The above photo is by David duChemin – go here to see the full article and also view some photos larger size.

Photography is the hobby du jour, especially in Hong Kong. People spend thousands, tens of thousands of dollars on equipment, but not many are taking memorable photos.

For me, as I become more comfortable with my D300, as I learn what all those buttons and options are, and as I try to get to the point where it becomes second nature so I can just take the fucking picture, I’m reading more about technique. My “cameras” category in my RSS used to be just feeds about new equipment releases and reviews.

I’ve found there are a number of professional photographers and writers out there who are smart enough to blog on a regular basis, knowing that giving away some information for free turns into sales of their services, books, etc. Some of the blogs I’ve now added and read regularly include (in vaguely random order):

The Digital Trekker
Scott’s Photo Blog
Photofocus
The Travel Photographer
Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider
Pixelated Image

I’m sure many of you know of more – feel free to share!

Anyway, Pixelated Image is the blog by duChemin. He’s just published a new book titled, Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision. Kelby reviews the book on the Amazon page and writes:

… he not only shows his absolutely captivating images, he shows the thought process behind those images, as well as how to start capturing the types of images we all long to take. People will be talking about this book for years to come.

Obviously this is going to be in my next Amazon order. You can also download a pdf file with 38 pages (in full color) from the book from here.

Anyway, duChemin, guest-blogging on Kelby’s blog (okay, perhaps slightly incestuous), writes about a revolution that sees (or hopes he sees) coming down the road:

It’s going to lead to a new ecumenical movement, the Nikon versus Canon crusaders will lay down their swords and go create photographs instead, suddenly aware that talking/arguing about photography is not the same as actually making photographs. They’ll suddenly realize they’ve been asking if Nikon or Canon is better and never ask, “better at what?”

It’s going to stop us from using terms like “Travel Photography” which defines our images by mode of transport and not by how compellingly we photograph people, places, or culture, here or around the world. Sure there are better ways to describe our work than, “I got on a plane to create this.”

It’s going to lead us to stop talking about the way we create light and start talking about the kind of light we create. That part of the revolution has already started with heroes like Joe McNally and David Hobby leading the fray.

The revolution, at its extremes, is going to push us to fall so in love with this craft that we abandon our addiction to technology and start calling the camera companies on their lunacy when they tell the world that their new cameras are so good practically anyone can now shoot like a pro; a claim that debases our craft and dishonors the work we all put in to be the best visual storytellers we can be.

Reads pretty well, don’t it?

Anyway, I’m fucking sick of being sick. I wanna be well again. And one thing is I wanna go out and just start taking pictures every day again so I can get to the level that I think I can get to. Maybe not “get my photos published in a book” level (but then again, why not?) but at stuff I can share and view with more pride.

Just my thought for this afternoon.

Hongkie Town
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