I Learned From That

All photographers face dilemmas, especially when you are just beginning your photography business. How you deal with those dilemmas will determine how successful you are. I recently faced such a dilemma. Imagine you've just finalized all the specifics and you are ready to shoot. I was photographing a hula dancer at Laniakea Beach. The day of my photo shoot it was overcast and the rain was impending. As I stated in a previous blog, in Hawaii, if you don't like the weather just stick around for awhile and it will change. However, this was not going to be the case, the whole state was covered by clouds. Because of my eagerness, and wanting to get the experience from this particular shoot, I decided to move forward as if I were going to complete the session. But I knew if I did, it wouldn't be exactly what I wanted, and I probably would not be satisfied. All of these things were racing through my head and I needed to make a decision. But, I didn't want to rush to judgement. I had scheduled the photo shoot with a professional hula dancer on Thursday but she had overlapping commitments so we rescheduled for the following Tuesday. Because I had little to no experience with photographing models I had to rely on my instinct or should I say better judgement. Fortunately the model I was working with was very flexible and easy to work with. She called me the day of the shoot to inform me it was raining near the location we were going to do the photo shoot. Both of us agreed it would be better to delay the photo session until the following Monday. While listening to a photography podcast recently the photographer that was being interviewed said he waited for 12 years to get the particular photograph he was looking for. Hopefully I wouldn't need to wait that long but I realized that although we would like to shoot regardless of the situation sometimes a little patience make it worth the wait. To see some of the photographs I took please visit my website at www.dannylbaker.com I learned from that.

I learned From That

One of the most valuable tools in life is learning from our mistakes. Sometimes retrospectively we would have preferred to learn in another way. However, a hard learned lesson is like a gift that keeps on giving, you remember these lessons long after you've made the mistake.

If you haven't already read my blog I posted on May 9, 2009 ("Composition and Position are Very Important") do. But just to summarize, so this will help create the connection; while on self assignment photographing the Green Hawaiian Sea Turtle, another opportunity presented itself and I failed to take complete advantage of the situation. My composition was correct but my positioning was not where I would liked to have been.

The photographs shown above illustrate what I'm trying to convey. The first being my initial shot, and the second a redo at a later time and date, show similarities but are very different in my positioning. In the first photograph the top right 1/3rd edge of the photograph you can see a small portion of the cross beam high line wire pole. I erased the high line wires using photoshop, but as you can see this was not necessary had I positioned myself in a different spot.

With that said I do like my second photograph but the first photograph was taken during a hazy day which added to the character of the photograph. unfortunately this was something I could not duplicate in the second photograph.

I learned from that, "Lessons Learned Continue to Teach". As always please make any comments or observations on this or any of my blogs. Happy photographing!

I Learned From That

Do you often find the need to balance your everyday life with your passion for photography? Photography runs through my blood and the longer I do it the more passionate I become. But I need to balance that, with the fact I do have a life outside of photography. So where does that fine line begin and end? I'm really not sure at this point but I do need to define it.

Recently while out on the town with my wife we went to an event in Honolulu's China Town called, "First Friday". It's an event for artist to display their art work and a chance for the public to interact with the artists. As we were strolling from one place to another I realized that at times as photographers we need to step away from the camera and be an observer.

I often here the phrase the best camera is the one you have with you. I always carry my camera with me in my car but at times when I'm not in my car I may not take it with me. Subconsciously I'm thinking did I make the right decision.

With that said, I am by no way the premiere expert on photography. However, just as in anything a person does in life they need to do what works for them. This allowed me to take some mental notes yet enjoy the atmosphere and surroundings.

Being creative is a very special talent but to do it consistently is even more special. I find inspiration from other artists be they painter, sculptures, or some other form; but I still need to find ways to stimulate my creativity. I think I may have found another tool to add to my bag.

I returned to China Town to photograph the small mural I took notice of, painted on the outside wall, of a seedy looking bar. Sometimes we need to step away from the camera. I learned from that!

I Learned From That

Imagine taking a photograph of a nice scenic location, or an object, and saying to yourself; I really like this shot. Only later you discover when you download your pictures, that it's either not the way you envisioned it, or something is in the picture that is very distracting.

This happened to me recently when I went to my favorite photo spot on the Island of Oahu, Laniakea Beach. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii. I go to Laniakea for three reasons, first it's my get out of a slump location, and the other two is for the beautiful sunsets, and the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle.

Although I've been to Laniakea many times I still find something different to shoot. The picture I posted I actually stumbled across while photographing some sea turtles. I was trying different angles and trying to compose the best possible shot I could muster. As I was finalizing my last shots for the day, I looked inland from the beach, and saw this tree. It reminded me of the trees you see in an African Safari setting.

I got so excited that I immediately started to click away. Although there were a few obvious things that I didn't want in the picture, such as a house located nearby, I failed to notice the high line wires. One of the most critical aspects of photography is the framework of your photograph. What do you want in the photograph.

Ideally a photographer wants to stand back and look at what you are photographing, looking from different angels, and visualizing how you want the photograph to look. This will allow you to get the feel of how you want to compose the photograph and subdue any anxiety or excitement you have. Just as a side note, to supplement the composition, positioning is also paramount.

Even though I was able to use photoshop to eliminate the high line wires, I was disappointed when I initially saw the picture. I try to get as close to what I want without having to do too much photoshop work at home.

I'll be returning to Laniakea to photography my African Safari tree but, with the knowledge of a lesson well learned, "Composition and Position are Very Important". I learned from that!

Please visit my website at dannylbaker.com and as always I hope you enjoy reading and learning from my blunders.

Happy photographing!