Why words about my images

I have been creating photo galleries on the photo showcase site Smugmug for 5 1/2 years now.
The photo website address is:

petersidell.smugmug.com

 Smugmug has recently updated the format and customization features of its site. That seemed to me to be a good opportunity to add some depth and commentary to the photos I have shared through the site.
My photography is divided between photography of family and friends which is mainly of interest to family and friends, and photography of the places I live in and visit. I hope the photos of those places have a wider appeal.

My postings on Smugmug are accompanied by labels and brief descriptions. Some images deserve more comments to enrich the story they symbolize for me. While one mark of an interesting photo is its ability to stand alone and transcend the conscious thought process of the photographer, my thoughts about my photos may provide enrichment to the viewing.

I believe I come by my interest in photography honestly - as a child I watched my parents enrich their lives by photographing the things they saw and the things they did. Wall art, illustrated books and photo magazines such as Life, Look and the Saturday Evening Post were a passive education in graphics.

My first camera was a hand me down brownie. It used roll black and white film, and had few user settings. The images were framed by looking through a viewfinder, and it was important to remember to have your back to the sun when taking a picture. I only got to see the results when I had finished a roll and had it developed.

At that time Kodak sold film with prepaid processing. Once the roll of film was completely exposed, it was put into an envelop and a week or so later you got the developed images back.

Next, I had a fixed lens 35mm camera that I don't remember much about. It didn't have a built in light meter so I either had to use a light meter of set the exposure according to the guidelines that came with the film. There were specific suggestions for bright light, shade and twilight as I recall.

After that I got a Konica auto reflex Single Lens Reflex camera. It had a built in light meter and the lens could be changed. I shot almost exclusively color slide film at that time. I was in the midst of my medical training so I didn't have a lot of time to take pictures. I particularly enjoyed taking it along with me on my occasional vacations. In an effort to improve my photography I subscribed to and read the Time Life photography series.

I still have most of those slides. A few are of lasting interest to me. Their color has faded, but the wonders of computer graphics allows restoration of color in a scanned image. I used that camera from the early seventies until the early 90s. By that time cameras had developed to the point they gave more creative control to the photographer.

Since that time I have gone through a series of cameras. The biggest change of course has been digital or electronic photography. For me the principal benefits of the digital age have been immediate feedback, and the ease of taking more images. Taking more images has forced me to begin to be more discriminating about the pictures I take. It has helped me to develop a photographic eye.

From my perspective photography is at least in part a learned art. Certainly some people are more visually oriented than others. Still, just as writing can help one to develop skills in english composition, photography can help you to improve your graphic compositional skills. Also, just as reading good writing can improve your own writing, looking at good pictures can help you take better pictures.

For me photography has been a journey, a way to look for beauty in the world around me, and a way to tell a story.

I am now retired and fortunate enough to be able to travel to interesting places and meet interesting people. My working life was focused on helping people who were struggling to maintain or improve their health. It was about dealing with bad things that happened to good people. Now I try to find good things I can share with everyone.

Stories and story telling are another important part of my life. Mostly I have been a recipient when it comes to stories. I hope my photography tells a story as well and is a payback for the stories I have seen and heard in my lifetime.

In this blog I will try to extend the story telling of imagery with some verbal enrichment. I am also interested in others response to my work.

August 4, 2013

click here to return to: petersidell.smugmug.com