Sticky, Slimy, Squishy, Soft, Silky, Smooth,

damp

dry

raw

chapped

scratchy

dirty

grimy

dusty

prickly

Crunchy

glossy

wet

moist

hard

soft

bumpy

fluffy

fuzzy

sheer

sheen

sandy

warm

shiny

polished

gritty

cool

sharp

silky

velvety

smooth

grainy

cold

awkward

coarse

greasy

slimy

lacy

tangled

spiky

slippery

sensual

seductive

creamy

slick

stubbly

You could be cliche and say that a picture is worth a thousand words but sometimes a good descriptive word can sum up any photograph.

I think the main reason I love Photography so much is because when I see a photograph I like to immerse myself into the image. Textures, smells, sounds come alive in a photograph. I like to feel like I'm there. Feel the cold wind on my shoulders or the hot sun on my face. Touch a cool damp wall or glide my hand on a gritty rusty gate. Describing photographs is almost as fun as taking the photograph.

Some would say that to enhance your appreciation of photography it is essential to have the right vocabulary of photographic terms in order to properly describe or "Read" a photograph. Such as, Vantage point, Contrast, lighting, space, intention, subject, focus. Although I think that knowing those things can heighten your ability to read a photograph, I don't think that they are essential in being a good describer. We all (for the most part) smell, see, feel, hear, and taste. Using your senses can go a along way.

The ATHENA Leadership Model

The ATHENA Leadership Model

Authentic Self:

Understanding who you are- your values, beliefs and thoughts. Honoring your uniqueness. Accepting personal responsibility for your actions.

Celebration & Joy:

Appreciating and acknowledging your accomplishments. Looking forward to your life with a sense of hope and purpose.

Collaboration:

Reaching out beyond what you can achieve on your own. Working in unison with others, while celebrating diverse points of view, ideas and actions.

Courageous Acts:

Standing up and standing firm in the face of fear. Taking risks to speak the truth or challenge the way things have always been done.

Fierce Advocacy:

Supporting and acting on your passion for people, causes or ideas. Creating an unstoppable force for the greater good.

Giving Back:


Serving the greater good. Committing to help your personal community of family, friends and peers as well as the global village at large.

Learning:

Challenging yourself to listen and be open to what is new and unfamiliar. Expanding and developing your knowledge, skills and experiences. Teaching others.

Relationships:

Connecting with and embracing others. Appreciating the gifts and talents of different people in your life.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Classy. Comfy. Cute.

Experiment. Push Yourself. No Regrets.

Movement

I see no reason for recording the obvious - Edward Weston

Earlier cameras were so technical that only few people sought out to learn the trade and then taught only those who were destined to be in the "business." Today, Cameras have been simplified so that even the "Joe Schmo" can take a professional looking picture. What turns Joe Schmo into a professional photographer? Is it switching off his automatic setting on his camera. Switching shutter speeds and apertures to make a more pleasing photograph. Can an everyday person be a "photographer." On the same note, what transforms a picture into a photograph. Is it the subject matter in which one chooses to shoot or is it the composition and ascetic of the photograph.

Typically when one starts out on there photographic adventure they choose subject matters that are already thought provoking leaving the viewer to look at the ascetic of the image later. Example: photographing the poor and the homeless as opposed to photographing flowers and boats. The first two subjects by themselves grab the viewers attention. Is it cheating photography to pick such a complex subject matter or is it smart? Personally I love to see it all. I don't think that photography is limited to any one area. So then what transforms a picture into a photograph? I feel it is when the photographer seeks to gain a reaction or provoke a thought from his image. I love pictures that make me think. Thinking about what the photographer was trying to capture or why they needed to capture it. Edward Weston, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, and Richard Avedon were all known to stretch the boundaries in photography in some way.

Edward Weston: "Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it may be."

Ralph Eugene Meatyard: "My work springs from the beauty of ideas rather than ideas of the beautiful."

Richard Avedon:"Photography has always reminded me of the second child.. trying to prove itself. The fact that it wasn’t really considered an art.. that it was considered a craft.. has trapped almost every serious photographer."

Stranger in Moscow

Amazing Video. Inspiration for my photography.

What in the Word...

In photos our eyes are naturally drawn to the lightest areas, leading lines, and words. However, words are the number one eye catcher in photography. Why? Well our brain automatically recognizes words and immediately tries to capture the message that the letters are forming. I was taught to try and leave words out of your pictures completely unless it directly correlates to the message you want to portray. Words are typically used the best in Urban/Street photography. They help convey the message and also can be the jumping off point for any photographer when snapping a picture.

See where your eye goes to first and imagine what they would picture would say without the words. Would it be the same? Does your idea of what the image means change?