Practice Makes Perfect
Saturday, December 5th 2009 @ 9:39 PM
I spent a couple of days on a mini-vacation to Portland, Oregon - affectionately referred to by the locals as 'Stumptown'. I wanted to spend time photographing just for the joy of it. I also wanted to work on improving my photographic skills (we never 'arrive', even as - perhaps ESPECIALLY as - professionals), so I chose to use only ONE lens for this photographic excursion - my Tamron 11-17 wide angle lens.
Why? I wanted to learn how to maximize my use of this lens. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone - or to expand that zone to include free & easy use of this lens. I wanted to learn to see the world through a WIDE angle perspective. So I put that puppy on my Fujifilm S-5 camera, and set off without any other lens in my bag.
It was frustrating sometimes. I saw fabulous photo-ops that required a long lens. Oops. I didn't HAVE a long lens. Over the course of a day, I learned to see in a whole new way. Check out my photo album, Stumptown, for a sample of the day's images.
The friend who accompanied me on this expedition noted that he always sets his camera to the P (programme) setting, but he'd love to get comfortable shooting in the M (manual) setting. I encouraged him to just change the setting and spend the day getting used to it.
What do YOU want to improve upon? Spend a day or an hour practicing. The point isn't to succeed, it's to learn. Practice makes perfect!