[Leica] Photography and work. IMAGINATION! :-)

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Peter Dzwig wrote:
> Nathan,
> > I know exactly how you feel. The sky here at 11 am is leaden grey with
> not much sign of any change between now and when it gets dark here at 4 pm 
> GMT (5 CET).
> Somebody submitted a suggestion for PAMs rather than PAWs - at this time 
> of year  that feels a lot more practical ;-)<<<<<<<
===============
>>> Peter Dzwig wrote:
>
>> Nathan,
>>
>> I know exactly how you feel. The sky here at 11 am is leaden grey with 
>> not much sign of any change between now and when it gets dark here at 4 
>> pm GMT (5 CET).
>>
>> Somebody submitted a suggestion for PAMs rather than PAWs - at this time 
>> of year  that feels a lot more practical ;-)<<,
==================

Hi both to Peter and Nathan,
First let me congratulate you lads and everyone else who work so hard at 
submitting PAW pictures. Whether  you make it every week or once a month or 
so, it's an admirable way to improve your photography as we've heard a 
number of PAW people claim it has helped them.

Particularly those who are shooting in the hours left over or before they do 
their regular chores in the work world. Or both of those times. When I was 
first hooked by the substance abuse of "photography" my wife said she'd 
heard of golf widows, but never a "photographer widow!" And declared herself 
one from that day on. :-) As I too like most of you, would shoot every 
morning I could, go to my job and as soon as the day was over and every 
weekend it was,... "Bye dear, I'm going out taking pictures." :-)

In the attached posts the obvious difficulties associated with the darkening 
days of winter and shooting a weekly PAW becomes most difficult. However, in 
reality what this change in the environment does is, it forces you to work 
harder for those elusive pictures during these times.

In other words to use your imagination, than frustration at the changing 
climate becoming the governing factor of what you do. I know not an easy 
thing to handle. But think positive and ask yourself... "What can and how 
can I make use of these darkening features and exploit what is happening?"

So generally what happens?

Street lights, store lights, traffic lights all begin to appear as the day 
darkens. Therefore build your pictures around these elements and other light 
elements rather than .... "it's getting darker and there's nothing to 
shoot."  Sometimes it only takes a small suggestion like this and a whole 
new horizon of pictures is opened to your imagination.

Don't despair, think positive and ask yourself, " What can I make out of 
these elements?" Time exposures of traffic lights and if the streets are 
damp shoot the beauty of the street along with the multitude of reflections, 
Shop windows with shoppers silhouetted looking in or passing by, umbrellas 
raised or not.

But it's the light under these conditions that becomes so obvious as the day 
darkens, so make use of the most obvious elements of nature.

And if you've never made yourself work in this situation, then you may find 
it as exciting as shooting at high noon in the middle of a tropical island. 
;-) It's the attitude of.. "I'm going to kick ass and show people my 
imagination and ability to work under what's considered lousy weather 
conditions."

Bottom line... use your visual imagination, create a challenge for yourself 
and "JUST DO IT!"

Think positive. Ask yourself.. "what can I do to make magical pictures 
within this lousy rotten environment!"

Now I know you'll skip right out the door and start blasting away. ;-) Best 
of luck with it and the crew, all of us, wish you well and look forward to 
what your imagination produces.

I knew you'd like the idea. ;-)  "JUST GO DO IT!" ;-)

ted