Another shot from the Olympus E-PL2. Trees in Hawaii. Love the texture.

Cheers!
PK

Black and white photography is really where all fine art photography began. Ansel Adams mentioned once that he thought the medium of photography was meant to be seen in black and white. Whether or not that is the case, there is a sense of mystery and depth that only black and white can capture. The textures and dimensions of nature are enhanced and seen in a very authentic way.

These images were taken today with the Olympus E-PL2 mentioned in the last post.

Cheers!
PK

“The best camera is the one that’s on you,” popular photographer, Chase Jarvis, likes to say referring to his iPhone. And while I think an iPhone camera is a stretch (it’s really hard to make images you want when you have little to no control), I think it is important to always have a camera with you. We do not have the luxury to create moments, but we can make sure we have the opportunity to capture them. The above camera (Olympus EPL2) makes good pictures that I would not hesitate to showcase – and that is the type of camera you want to always have with you.

What I like about our Olympus EPL2:
1. It’s Small – it can fit in a small bag or jacket pocket.
2. Control – for not much bigger than a large smartphone you get the control of a DSLR.
3. Quality – it can make great pictures, that can rival DSLRs.
4. Flexibility – you can buy more lenses and really make this a powerhouse.

Cheers!
PK

I spent three days last week shooting and this post shows my favorite shot from each day. After such a heavy week of making images, I started to feel burned out, frustrated, and just numb creatively. Why do we feel so drained, mediocre, and creatively numb after a spurt of creativity? Creativity is like the tide at sea: it has it’s highs and lows but it is always there and always moving.

So I thought I would share ten ways that I stay creative and make the ups and downs not so drastic. This work for me and hopefully one or two may work for you.

1. Take a walk – this does two things. Firstly, it takes the energy from your mind to your body. For me, it really is like all the energy that is cramming my head flows out. It flushes out the waste and only the good ideas stick. Secondly, it gets you out of your solitude. You are confronted by the outside world which keeps you grounded and changes your perspective.

2. Visual Pushups – when the ideas just are not flowing but you are far from tired or burnt out, try doing visual pushups (term borrowed from Jay Maisel). Exercise your eye and mind (or ear or writing or whatever your creative medium is). And go outside your medium. Watch movies, look at paintings, look at different genres of your field. I try not to look at wedding or landscape photographers too much to keep my creativity growing.

3. Fasting – now I do not mean from food. I try to fast from my smartphone as much as I can. Even if its just a couple of hours here and there it works wonders for me. It focuses my energy from what is really important. I also try to check emails once a day unless I really need to continue a conversation throughout the day. To stay creative you have to fight for what you want to focus on.

4. Take Notes – always have a pen and notebook or a memo on your phone ready to go. Again it is about freeing up space in your head for the now. By taking notes you have saved an idea outside of your head. Clutter is creativity’s worst enemy.

5. Face-to-Face Conversation – this is huge. I like to talk out ideas with people. It helps to have another perspective. But just as important is to just listen to someone else and converse about anything that makes your mind question, open up, and exercise. Don’t worry so much about getting something done in a conversation. The act of conversing alone stimulates your mind and creativity.

6. Learn the Creative Philosophy and Process of Others – especially those outside of your genre and field. You are going to learn about creative processes within your genre/field because you are in it! But I learned a lot from landscape photographers on how to approach weddings. I have learned a lot from CEO’s of car companies about the philosophy of running my own business and creating my own art. Forget about learning how to make an image someone else made, learn how the got there in the first place and you know how they make all their images!

7. Be Critiqued – by someone you respect. Find someone who can tear you apart with critique and then put you back together again with encouragement. You need someone’s opinion to sharpen your skills. It is just their opinion, but hopefully one that value as much as your own. You will learn so much and want to try and improve so many things – in a week or so when you have gathered yourself again.

8. Let Ideas and Images Fester – I use the term “fester” because it is the idea of something become so intense from neglect that it must be dealt with. Let your ideas sit for a while to see if they are constantly bugging you through a period of time. That’s when you know it is worthwhile and you have gotten a hold of a creative thing worth pursuing.

9. Experiment – push your limits. This will keep you sharp with your fundamentals and make you grow in the peripherals. For example, shoot an entire day with your camera screen taped up. You will be amazed at how much more intentional you will shoot.

10. Fill in the blank….. what is your favorite way to stay creative?

PK

Probably my biggest inspirations for landscapes are paintings. Greats like Rembrandt and the Hudson River School artists really make me want to go shoot. The image below is a good example of how the shape my view of light. I push the shutter button seeing a final result. If I do not get what I see in my head (or find a happy accident), I get rid of it. I hope you enjoy this as you relax this weekend!

Cheers!
PK