Location

Art Model and Performer, Mercy ©2011 Terrell Neasley. Men's Room.

Sometimes you just have to get off your ass and go. I'm still harping on the Bringing Back the Passion that I started earlier this month. I followed that post up with a post on Flash and then again with Ambient (light) as some easy alternatives to help you blow on those embers that could ignite your photo passions again. So LOCATION is what I wanna cover at the moment. Why? Cuz its easy. You simply get your ass up out of the house and go someplace with the explicit and direct intent to photograph something.

Urban
Sometimes people will tell you to start in your own back yard. Nah. Not good enough. You are still too comfortable in your own house and yard. I don't see that as "blowing on any embers". To fan the flame, you have to go beyond, but you still need a place to start. Downtown is good enough as a beginning point if you like. I live in Vegas, so downtown here is the Las Vegas strip. Or so you might believe. Actually, downtown is FREMONT STREET! Its a little different but yet similar to the Strip. A different kind of folk walk those streets and a many of characters will present themselves for your photographic pleasure.

Art Model and Blogger, Wonderhussy ©2008 Terrell Neasley
Erotic Heritage Museum

But there are still other urban areas in Vegas and you have them where you live too. Well, unless you're living out in the sticks, in which case you might have a further drive than most. But Street Photography can be the thing you need to rejuvenate and get a fresh start in photo again. Look up some examples of popular street photo work. Not to necessarily copy or emulate, but rather to just see what the possibilities are. Walk around first before you even pull your camera out. Observe. Listen. Smell. See the potential scenes that lie before you. In the Army, as we'd begin our patrols, we would stop a few hundred meters in, take a knee and become familiar with the sights, sound, and smells, of the environment we were about to immerse ourselves in. We called it SLLS, or sills. Its the same thing here. In this case, it can help you see and anticipate events that might be developing and thus better prepare you to capture that decisive moment. This can make the difference between THAT shot and JUST ANY OLD shot.

You can pick a theme to help you focus and look for something. Shooting the homeless has been very popular, but I find that to be a tough one sometimes, personally. You may want to concentrate on signs or door knobs. I've done newspaper wracks and stands. Shooting bus stops might be an option as well as photographing street vendors. You can also change your perspective a little. Everything doesn't have to be done from an eye level perspective! Get down! I mean it. Get low to the ground and see the world how a dog might view it. Or change it up and shoot from above and get a bird's eye view of things. Just change it up so things don't get predictable or boring. You may do photo for yourself, but you still want others to see it. Show them something fresh.

Out and About in Nature
I can dig some urban, but now we're getting into my scene! The woods! The desert! The mountains! As well as the BEACH! Natural surroundings appeal to me most. Especially spots where I have to get off the beaten path a bit. Seeing new things in God's creation can heat up the coldest of passions and make it blaze. I've been to spots that make you want to put down the camera and just keep it to yourself. If you can, bring a friend along whose company you enjoy OR somebody who knows the area and can be a guide of sorts. Its not always fun to get lost ( though sometimes it can be!). I can't tell you how many people I've taken out into the boonies...who have lived nearby all their lives...and yet had never previously seen the beauties that Red Rock has to offer. Or Lake Mead, Valley of Fire, or either of the hot springs near Hoover Dam at Goldstrike and Arizona. All these areas are within a hour of Vegas.

Art Model, Covenant ©2014 Terrell Neasley. Nevada desert

You'll have to find out what appeals to you in these natural settings. For me, I can say a good, unique landscape vista is what I find most captivating. On the other hand, you may be more interested in the wildlife or birds. Photographing big horn sheep will be vastly different than photographing humming birds or egrets, mainly in the lens choices. You'll need some telephoto action, but you don't have to have as fast of a lens as you might with hummingbirds. Flowers are highly popular to shoot. Again, lens choices come into play. If you like to shoot a field of wild flowers, a normal zoom or better yet a wide-angle lens would work. However if you're wanting to get close enough to depict the petals and stamen of the Angel Trumpet flower, then a macro lens is your best business. You may also need to be on a tripod in many cases using a remote switch/cable release.

Book a Flight
Now this requires just a bit more dedication than most people have the stomach for, but hear me out. It doesn't take as much as you think to hop on a plane and go somewhere. You can sign up on some of these websites such as Hitlist (an app, actually) or OneTravel and get updates on cheap flights for places you have let them know you're interested in. I routinely get limited time offers for $100 flights. A flight to San Pedro Sula in Honduras will only run you $350. You can use these opportunities to head to Seattle for the weekend. I already hear what you're saying..."But then you have to find a place to stay!" True. Which is where CouchSurfing.org comes into play. There are people out there that offer their homes to travelers for free. I've meet some great people doing this. Sign up, check it out. Sometimes its short notice. Other times its planned months in advance. So you may have to rent a car, but if you're going to bitch about how expensive that is, then photo may not be for you. I mean, there are deals left and right. YES, you will spend money.

Anonymous Art Model, ©2014 Terrell Neasley San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

You're not gonna do photo without spending money. So either come to terms with that notion or take up treasure hunting with a metal detector on the beach. Some people find that very soothing and quite rewarding. Ain't no shame in that. Photo may not be the thing for you. Me...? I just want you to be happy. Get a camera, take some pics. If it's not for you, take up dance lessons. But my purpose is to holla at you about photo, so that's what I'm about. Its all about choices and what you choose to prioritize. You can make getting that new car stereo for $600 your priority if you so choose. You can also get a new wide-angle lens for your crop-sensor camera for even less than that. Book at trip to El Salvador for that same $600. Whichever will be the more rewarding experience...that's what I want you to go for. Now get to it.

WPPI and Some New Directions

"When you’re finished changing, you’re finished." 

- Benjamin Franklin

Model, Viki Vegas

This past week has been the start of WPPI, (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International). Its quite a big event and is being held at the MGM Convention Center. In spite of my current condition, I decided I'd attend WPPI University, or WPPI U at the MGM Grand Convention Center here in Vegas. It was 2 days of workshops, seminars, and lectures dealing with photography and its related issues. Some of it was motivational and some instructional, but we had the benefit of 13 speakers who are leaders in their trade come talk to about 400 attendees. I think without a doubt, Joe Buissink was my favorite. He was informative and inspiring, as well as a great speaker. Sue Bryce was also a talented host and speaker. The thing that seemed to be a common denominator between several of these speakers is the notion that they came from nothing special and built themselves into million-dollar studios. They all faced challenges and had to overcome obstacles, but they weren't given any advantages that made them any more special than the rest of us. So if there was any one message that I think they were trying to say collectively is that if they can do it the rest of us can too.

Model, Wonderhussy

My challenges were just in the attending. I decided at the last minute to be there after I read about some of the course schedules. My main focus was on day two, where a few speakers were discussing some of the business aspects of photography which is my main focus right now. Just getting from my car to the convention center was my biggest challenge. Then I realized I had to depend on the kindness of strangers to help me just get a simple cup of water back to may seat. I met a few people who sat around me that proved helpful as well as good company. The bathroom wasn't that near when you're on crutches. I woke up this morning with sore palms from carrying my weight so much on the handles of the crutches. Day two was incredibly exhausting. It was 12 hours of class time and when I got home, I was beat. I got to bed about 1am and woke up around 5am. But somewhere right before I was getting ready to make myself some waffles, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew my phone was ringing and it woke me up around 3 in the afternoon! I have no idea how I got back in bed, nor do I recall even falling asleep. I was due back up at WPPI that afternoon to meet with some of my NILMDTS cohorts at 2pm. I totally missed it.

Model, Wonderhussy

Taxes and accounting best practices, branding, back-up protection, etc., are some of the WPPI U topics I had an interested in. I have a MBA. I know management, marketing. I can do a lot of this on my own. But WANTING to do it is something else. I hate taxes and record-keeping. I don't want to concern myself with branding. I'd much rather have someone else do that for me. I've been rereading and reevaluating my business plan to see what has changed. Several aspects of my focus is indeed going in a different direction. My initial back-up solution is going to be different from what I initially outlined. The website will be changed and eventually another blog will be put in place. While Photo Anthems will be the primary domain name, I've recently registered some more. I picked up a speaker Craig Heidermann's Legal and Business Forms for Wedding and Portrait Photographers. He's has two careers as a full time attorney and a full-time photographer. I want to review all my current contracts after he pointed out a few things I hadn't considered in my own.

Model, Brittany V

Julieanne Kost, from Adobe, has got to be one of the most entertaining lecturers on nerd-related topics. She's a Photoshop wizard/guru/freak/nut. I'm telling you this woman can work layers like nobody's business. Check out her blog and get educated. She did a presentation on Adobe Lightroom and I now believe I'll start using it. She outlined some benefits I think I can actually use whereas before, I couldn't see how I was missing anything by using Bridge. All the other speakers where motivational or dealt with lighting and posing techniques. While informative, it wasn't where my interests currently lie. Some of the advice they gave I had to totally dismiss because it just wasn't my style. I identified most with Joe Buissink because his shooting style was closer to my own. Some of the people sitting next to me where surprised by his approach to photography while I just smiled, feeling validated to some degree.

The rest of this year is going to be way different from anything I had initially imagined last year. My goals have changed and my priorities have altered. I just need to heal so I can get started on it all.