I have always had the desire to keep a camera with me all the time....to have one available for those unplanned shots that good fortune presents as well as to constantly 'keep in practice'. I even went so far as to purchase a smaller, but high quality, camera in the form of the Canon G10. I have found good use for that camera when I am going somewhere special without my primary purpose being photography. In those cases, I know ahead of time that I might want to take some photos. However, I have also found that I don't use it all that frequently when I just have it with me but hadn't planned on photographing.
It just seems as if I need to be in a certain mindset to specifically go out and make photographs. A mindset where I know that I am giving my entire attention over to the idea of composing and thinking about photos. This surprised me because when I am driving around, such as when I am coming home from work, I will try to compose photos of what I am seeing out of my window in my mind. However, either I don't have the time to stop or, more likely, the image that I see in my mind's eye is not attainable because it is not possible to stop and take it from that vantage point.
I know some folks can always carry a camera with them and use it....but it seems difficult for me. Perhaps I have to try to do so more frequently. In the meantime, I hope that practicing in my mind, as I often do, is effective. I happen to run across this quote, which is what made me think about this topic:
Minor White
At least I can take some comfort that Minor White thinks there is benefit to doing so!
6 comments:
That's exactly my experience also! I thought it would be great to have a camera with me all the time, so I got myself a G10 which I then took with me to work. Did this for a few months, never used it, and now I've given up. I got the G10 in October and I've had to charge the battery just once since then, LOL.
It seems like I have a work mode and photography mode, and the two just don't mix. Except for mental photography as you say - it's hard to look at anything and not start framing it in my mind. :D
I'm exactly the same way. Whenever I try to 'always' have a camera with me, I never actually use the thing! And times when I don't have it, I see all kinds of great shots.
I used to get frustrated by this. But now I try to use the 'nice ahot, no camera' momnets as a learning experience. What is it that attracts me to that possible image? Why did it catch my eye? This way, maybe I'll be better prepared for a similiar shot sometime when I do have a camera.
I always carried a camera (a fairly chunky Olympus C-8080) with me back and forth to work. Used it too . . . extensively. Luckily, my daily commute involved a ferry ride across the San Francisco Bay, so plenty of pix of clouds, bridges, ships etc.
Mike, that sounds like a great commute!
It was!
Here's an example.
That's Work?????? What am I doing here :>)
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