Paul Lester Photo

I was cruising around Luminous Landscape and clicked on the What’s New link. I read an article by George Barr, who is a full-time physician and part-time fine art photographer. The article was talking about taking your photography to the next level. But, in order to take it to the next level, you have to find out where you are at the moment.

I took a few moments, read through the various levels, and decided where I thought that I would fit. First, before saying where I think that I am, I would say that this level is not for all of my photography, but for a select subsection: B&W landscapes and color/B&W animals.

That said, I think that aesthetically, I am somewhere squarely inside of ‘E’. Perhaps I have an occasional photo at the outer fringes of ‘F’, but for the most part ‘E’. However, sometimes, my images do evoke emotions.

I didn’t rate my self on the Technical aspect with regards to printing because I don’t print many of my images.

Today, I received a comment on one of my images that was the highest compliment that I’ve received in a while.

“I stared at the beauty for sometime before commenting”

This is just fantastic and inspiring. If I can take someone away, for just a moment or two, and have them into my world and to see what I saw, then I’ve made a great photograph. I wish to get into the topmost level where I can make someone weep, cry, or swear, as Mr. Barr put it. These are indeed rare, but something to strive for.

Just this past week, I’ve returned to my roots. My black and white. I understand it better and I expect more from myself. This is not a resolution, or anything so trite, it is a genuine desire to be a better communicator in the area of photography.

So, for now, it’s back to black and white for a while. Back to my roots, both digital and film.

Lately, I’ve felt as if something is missing in my photography. I think that I might know what it is. It’s a sense of purpose. Since starting my blog, I strive to post a new photo every day; however, this has, I feel, left me feeling somewhat shallow. I try to post something exciting and new, but they are starting to feel superficial and shallow.

I kind of got caught up in the wow of the color, but I have felt that they lack a deeper sense of meaning, at least for me.

I used to do some small projects, although never printed, they gave me a start and and end point and they required a little more depth and appreciation than is required by the picture of the day.

I’ve also wondered why it is that, even though I am not a big fan of the beach, some of my best pictures are of that environment. I guess its because I’ve been there so many times and I have a real feeling for the rhythm and flow of that environment. I’m intimate with it.

Shooting a photo to post on a daily basis is not nearly as satisfying as a well thought out and deeply felt photo.

Over the past week, or so, I’ve gone back to primarily Black & White photography and to some of my older photos. Why? Because these images, to me, are a little bit deeper and more about the subject than about the color. Also, I like black & white much better. So, for now, that’s my direction.

I’ve been bidding on Olympus 35 RC range finder cameras. I’ve not won one yet. I want to get back to film a little bit. It’s a slower pace. Truthfully, I also miss the development step a bit. So, I’m going to take a hybrid approach. I’ll shoot some film, develop it myself, scan it in to digital, and then post it. I’ll not let go of my D2x, though! No way!

I’m also getting the itch to do a little people photography, too, although my heart is really with the animals and the environment. I just love photographing nature.

Hopefully, by the end of the week, I will have shot a bit of B & W 120 film with my Yashica Mat 124G. Surprisingly, after all of these years of being idle, the battery is still good. Now, I have film, developer, and fixer. All I’m waiting for is the daylight tank!