Photographers log..

[ksmattfish]

An obsession with shutter speeds and apertures is not unusual but try to get out of it. It serves no real purpose and takes your mind off the important things - like the image.

I would agree that just recording aperture and shutter probably doesn't serve all that much purpose. I can usually remember those anyway, because I tend to use similar settings for certain subjects and lighting and cameras. But I do think that a more journalistic approach would be valuable. I would like to get into the habit of jotting down the date, lighting, weather, equipment, etc..., and even make a few notes about my state of mind, what I am thinking about, what I might be trying to achieve on that particular outing...

Recently I checked out the Diane Arbus exhibit "Family Albums". The most fascinating part for me was that they had a lot of her contacct sheets up. It was really cool to be able to see almost the whole shoot; all the photos that were taken, but not picked as the final portrait. I like exhibitions that give me some insite into the ideas, techniques, and mental/emotional processes of the photographer or artist.

Just like going back through old photos, I think that going back through old ideas and goals (possibly realized or not) would be helpful for me. I meant to start doing it today! But I forgot the notebook

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