From time to time people ask me “how do you keep interested in photography after doing it for so long?” There are many answers to that question, but I’ll touch on a few of them here. The first is, I truly love doing it. I’ve had a camera of one sort or another since I was 10. There is always something new, or something else to learn. I’ve never gotten to the point were I was done learning or trying something different. Sure there are times when I don’t feel like picking up a camera, or when the assignment I am on is less than creatively stimulating, but thats when I go to my bag of tricks. One thing I’ll do is strip things down to the basics, leave everything at home except one camera and one lens. That forces me to look at things differently and try something new. Sometimes I’ll pick up the old film body and shoot a roll of black and white film. One thing I’ve been doing lately is following this web site: http://project52.org/ . His idea is to help young and emerging photographers, but I find it stimulating as well. I have no affiliation with that web site, just found it interesting and thought I’d pass it along.

One of the terms that really gets under my skin is “digital photography” why the differentiation? I can’t believe how many books are out there on this “digital photography” Other than how the image is handled after it is made, there is no difference from photography. Sure there is more versatility, more controls, but the camera is still just a tool to capture an image. Film or bits, it makes no difference. I recently dug out a 30 year old book titled “Effective Photography” and, guess what? It is STILL relevant to photography. You still have a lens, aperture and a shutter to control the image. I think anyone starting out on the photography path today, owes it to themselves to learn the basics and take a few steps back to move forward.  I am glad I learned things “the old fashioned way” I think I am a better photographer for it. I have fully embraced a digital camera, and I can’t believe I used to sort images on a light table, but I am glad I know how.