"...less opportunistic photos and become more thoughtful"

I am quoting my friend Hunter here because it very much fits much of my thinking in the last week and much longer. I had passed on an excellent book to Hunter who is an avid amateur photographer. The book is "Idos+Believers" by Jocelyn Bain Hogg and is an exhibit of some wonderful street photography as well as excellent and creative portraits and editorial work.

The advent of digital photographer has perhaps brought nothing more than mediocrity to the masses and we see much masqueraded as photography when it is not much more than button pushing. Point an expensive camera in the general direction and let fly, maybe there will be something good.

I hold that photography should be a much more thoughtful process. It is indeed thought of as an art. Even as journalism it is indeed an art. One only needs to consider the photograph of the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal to consider it as art. A man who knew what he was doing recognized the moment and took the photo.

So I believe Hunter is right, although opportunistic can be good, it must be thoughtful. By example this photograph of the horse, head following the person moving toward the stairs. An opportunity but thought out by watching. Only one frame...


And the opportunity of standing on a hotel patio looking out towards the Santa Monica Pier at night. One frame...


The greatest images in the history of photography are for the most part a product of vision and not an accident of thousands of frames shot on a digital camera. While I certainly shoot digital for much of my work, it is my intent too, to "become more thoughtful".

By the way, the two photos here were shot by me with a Contax G1 rangefinder camera with a 45mm lens. The film was 35mm Ilford Delta 100.

Thanks and keep coming back if you "Wanna See More...?"

And Thanks Hunter!