How many photographers...?

Had a great weekend that started Friday with taste-testing some mighty fine scotches (and a $3 Thai "scotch" that was... interesting...).  Saturday was spent catching up with friends, but the weekend was capped off with a great Sunday afternoon spent with scottjamesprebble darrenphillips bitterrose6-gumitch and TinyAndAdorable.  How pleased was I to be in such illustrious company!!  We spent around 4 hours wandering the alleys of Melbourne, visiting interesting places and chatting about interesting and entertaining things.

I didn't take a lot of shots (35 to be exact) and most of those were behind-the-scenes of Scott and Darren at work.  It's obvious in the way they work that they can "see" the shots they want to make, which was impressive...

But the most interesting thing for me was seeing how differently we all "saw" the same thing - in any given alley, we all had the same features available to us (graffiti, dumpsters, cobble stones, metal barred windows, etc), and each of us would (really obviously) be creating a shot in our heads out of very different things!!  One liked architecture, one went for the dumpsters, one checked out all the detailed graffiti, one went for windows with bars, etc etc - quite a diverse range of ideas in each little alley!!  Of course, all ideas tended to feature a nude or two - even in dumpsters!!

I'm reading Michael Grecco's "Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait" (again), and he summed it up nicely in his opening note, which I will paraphrase here:

No one can get inside my head and think the way I think - in the end we all make our own discoveries... If I had relied on a set of fixed rules and principles throughout my career, my work would have been repetitive, it would not have evolved and improved, and I would have become bored and stale... Remember the old joke - how many photographers does it take to change a lightbulb?  50 - one to change it and 49 to say how they would have done it differently..."

All of us saw something different in those alleys, and there wasn't much in common in the tools we each carried - yet I expect that a diverse range of quality shots will emerge, because every photographer brings some different ideas and experience to the table.  The only way you'll ever experience that is to get out there with other photographers and try and see what the others are seeing!!  And this weekend, I appreciated the opportunity to try and see things through the eyes of photographers and models I admire.

Side note: Go and see the Karin Catt "Famous" Exhibition at the State Library of Victoria, it's worth a look and is free!!  I think it's on in Sydney as well - www.portrait.gov.au/exhibit/ca…





Videos that have been testing my sanity, and/or keeping me amused!!
Evolution of Dance - www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bH… - it never gets old
Let me take you there, Plain White T's - www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rxgBQ… - not a bad song, great photography
Bianca Ryan - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozDh4N… - Must watch 11yo winner of AGT
Stick figures on Crack 3 - www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyKWWL… - Madness
Charlie the Unicorn - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0S… - WTFOMGROFL!!! Not right...


I'm addicted to Wikipedia, there are soooo many interesting distractions to get caught up in at 2am...
Zoetrope - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope - go and see the amazing Pixar zoetrope at Fed Square ACMI www.acmi.net.au/pixar.aspx
Ganguro - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganguro - Another weird Japanese fashion/style, reverse pandas!!
Michael Angelo Batio - www.youtube.com/watch?v=rutyA1… - Freak!!


Photography Challenge 2007, check it out - projectjp.deviantart.com/journ…