A Part of Me

Something very simple and common to one person can be a breath of fresh beauty to another. It's all in the eye of the beholder. For example, a person living in the city, can get great satisfaction having a beautiful image of the sound or seaside where it may be everyday to a fisherman.

Talking to one of my collectors this week, they voiced their appreciation of having Fine Art Photography in their home and how enjoyable it's been for them.

Photographers get so busy striving to raise the bar that we don't realize how much impact we have on our client's home or family. The images we create that our clients collect have a special bond. As photographers we should realize if someone is hanging your work in their home, we have become part of their lives.

It's extremely rewarding over time for our clients to express their appreciation of how much they enjoy our work hanging on their walls. And as to me, when a collector acquires one of my prints, they become family, because with each image they get "A Part of Me."

David is a NC based photographer. View website here.

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Open The Blinds

The United States has so many places that when you are there it seems like another place at another time Savannah Ga. is one of those places. Of the many things that make Savannah special for me, two stand out, the architecture and the people. Ok, three, the food!

Having great subjects when making images helps to make great photos. But as photographers we eventually come to realize, regardless of what's in the frame of the camera, there's a subject outside the frame, included in every photo, and that would be a photographer.

I believe the photographer puts the heart in the image. It's a difficult idea to explain, and more easily experienced. The photographer can only see what they can see, feel what they can feel, at the moment of capture.

I've spent a lot of time attempting to break down the blindness and develop my vision and the ability to capture feeling in the frame. It's a continuous process, like peeling an onion; you remove something just to understand there is something else to remove again and again. And each time you see things you couldn't see before.

This learning process of seeing has been my personal shrink. I have learned so much about what blinds me it would be embarrassing to list here. Dealing with the attitudes and emotions that block your vision as a photographer will improve your images.

If you want to improve the ability to recognize a great image or picture opportunity beyond what your ability is now, learn to see, better yet learn to understand what is keeping you from seeing and "Open The Blinds"

David is a NC based photographer. View website here.

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Deserted Island

A beach on a deserted island can be paradise. It's a long way away from the chaotic lives we know as normal.

There's something  to be said about simplicity. Keeping things simple can help one keep their sanity. As photographers, striving for simplicity in our images is something we always try to do.

The business part of photography can get complex and very time-consuming. Figuring out a way to simplify is very important. I love protocol. I know that you can't always do business the same way with everyone all the time, but having parameters around you, your products and clients will help simplify things.

As a photographer realizing your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to know what you can do and what someone else might do better for you and your business. I feel this alone is a key factor for a lot of successful photographers. Business doesn't need to be more difficult that it already is, keep it simple.

Today's photographers are expected to wear so many hats that it's almost impossible to succeed unless you simplify. And while you're at it, get some help and don't' end up on a Deserted Island.

David is a NC based photographer. View website here.

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Gratitude

Beautiful things can show up anywhere as long as you're looking for them.

I can remember a time when I couldn't see as much beauty as I can see now. I am grateful for photography.

I can remember a time when I wouldn't talk to people and shy away, but now I see no strangers, I'm grateful for photography.

I can remember when I would get in a hurry all the time and never settle down to realize my surroundings, but now I stop and smell the roses. I'm grateful for photography.

I can remember a time when I didn't understand art and how it can change the world, but now I  see how a single photo can alter the world. I'm grateful for photography.

I can remember when I felt older, less driven, a little washed up, but now I feel as though I'm a youngster working toward a life's dream. I'm grateful for photography.

I can remember when emotions were something I avoided, but now I strive to create them. I'm grateful for photography.

I could go on and on here, but photography has changed my whole outlook on life. The desire to be the very best at something I love to do has its way with me, and for that I'm living a life of Gratitude.

David is a NC based photographer. View website here.

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