David’s Blog
Tofino, British Columbia, Gallery
Time to crow about a great workshop that Brenda Berry and I completed last week. Tofino, BC, sits mid-coast on Vancouver Island on the tip of a peninsula bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Cayquot Sound. It is a photographer's playground with giant trees over 1000 years old, very cooperative black bears prowling the shore, beaches that go on forever and...
Flying Time By
Midnight in mid-channel, mid-coast in Maine and I am adrift between two tides. One carries my small boat away as I pull to shore against its tidal tug. The other also washes through the starry darkness but I cannot pull against it. And so, thus caught in the middle, with raised oars I drift...... listening. From above “Churrs,” “cheeps,” “tinks” and...
Personal Resolution
What is Your Resolution? I don’t mean to be a curmudgeon (that is not entirely true) but what is it these days with this unholy quest for ever-higher resolution? It wasn’t too long ago when we were pretty happy about a 2000 ppi scanner, that is until the 4000 ppi scanners came out. But at least we were really happy with the 4000 scanners. With 4000 pixels...
What do you see?
A new feature of this blog for you all to chew on. I'm going to present a picture and then ask if you see the things I think are photographically significant. I may give some broad hints if I am feeling nice. Here is the first one- This picture of me was taken at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon in July. This is a teaching shot I set up during...
What’s New
News Flash……..New Equipment Being Developed! For years I have been asking camera manufacturers the same question, “What’s new?” and getting the same answer, “Can’t say.” Well, that is no longer good enough! Through extensive research I have discovered what the next big things are going to be. Some of these are pretty exciting so get your orders in early....
The Power of Your Work
I am up in Rockport, Maine, halfway through a weeklong workshop. There are many other image makers here – amateur and professional, color and black and white, film and photo. In my mind, they are all doing important work. Some are documenting poverty in rural Maine. Others are capturing the hard lives of the coastal shore men. Last night, another teacher...
The Joys of Information
Every workshop I teach I am asked about ‘secrets’ of being a professional photographer. I have my standard responses – work locally/regionally, know when not to photograph, spend time looking, write - that people seem to understand if not fully appreciate. I think what they really want to hear is: ”buy such and such camera and such and such lens, go to...
Publishing Unplugged
Publishing Unplugged — The Inside Story There are many things I don’t know. Anybody who knows me knows that this is the height of understatement. The list is too long for an issue let alone an article in Outdoor Photographer. There are though a few things that I do know. I know that I can’t just turn over dirty sheets; I actually have to change them. I...
Pizzas & Photography
Observations: 1. Here is the difference between John Shaw and me: he is John Shaw. Now that that is out of the way lets get to some serious photography stuff. 2. When John makes a Boboli pizza he carefully lays out every ingredient in just the perfect place- he forms a pinwheel of absolutely symmetrical spinach leaves, followed by...
Male Bags
On a plane, once again, heading home after another workshop. This time though, I am surrounded by adults- the only screaming toddler is twelve rows back and well out of my mind. I have just finished a ten-day workshop with two extra teaching days tacked on meaning that I have been talking everyday, all day, for two straight weeks. Once I get in this...
Lifestyle or Career
“It is like snorkeling up a muddy river.” “Excuse me?” I said. “It is like snorkeling up a muddy river.” “Okay, what is?” “You don’t want to know.” “Okay” “But it is really like snorkeling up a muddy river.” “What is?” “You don’t want to know.” This is pretty much typical of the brief conversations I have during breaks in my teaching presentations. Someone...