RXA

66/365 – Scrubbed up

Originally uploaded by RXAphotos

Normally I would not post something like as it is puffing out ones chest, but the timing could not be better.

I regularly go out on walks with three other photographers, all from my family. All three of them have great ‘eyes’ as we see and I hate it at the end when I think I’ve taken a good shot and I see someone like Mike get disappointed with a shot that ‘didn’t work out as I’d hoped’ that I would give my left ventricular valve to have been able to see, let alone shoot.

Even on the road trip yesterday I was getting very VERY frustrated over the images I was taking as I’d always wanted to shoot in a winery and now that I was there, I was getting nothing.

Even today, I have been stumbling with my self portrait and was feeling quite down about it. Some days I know exactly what to shoot and some days I have no flipping clue and days like today I know what to shoot but it just doesn’t work. They are the worst days.

So, to get back on the point … As I was going through a ridiculous backlog of photos today trying to free some space up on my hard drive I was listening to the latest episode of the Shutters Inc podcast. I was nodding my head in agreement when the host was saying that there was some amazing photographs in the shutters inc flickr group and was waiting to hear Shelton reel of names such as Landon, Baxley and Bob Fischer, some of the most amazing shooters I have seen on the group. He had just finished a diatribe on having the ability to make a great photograph out of something unremarkable.

Imagine my surprise when I heard this??? (I thought I would transcribe rather than get you to download and fast forward to 22.55 sec) . Shelton is the pro photographer and Bruce is the host.

Shelton: “I’m looking at the flickr site right and and there are some great images right here. I can see a picture from … is that you Richard? (At this point my head goes up and I start paying attention) RXAphotos?”

Bruce: “That’s him”

Shelton: “Richard, you’ve taken a picture of a man’s shirt and tie.” (see featured photo above).

Bruce: “That’s him, that’s himself, that’s his self portrait for the day.” Note: The photo is here.

Shelton: “Is it? That is fantastic! It relies on shape, form, colour, texture, composition and it is just fantastic. And it’s just a shirt and a tie!

It’s just fantastic, I love it. Richard you’ve done it again, I’m just opening the picture up as we speak. This is great folks you really need to join this flickr site. You’ve taken a picture of a can of some alcoholic beverage and you’ve said ‘It’s just a recent walk through Fitzroy’ and look you’ve seen it, and you’ve translated it and it’s fantastic. And that’s what the ‘art of seeing’ is and Richard’s nailed it here along with many of our listeners is.”

Here’s hoping Mike never joins the group.

Sorry to make you sit through that but hearing that makes me want to grab the camera again and try for a better SP for the day.