Digging up the past [Some old photos]

I guess there's no real central meaning behind these, as they were all taken at different dates, but I'm sure you guys will get something out of them nonetheless! I was digging around in my 'Originals' folder and found them lying in some dark, industrial corner of my hard drive, as if I wanted to do something with them but never got around to it.

I've always really avoided portraiture, save for the odd candid here and there, but I'm really getting more and more into and these shots had a lot to do with that. The first set was a project I was doing for my future mother in law who wanted pictures of her hair extensions to send to her parents. Supposedly she's terribly camera shy, but she could have fooled me!

The two after that are just strange street shots of some kids in Manitou Springs. I was going to throw them away, but for some reason they seemed far too emotional to do that. Would've made me feel fucking guilty.

Now, the two after the kids are shots that I'm really in between on. I wouldn't say that they're great at all, but I'll leave that for you to decide. I could use the criticism, so lay it on me!

The grand finale was taken at Qdoba today but I'm way too tired to tell the tale behind them, so I'll let you guys figure them out.



-Durchii

 

Also, if these seem a little big to you guys, let me know! I'm using a huge resolution on my monitor.

Uhmm... vaya con dios!

 

It really doesn't take much! I mean, I could throw away all of my equipment right now, walk down to the camera shop, buy a $100 35mm, fully manual SLR with a 50mm prime lens and a roll of film and still shoot to my heart's content for the rest of my life. It's all a matter of how you look at things.

If you do ever decide to get into shooting as even a small hobby, let me know. I'll help you get on your feet!

 

Not in the least. I'm in my first year of a Photography degree and I haven't learned one thing that I didn't already know from first hand experience, reading different books and what have you.

My best advice to you is to head over to the local library or book store and stock up as much as you can on two things. One: A single book covering, and explaining in great detail, Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO/ASA (Film speed). After you get a hold of a camera that lets you change all three (or two if you're shooting film), experiment with everything and get a feel for everything, Aperture and Shutter Speed in particular. Two: Once you have the holy trinity covered, pick up a few books on, simply, whatever seems interesting to you! Think you want to shoot landscapes? There are at least a dozen great books on it. Portraits? Even more. Photography can be a career, but you have to shoot what you love for it to be an art.

No class could ever get you into shooting. The best thing to do for yourself, even before getting into the technical aspects of photography, is getting out into the world with whatever camera you can find and shooting absolutely everything you see.

 

Most of the photographers on GC are already far better than me, so don't sweat it!

Do what you love, then worry about how good you are at it.

 

Does his name happen to be Carl?

 

Eh, slight.

Very, very slight.