henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

Photography is about seeing and recording what you see.
It is not about cameras, lens, raw image, or editing.
It is about the way you see a bird on the wing, or a small child at play, or a tree against a sunset from a different perspective.
It is about the way you use the colors that nature gave you to work with.
Let us be photographers, not equipment and gadget buffs.

arphot Loc: Massachusetts

Just remember what you saw
In your mind you can recall
The image of the soaring bird
The softness of its singing word

Close your eyes and use your mind
What was that you saw behind
The thing you saw, the focused spot
So little time . . . take the shot.

When I saw your post Henry, it looked so much like prose I couldn't help myself. Thank you for the inspiration.

photo.ops619

Its what ever you want it to be.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

I agree completly. You have a way with words and photos henry.

bobmielke Loc: Portland, OR

It's about capturing one moment in time to share and treasure.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Agree for the most part, but it is also an art. I want to take more than what I see, I want to compose, control and display to the world my interpretation. In the good old film days I would take a photograph, develop and print the results and then retouch the photo to get my interpretation. In today’s digital world I use CS5 to do the same thing. As far as what camera to use I agree it is individual taste and should not matter, however lighting, backdrops, and a host of other equipment might matter. If I missed your point I apologize.

Ripley44224

My somewhat prickly defense of the equipment and gadget buff in all of us (after all, would you even be in this forum if you weren't hungry for knowledge?):

I agree that your eye and your brain are the most important part of any photography kit. And you don't necessarily improve your art by buying more stuff. But building up a tool kit with knowledge of today's available photography hardware, software, and techniques improves my chances of taking great pictures. It allows me to:

* More easily and quickly visualize what the final product will look like as I assess a scene and look through the viewfinder.

* React faster in a photo shoot situation to get what I want from the scene and from the camera, so I don't miss or botch the shot.

* Get the best possible photograph into the camera so there is less post processsing to do, and better raw material to work with when I get home.

*Post process more effectively so I can achieve the look that expresses what I want to say with the image.

My goal is for all this to be automatic, and to some degree, effortless. This tool kit does not encumber me. Just the opposite. It frees me to focus on taking and producing better photographs. I spend less time fumbling with the camera's settings, wondering what they mean, wondering why the shot I just took came out blurred, blown out, silhouetted, framed wrong, etc. I have researched and acquired a variety of software programs with the goal of getting what I want with as little head scratching and button clicking as possible. So when I sit down at the computer with sometimes hundreds of images on my memory card, I can quickly process and get back to enjoying life.

Almost like driving a car. Do you ever think about all the stuff you know about driving as you cruise down the road eating a hamburger and talking on the phone? But you DO know. And the more you know (if you use that knowledge) the better driver you become.

Henry, I noticed your avatar photo has a well-lit vignetted foreground picture of you over what appears to be a digital background. Sorry, but you didn't get there by ignoring available technology.

So you go, equipment and gadget buffs! Just had to get that off my chest.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Photography is all about light. Using light creativley to best show the main object being photographed.

LittleRedFish Loc: Naw'lens (New Orleans)

I agree with Bob. It's about a moment is time that you captured. Now you have it to share with others or go back and see again for yourself.

djfkeefe

Photography is YOUR diary

robert-photos Loc: Chicago

The Photographer's Prayer

Oh God, as I bring my subject into focus and prepare to make each portrait, nerver let me forget that I'm creating treasures for some family, a keepsake for loved ones. Make me sensitive to the qualities and virtues of others, that I may draw out into the light the beautiful radiant belongings of their hearts.

Help me to be an artist, collecting the beauty of every soul, the glow of youth, the gentleness, the laughter or tears of each life that is precious in Thy sight. Deeper than a means of livelihood, give me the perspective to see my photographer's art as a service to others, making life richer and more memorable.

And, dear Lord, between the lights and shadows, the ups and downs and the rolling years, keep me from getting out of focus or off center, so that my life and work may be framed with dignity and colored with contentment ...

AMEN

Author Unknown

LittleRedFish Loc: Naw'lens (New Orleans)

Amen! An thank you Lord for making it possible for me to have this camera.

boncrayon

Photography is art and archive. It's about one person's perspective of his/her surroundings, curiosities and interests.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

And on the eight day the Lord made nikon. And he blessed his believers with Nikons of many types and styles. And the Lord said this was good. Then the Lord spied the evil cannonities, and their allies the minoltians (who were later overrun by the sonyiastias) the pentaxians and those who worshipped 5 dogs on Mt OLympus. And the Lord grew Angry aand sent the barbarian armies under two brothers Kodakius and Poloroidian to destroy the photographic enemies of the LOrd.. :-D :!: :idea: scripture from the lost book of digitalanium.

arphot Loc: Massachusetts

Oh brother! Book of The Canonites; flash and be flashed so you won't lose focus and be left in the dark. The highlights of your life will be recorded as CR2 files and the balance of white will be for all to see.