Friday, February 25, 2011

Yikes!

Demure


Dog Blog Post #248: One drawback of doing something diligently every day, is there's going to come a time when the results, while appropriate in context, aren't something you are necessarily proud of.

At all.

The Daily Shoot assignment for today?

Make a photograph featuring strong horizontal lines today.

I was mulling this over in my head as I was combing my hair, when it hit me - right on my big toe.

(Just kidding)

I could take a picture "looking through" their comb. It would look stark and cold and be something completely different. Cool!

And so I did. I brought out the black fabric (part of that stark and cold thing) and the comb and the tripod and went to the cold window with the cold light and snapped a few pictures off. Time was short, so I just gave them a quick look on the LCD (at least a few seemed crisp) and went about my day.

Night falls, and it's time to upload from the camera and see what I have...

ds467 - Horizontal Lines

Hmmm.... Ok. Well, yes, I have crisp. I have cold. And on one the lines were even horizontal! But let's face it, it looks like it belongs on the cover of a paperback horror. :(

Is that really a photo I wanted to have on my account?

Ummmm... no. Not really.

In fact, I pretty much hate it. But it was too late to do anything about it, and I wasn't about to not upload something, so I gritted my teeth and pushed the button, feeling miserable as I did so.

(I'm hoping that I learned something from this experience, and as soon as I figure out what it is, I'll let you know.)

As for yesterday's pictures - I think houndstooth got it right. The dismal lighting, with it's warm and cozy yellow cast, is actually what made the shot work. It is everything the one above isn't.

(Editor's Note: I so hated today's picture, that I later rummaged through iPhoto and uploaded the picture at the top of the post to my flickr account, in futile effort to bury the one before it. It's soft, and warm, and fuzzy, and I guess that's just the sort of photographer I want to be.)

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8 comments:

greygirl25 said...

That's how you get better, you try, you fail, you think about it and go back and figure out what you can do differently.

You are doing an amazing job with your daily. Don't hate the picture, learn from it.

BTW, I shot the basketball game tonight, I suck. :o)))

Anonymous said...

You have a very creative approach to photography. I just point, click and hope for the best! Happy blog hopping!

Pamela said...

My husband is a pretty good photographer. He keeps telling me to pay attention to the edges and watch my backgrounds and pay attention to the light and my wee brain gets flooded.

But I recently looked at his photos from his first camera. Lots of experiments with lots of crazy stuff.

I can see why you're not crazy about the comb shot. But it's great that you tried it. And maybe it will teach you something that will work great next time.

And yes, the picture at the top of your post is lovely.

Elizabeth Keene said...

Very original! :)

Anonymous said...

I think your photos rock! I can only hope to be as good as you are. I swear these blog hops make me think more carefully as I compose a picture. Love the pix!
Opie's Mom

houndstooth said...

You can't get better at something without studying what doesn't work sometimes. I don't think it's a bad picture, but I don't have an idea in my head of how I wanted it to look already, either. I admire you photos a great deal, but it's the same as writing blog posts, too. I write six days a week, and while I want every post to be better than the one before, there are definitely some that I consider duds. It also surprises me sometimes what things people tend to really like or not like. With photography as with writing, you can't always predict how others will react to what you've created. Part of it is that we all have an emotional reaction to things based on our own store of personal experiences and likes and dislikes.

Plus, there's always a new assignment tomorrow on the Daily Shoot! ;)

Wyatt said...

I like it! It sums up how I feel about grooming! BOL
Wyatt

Urban canines said...

Great photos! I love reading your blog and checking out your daily shoot photos each day.
Hop on over to our blog, you have been awarded the Stylish Blogger Award!