Not far from the hole

Back on February 2nd, the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said spring was around the corner. Well it IS spring and it still feels like winter. Considering I don’t live too far from his “hole”, I have to say that varmint doesn’t know what he is talking (talking?) about!

© David Guidas

Other than that, I have been well and waiting for the transformation into spring. It’s not that I dislike the cold weather, it’s just that it is an incredibly dull looking time of year around here for photography. Everything is almost a monotone brown and lacking any contrast. And mud. Lots of mud.

So, needless to say, my photography has taken a back seat for the past few weeks and I spent some time doing other things – thinking, relaxing, studying, playing guitar, and assorted research. I studied a lot of photography by others and put serious thought into what I like and what I don’t care for. I am not out to emulate anything or anybody, nor do I think I could, but I wanted to see what works for me so I can move on to better things. I do the same when playing guitar. I am influenced by a number of guitar players in various genres and try to learn bits and pieces of what I like about them. But when your dealing with bits and pieces, it’s not likely that you’ll end up sounding like a direct copy.

As a matter of fact when I am taking photographs I am not thinking about anything except taking the photograph. By that I mean whatever “style” I put into the photo fits what I think the subject warrants, whatever pops into my head at the time. I’m not thinking “why the lighting and subject are just right and I can shoot this just like Mr. Famous Photographer would and it will be a great photo and everyone will say I am great”. I don’t think I could do that. I am more likely to think “this subject would look good with a limited depth of field”, or “the luminosity and textures in this scene will make a great black and white image”, or “how can I make the composition interesting?”.

After all of that, you are probably thinking, “uh, OK, so how did you end up with THAT photo?!” I don’t know. I just like it. It conveys, to me, the winter-spring transition. Besides, I know it won’t be mistaken for Mr. Famous Photographers work! 😉