You Think This Is Funny...

Found this today on aphotoeditor.com and Were Just Saying.

And the comments to the post were amazing:  "Actually, I am a photographer."
and "Even if I bought a Nikon D3S?" (I hope he/she was kidding).

My point is - for our profession to survive, we, as professional photographers need to evaluate why we are in this profession.
What does it really mean to be a photographer?
--Is it just to take a nice photo?
--Is it because we own some nice equipment?
--Is it because we have "sold" an image, or two?
--Is it because we have friends that think our pictures are "pretty"?

Do you really love photography?  Do you dream about it?  Smell it?  Taste it?  Live it?
Sorry, but I don't think that's enough.  It's a start though.

Taking a Photo I course at a community college is a start - but doesn't make you a photographer.
Joining a local community photo group is great - but doesn't make you a photographer.
Putting your images on Flickr can get you exposure - but doesn't make you a photographer.
All of the above is a great beginning but it all needs to be coupled and supported by a strong understanding of how this business works.

Just because I can make toast doesn't mean I can cook!  Though the way some think about this profession maybe I am.  "I can click a shutter, therefore I am a photographer".  Many really believe this.
--Learning about the business of photography - the concept of licensing, how to marketing, being a good negotiator, the ins and outs of networking...
--Having a style and a vision of what your images mean and how they relate to you target audience.
--Learning, dreaming, smelling, tasting and living this profession.

All this is a start.  But there's more.

It's never been about just picking up a camera.  It's about creating and following a pattern of behavior that enables us to live a life in which we have always dreamed.

The iPhone

As simple as it is, it's amazing how well the iphone takes photos. AT&T's service sucks, but at least there are some cool things to be done with the phone. I've never really taken many photos with the iPhone, but now I know why it's so popular - even with the professional photographer. It travels light, is inconspicuous and some of the apps are quite easy to use - and effective.
Here are some I use (I'm sure there are more)
PS Mobile: a PhotoShop app that lets you crop, color adjust, change exposure, convert to B&W, soft focus and vignette blur.
Tilt Shift: lets you blur, change color, vignette and adjust contrast, saturation and brightness.
Camera Genius: lets you zoom, has an anti-shake button, guides, a timer and more.
Even though some have similar functions, they can be all use in conjunction to create some amazing results - without any of them touching my computer.
Here are some simple examples. More to come...

Creating and Collecting Art

"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” Pablo Picasso

Substitute 'Photography' for 'Painting' and, for me, that is what blogging is all about. It is my visual way of writing – a snap shot of the written word.



Photographers take images so that others can see what we see. We don’t keep them to ourselves, hiding them away so that all they do is gather dust. We want others to see and collect them. That’s why we create.

In honor of this photographic diary, starting on Monday I am going to post an image per day. This will either be an image from my catalogue or one that I shot the day before. It will not be one that I have on my web site, have shown in galleries or to the public in general. All images will be available for purchase (printed images) or for FREE as an email attachment. Email me at keith(at)keithbarraclough.com and I would be happy to give you information regarding print prices or send you an email with an attachment.

If you like, sign up for the RSS feed to this blog (bottom right corner) and you will receive an email every time a new images has been added.

Enjoy!!