Where have I disappeared? When do we get to see that and that picture? When are you going to update your page? These are the questions many have been asking me for a while now. In reality I have no reason of falling behind my editing and shooting schedules. Trying to come up with an excuse – I was lacking in motivation to do anything. I had lost my inspiration in pursuing my larger projects and I still have failed miserably in creating a small darkroom in my apartment. My motivation had died off for a couple of months. Either it was me trying to discover and define the new me or I simply had become lazy. It’s hard for me to say now – I simply haven’t figure out that part yet. But as life is in a constant flux the motivation and inspiration has resurfaced in me. And now I feel myself full of energy to go out and capture again.

I have come up with a couple of projects and ideas that I want to pursue. Some new, some old, but all should be fun at the end of the day. Though the analogue part will have to be still put off. I am intending of shooting new and interesting ideas as well as concepts. One of my current problems now, after not doing so much, is choosing what I want to do. Too many projects and ideas seem interesting. Some will take me a longer time, while some can be done over a couple of hours. Nevertheless the one I am thinking of currently is a HULT student photo seminar.

My idea is to gather all the “hultian” photo enthusiasts from our university and have an outing where we would learn from each other and just share an interest or maybe even a passion. Furthermore there are many that want to have their pictures taken. This could serve as a great opportunity for all. So I am thinking of having the “seminar” in the realms of portraits.

Nevertheless to make this possible I would need some input – I would like to know what the photographers would want to learn. Do we want the information to be more theoretical or practical? Do we want to learn how to work with models, yield lights or use basic setups for cameras?

All feedback is appreciated!

A funny story, coming from the lack of communication in between me and my model regarding what we wanted from the shoot. In reality there was no communication at all. I was asked to take a couple of portraits of a girl for her boyfriend’s birthday. The shoot was scheduled to take place on a beach. I met the model a couple minutes before the shoot where we got a couple of minutes to chat and talk about what she wanted to get from the shoot. Before that I had not seen her or had any direct contact with her. She quickly reiterated what the third person had earlier told me – she wanted a portrait for her boy friend’s birthday. The rest was up to me. As this was in the beginning of my career I had a limited experience and had no clue how to translate the true wants of my models.

To make matters worse I realized that it would be nice to have an assistant to help with me with the lighting, as it was a really sunny day. So I asked my girlfriend at that time to accompany me and hoped that maybe she would learn something new and fun while observing how harmless the photo shoots are. She agreed without a second thought and helped me carry some reflectors and blankets.

As we were approaching the earlier picked out spot I put all the equipment down and started getting ready. Then I looked over to my model and realized what kind of “portrait” picture she wanted – she was undressing to underwear. I quickly turned to my camera and started to go through the menu pointlessly. At one moment I looked over at my girlfriend and saw the look on her face. That look explained everything – I was going to be killed, but later.

The shoot did not go so swell as you can imagine – I constantly got an eye from my girlfriend, I had problems talking with the model as my girlfriend was constantly looking eying me and her, I was struggling to give even correct guidance to my lighting assistant as she was furious and by this time didn’t even care about any of it.

Well after the shoot I was forbidden to take photos of other girls not even considering nudes, despite not even taking a nude at that shoot. The moral of the story – it is important to realize what your client really wants from you and never take your special other to your photo shoots.  

Many have asked me which I prefer more – Canon or Nikon. In reality both companies make great cameras and it does not matter which you have. Yes, currently I use Canon, but given the chance I would use Nikon too. Each camera within these two systems is a little bit different and may be better for specific causes. A great example would be Canon’s 5D mkII vs. Nikon’s D700 both being full frame semi professional cameras made for different purposes. In my opinion 5D is better for landscape while D700 would clearly beat the Canon at sports. Bear in mind that I am writing this from an amateur’s perspective which cannot afford to have multiple cameras for various shooting needs.

Nevertheless when it comes down to choosing either, we must be careful and do some researching before we buy either camera and get into “a marriage”. For me it is Cannon and I have invested too much to justify now a change to Nikon. The amount we tend to spend to satisfy our wants regarding photography equipment tends to be ridiculous, especially once we realize that we don’t need it all in reality to make good photos. I have realized that all I need, and currently enjoy using the most, is a camera with a normal lens. And either company yields a variety of combinations that make this possible.

Marketing departments are doing a great job making us believe that we need the newest cameras and the best equipment. They also do a great job in locking is in with the either vendor or at least make it really tempting to switch. While generally we blindly follow. I too must admit am not much better. I WANT a 1D series camera or at least the 7D to compliment my existing equipment. Then maybe a Leica M9 or Olympus Pen as a smaller walk around camera. But these are all just wants.

If we go back into history and look at the equipment used then we quickly realize that most of the work was done with a simple camera and a normal lens made from various vendors. The brand name was not that great of an importance. Nowadays things have changed. We see a brand name after a brand name and often the professionals advertising them.

The decision though is depends on us – we will be the ones choosing which system suits us better.

Many have contacted me to get a copy of their year book's picture. Unfortunately I did not put down your names, so if you still would like to get a copy let me know again. Sorry for the delay and inconvenience!