’t you just hate when the photography bug bites and you’re somewhere that you’ve been a thousand times before and it just sucks because there’s nothing to really inspire you?  You just sit around the park by your house or the lake at your family’s summer cabin, camera in hand, staring wistfully at the screen or through the view finder.  All you can manage are a few family photos that you’re basically forced to take just because you have the “nicest camera!”

In these situations, you have to force yourself to think outside the box.  When you’re at Grandma’s house for the millionth time, you can’t expect to find the same tree that’s been in the front yard since your mom was born as interesting as it was the first twenty times you photographed it.

This advice comes from personal experience: don’t be afraid to get a little dirty.  Get on your knees.  Lie on your back.  Get a little closer than you usually would.  Move a little farther away.  Look at your surroundings from a different perspective.

Steven’s Point, WI.  Nikon D5100. Edited in Camera Raw.

Take a walk around and make a note of the things you have photographed a thousand times before.  Think about where you usually stand or what angle you usually take the photos at.  Then don’t do those things.  Do something different.  And again, don’t be afraid to get dirty!  I was up to my eyes in this tall grass in a ditch on the side of a dirt road.  Bug bites galore, but I love this shot of my grandparent’s barn.

Steven’s Point, WI.  Nikon D5100. Edited in Camera Raw.

Us grandkids have always been told to stay away from the barn, which is falling apart at the seams.  But be willing to break the rules, so to speak.  Get up close and personal with something you’ve stayed away from.   Look critically around you and step outside your photography comfort zone to find a picture you wouldn’t have typically taken but will absolutely love.

Steven’s Point, WI.  Nikon D5100. Edited in Camera Raw.

Even things that you would normally take photos of (for me, that’s flowers) can become a source of inspired photographs – especially when the subject seems old hat.  It’s all a matter of twisting your body and holding your breath to get the shot.  Composition is, of course, important when searching for inspiration in everyday, familiar subjects.

Steven’s Point, WI.  Nikon D5100. Edited in Camera Raw.

Find things around you that you might take for granted.  For me, for this shot, this mobile hanging from Grandma’s laundry line has just always been a part of the scenery.  It never really stood out to me and I never had a reason to look twice at it.  Don’t get put in a situation like I did for this shot.  Grandma recently moved out of the house that she grew up in, that she raised her own children in, that I’ve spent quite a number of summers at.  She’s 92 years young and lives on a farm by her lonesome.  She decided that she didn’t need or want to care for a huge amount of land and a dilapidated house that had more problems than there were solutions.  My last trip to the farm was a few months ago when I visited for a few days to help her pack.  It was a bittersweet experience for me.  I’m 100% supportive of my grandmother’s decision to move to an apartment – she’s still completely capable of taking care of herself – but on the other hand, I’m going to miss the farm house and the creaky floor boards and the crab apples and the tire swing hanging from the tallest tree in the yard.  She ended up selling the house to a neighboring farmer who currently rent out the actual farm land.

The lesson to take from that story is don’t take anything for granted.  That old boat at the end of the dock at your cabin, the slide at the playground of the park next to your house, wherever you think you’ve already captured your favorite memories – look harder.  Look again.

Steven’s Point, WI.  Nikon D5100. No editing.

Above is my ultimate “different perspective” photo.  It’s an old old old make-shift fence my grandfather put around Grandma’s little garden to keep the deer from eating everything.  Change your focus.  I have this picture focusing on the post and the background, too, but I like this one the best.  It’s such a small detail to focus on, something I typically wouldn’t look twice at.

That’s the whole point of photography, no matter what or where you’re shooting.  Always look at least twice!  Feel free to share your own stories about looking at things with a new perspective in the comments.

Get out there and shoot!

– Kate