Visual Growth

It was very complex once I started.

The 18-105mm was my Lens - I used it on my D90 in 2013.

The X-Pro 1 was released the year before.

I had no idea what I was doing.

When I look at my images today, I am astonished and greatfull.

I’m grateful because I found great books that I could read, that were easy to understand. They were written by great authors and brilliant photographers who explained a complex subject in a very simple structured way.

My camera no longer became a mystery to me, it became my constant companion.

If I was to teach this subject to a new student who has a camera I would make sure they would use a 50 mm lens and nothing else for the next 12 months.

This coaching and training in the art of seeing and expanding one’s internal vision I think is critical to progress and growth.

It’s taken me nine years.

I wouldn’t want a student to take that long.

It only took me that long because I had no one to show me the way. This is why the books I read were so fantastic. It was like having personal instructions. Albeit through the printed word.

While the technical aspects of photography are important, I think the most critical thing is training oneself to see.

It took me a long time to find peace with the 50 mm lens. This is only because I’ve had problems with my eyes all my life. My eyes don’t function the way normal eyes do. I’ve written before that I see Wide and Long- I don’t see normal.

I’m grateful for one thing – I had to discover this for myself even though I didn’t know what I was looking for.

My constant experimentation with different Focal Lengths taught me different things about different Focal Length nothing more nothing less.

If I am using a Wide Angle Lens, I need to move closer to my foreground.

If I am shooting a subject far away which I can’t physically move closer to I need to use a Long Telephoto Kens.

Everything else in between that’s easily negotiable with a 50 mm lens.

And lets not forget, some Lens are for specific purposes to ensure the best results.

I am now comfortable using Prime Lens and Zoom Lens because I know what the Focal Length all do and how they behave.

My goal has always been simple; it was simply to understand how a Camera works and to use it in a competent and effective manner. I’ve achieved that goal and I’m still learning more about how to create an exposure that communicate something meaningful.

My visual maturity is continually growing and expanding because life continually presents me with opportunities to question, ponder, and evaluate what’s happening right in front of me.

Creating images is all about learning to see.

Seeing.

Feeling.

Being open, receptive & responsive to life.

Thanks for reading