At the inception of my photo habit I had pretty much no idea what I was doing. I was not nearly as intimidated by the great pool of knowledge I’d just dipped a toe into as I probably should have been and jumped in headfirst. I superglued my camera knob on M, got myself a lens with no autofocus and worked out the kinks of daily shooting in a totally nonconformist way and with a maniacal obsession with perfection.
Now that I am pretty successful at getting well-lit shots during well-lit times of the day I find myself at the gateway of a new challenge: shooting at night. I imagine if I can conquer this, or at least encounter some success, I’ll be better prepared for the occasional basement I find myself in when Fluffy refuses come up the stairs. Inspired by people like Jerry Yoon + Nate and Jaclyn of the Image is Found, I have long been meaning to get out and apply my totally uneducated but highly inspired self to the task.
I found a friend willing to traverse Colfax Avenue after dark, a location I picked for its dinginess (an adjective I use with the utmost affection), but also a location most people would probably prefer to avoid at 8pm on a Wednesday evening. My friend was a good sport though, and I would label the shoot a moderate success, meaning I ended up with about three shots I remotely liked and a burning desire to camp out on Colfax every night until I can capture the crack addicts and neon motel signs with absolute precision. I do have a modicum of logic (on occasion), and realize I should probably wait for another group outing. Until then here’s one of the shots I’m fond of:
7 Comments
So awesome! I hate shooting at night, mostly because I don’t really know how to comfortably wield a flash. I also love hearing about your method to approaching a new skill. Can’t wait to see how you progress. :)
hey there, if you have the extra cash i highly recommend the ‘one light’ dvd by zack arias (http://www.onelightworkshop.com/DVD_Ordering.html). i have watched it once but see myself watching it many more times…taking down notes! it is so informative and completely motivates me to go down into my basement and actually use the soft box and background paper i bought over a year ago =)
ps. the shot above is very cool.
AWESOME!!! :) looks soooo cool, i’m inspired to try it out! :)
That’s really cool! Is he holding a sparkler? :) I love how he is shadowy like a ghost…very intriguing photo.
VERY cool!
I will wander the colfax strip with you on any given night… so long as the shots are from a camera.