Quarter 2 update
Greetings
How is
your photography going for 2018? Every now and then I meet some school kids,
especially school girls, who have an interest in photography. Many of them
lament that they do not have a "conventional" camera, and claim that
may be stopping their photographic
growth. I take a minute to remind them that almost everyone in skb is walking
around with a camera inside their phone, and that many professional
photographers are now using their phones to take their professional pictures at
weddings and other events. Their skb phones may not be the powerful Iphone6S,
but it can take pictures, very good pictures, and it is a great starting point.
It is not all about the photographic device, but about the person behind the
device, and their knowledge and application of the photographic principles.
So my
question above is targeted at the school children who express interest in
photography. How is your photography going for 2018? Skb, like every place on
our planet, abound with images. Some people can spot interesting images in a
flash, while others are totally blind to them.
It is said that some
photographers have 'the photographic eye', and there are many books
which explain how to develop this photographic eye. I have found many
people with 'a photographic eye' who have not been privy to the eye
development information or training, but
maybe there is some truth in the 'eye development' statements. I believe that
what is for you is for you, and if photography is for you, you will also have a
natural photographic eye.
If
photography is not for you, but you feel that you wish to pursue it, no
problem. I would suggest that you get into a good photography school, so that
you can learn the principles and be taught how to meet the photographic
industry requirements. In all schools you will learn the principles, but to
meet the professional demands required of the
industry you may need to go to a top notch photography school. For
example you can either do a New York Institute of Photography, diploma course,
or you can do a University of Southern California fine art degree course. The
fine art course is about 30 to 40 times more expensive and would better prepare
you for anything in the photographic industry.
In our
part of the world many people are looking at the online options, and it seems
to be working . There are some
businesses that still import photographers
to do their photographic work, instead of using the services of local
photographers. My conclusion is that
these businesses do not get what they need from the local service providers. It
is not about money, the production and other costs, but about the quality of
the photo products that they need. So why is it that local photographers do not
attract the " big jobs"? Why is it that photographers are imported to
do photographic work? Are local photographers still victims of our
culture? Another day we will look at a
few cases, and draw our conclusions.
Most of
us have predetermined operating values, and many of us want to get the best our
world has to offer for our minimum investment. We want to get the best of our
world for free. Unfortunately it does not work that way. This may also apply to
certain aspects of our photography. It may be possible for someone to capture
the best wedding photographs without ever reading anything about wedding
photography. It is possible that you are born with all the knowledge necessary,
but for the rest of us it may only come with intensive and dedicated study and
practice. BMW does not certify you to repair their machines until you can show
them that you are qualified, competent and experienced in handling their
technology.
Photographic
products, like all products on our planet, are made to fill the needs of all
users. You have to decide which type of user you wish to be. That determine
which products you will purchase. The quality of the product that you wish to
purchase does not depend on its price.
When you decide that you wish to drive a BMW or Mercedes or Lexus, price
does not enter the equation. You invest in what makes you happy. If you are
serious about photography you will invest in photographic products that will
make you happy, all the time. If you are unhappy with the photo products that
you now use, it shows that you have compromised yourself, and in the future you
will think wiser. Money is never an issue when you are serious about what you
do.
The
bottom line is that in photography, if you are serious, you will always buy the
top of the line equipment. Some people advocate buying cheaper equipment to
start and then upgrading later? That is a foreign mentality to me. Maybe it
make sense to you, but not to me. Why should I buy a prehistoric Canon Rebel to
start off and then in a year or so go for a Canon 5d Mark 4? What can you learn
with the Rebel that you won't learn with the 5d4? What you can capture with the
5d4 you cannot capture with the Rebel. It does not make sense to me, but if you
see it, please explain it to me. If you don't have the money for the 5d4, just
save hard and fast, and in the mean time read and study all the photographic
material that you can YouTube. Note I did not send you to check the bank and
borrow the money. Of course with a 5d4 your first job can pay off the bank
loan. But that is a different matter.
Photography
is hardware and software. Like the hardware you have to get the best software
possible. If you are comfortable with 49 dollar software then you will get 49
dollar results. If you want the best results you need to invest in the best
software on the market. See what the
professionals are using and check them out. Some folks seem to use two or three
different pieces of software to extract every nuance from their images. I am
not wasting any sleepless nights over software, so when necessary I upload for
someone, somewhere to deal with it. There are professional photographic labs in
Canada, Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, UK, USA and other first world
countries. Many customers only need a digital image, but some need a hard copy,
and we are stuck with a local production.
I have
not tried all the digital printers in skb. All I will say is that you get what
you pay for. The option is to get your
own printer, but that will comes with a cost. If you want to get your own
printer could I suggest that you look at the Mitsubishi dye sub printers. There
were a couple of them in the City so you can try sample prints before you order
one. I am considering one to fill the need when it arise again. https://www.mitsubishielectric-printing.com/home
These
printers are also available at my preferred photo store B&H Photo video in
the USA
Well
this is ten cents for today. We are now into the second quarter of 2018. I
expect to see a bit of photo activity stating soon and I am warming up for it.
I hear that a barge was in port a few days ago with parts for the new second
cruise pier that is due to begin construction soon. I will continue my daily
afternoon exercise walks along the Bay Road to the Cenotaph, and include snaps
of the pier construction, and any other activity in the Basseterre Bay.
St Kitts
is back into party mode. Beginning Easter Monday and continuing until last lap
January 2019, every month is a party activity, sometimes two or more. This is
what makes St Kitts the most desirable country in the Caribbean region for
party goers, people seeking a great time lime, and a great time. You have your camera with you always, take a
minute to take a snap every day and send it to a friend or two, and if you are
into Facebook, snap the beauty of SKN as you see it and post it for the world
to see how beautiful SKN is and let them get jealous. You can't stop it if St
Kitts and Nevis is the most beautiful country in our region ….
Until
next quarter if not before, take it light, take your photography to the next
level, check my Facebook page for the daily walkabout action http://www.facebook.com/keethfrancephotos and have a nice day.
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