Monday, December 22, 2008

What's Next?

I have been thinking a lot about this in the last two weeks as it pertains to my passions; one of which is my photography. I mentioned last week that I have this charge with another photographer to Blog daily till Christmas. Well she raised the stakes the other day and now she plans to Blog daily till New Years and I am trying to figure out if I will follow. In order to be a good leader you have to follow sometimes.

So, what to Blog? I don't just want to take pictures of my shoes or arms pits and say, "here's today's post." I didn't want to write for the sake of saying, here's another little mindless message from Dave that counts in today's Blog column. I want my posts to be about photography with a message that hopefully will provide insight and encouragement. Okay, here it goes....

How do you know you are there, I mean really there and really know and feel confident that you are there. I was thinking about my goals for my photography work, what I feel I understand and the areas I want to learn more about. Does recognition that you need to grow mean you're NOT there? If I take a beautiful picture, one that you can find a dime a dozen of, I am there or is it really about being uniquely you and being confident in that? I have been pondering and letting this thought marinate for quite some time and I am going into 2009 with my answer. I AM there and here's where I am getting this from.

I mention in my profile that I love photography. Well I mean that much more now then when I developed my blogger profile more then a year ago. I ponder angles, perspectives and "views to a shoot" until I can get in front of my lens with everything I see in my daily walk. I hand out business cards to people that will take them, not for future shoots but so they can admire and provide feedback on my work. I feel l very confident in my portfolio on my website and Blog. However, the most important aspect of all of this for me is that I am present when I shoot and I feel I am blessing others through my work.

The comments that you leave on the Blog encourage and challenge me. They encourage me to define a new level and get there quickly. I look at how much my work has developed over the last year but I also look at the smiles on the faces of the people I shoot; that's worth a million to me. So I am there, I am claiming it, walking in it, breathing it in everyday and looking forward to the next time I look at the world through my lens.

Ross says "the key is to love what you see.” He's absolutely right and this love affair requires you to be "present during those moments in life that provide focus on the most important things". It requires more than just showing up but paying attention to what happening, what's available and what's possible. I love this stuff and feel I am there, not in an egocentric way but in a manner that gets me excited about the next opportunity. Next opportunity to showcase the most important stuff through my lens. This is why I do and will continue to do what I do and mature as a person and explorer of “presence”.

David

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very insightful and I look forward to seeing your future work. You have a great gift and I mean that on 2 levels. Your photography is top notch and your personality helps capture the essence of your subject. I like to think of it as a seasoning that brings out the flavor of your subject. Keep it up and you'll be an excellent chef, in a metaphoric way.

Chris Sallade

Anonymous said...

lol,so nice