Kansas Photography

I saw this photo and I made it, but the light isn’t good.

I’d always figured I’d go back when the light was better, but I kept putting it off. And today, I drove past this again to find all those little yellow flowers mowed!

I was able to make it into a slightly better photo than it was, but you’d think by now that I would’ve learned: Never put off making a photo!

You can see what I started off with here.

The way I see it, there are two paths to making money in photography.

The first path is that of the business-person.

The photographer following this path is usually the one that has all the latest and greatest gear; the most expensive, top-of-the-line stuff. This is the photographer who spends countless hours learning each and every latest photographic fad so that he can deliver a specific “look” at his clients’ whim. This photographer unfailingly delivers exactly what the client wants no matter what. His prime objective is to please the client.

This is the model of business that I followed from 1999 until 2008. There isn’t anything wrong with this model, if that’s what suits you. But it does not suit me, it burned me out. It took something that I loved, and turned it into something I loathed. I had to pull the plugs and reboot.

That’s when I discovered the second path, the path of the artist.

The photographer following this path does not necessarily have the latest and greatest gear, they simply use what they like. This photographer will use anything from ancient classics, to toy Holgas, to Leicas, to oatmeal cartons or shoeboxes with pinholes punched in them. This is the photographer that spends countless hours just out photographing, often with no apparent purpose. This photographer unfailing delivers what he wants. And his prime objective is to please himself.

The problem comes about when someone wants to follow the path of the artist and make money, that’s the hard part.

But — in this internet age — I don’t think it’s as hard as it once was. Gone are the days when you had to have physical stock to show to prospective buyers, and a physical store to show it in. You can show your work online at very little cost. The biggest problem now is making yourself stand out from the crowd, because there are a lot of artists out there and they all want to be seen.

One of the nit picky little things that I obsessed about while trying to decide my place in the photographic world was one question: “color or black and white?”

See, I love black and white photography. The problem is that I — at least at this point in life — do not make it.

Sure there is the odd photo that I make that simply cries out to be rendered in black and white. And I’m sure that I’ll post a few in the future. But for the most part I do not like my photographs in black and white.

This was another problem that wasn’t really a problem which resolved itself by simply looking at what I’ve been shooting. The two primary elements in most of my photos — those elements that I am drawn to — are geometry and color, in that order.

The one major exception to this is my journalistic work. Generally speaking, I would much rather be shooting events in b&w than color. Color is hard to shoot right. Not that monochrome isn’t, it just has a different set of problems. With color you’ve got to worry about different light sources with different color temperatures and you’ve got to worry about nearby objects reflecting onto your subject. Making “fine art” photos I can afford to wait for the light to be just what I want it. But during an event, I don’t normally have that luxury.

Another factor in my decision to shoot in color has to do with my decision to use digital. Digital is great for color. Being able to set the camera’s white balance to match the color of the light in your scene is fantastic. If I had continued shooting film, I would probably dedicate myself to black and white. But I really enjoy the colors these Pentax cameras produce! 

So I will continue to love looking at others’ good black and white work. And I will continue making the photography that I make. Perhaps at some point I may transition into working more in black and white. But for now I’ll keep working to record that living color.

Why fine art color photography of Kansas? Short answer, because I love it.

Now for the longer answer.

When I quit the newspaper biz last year I was burned out. I sold every piece of camera gear except for one old film body with a 50mm lens. I was convinced that I’d never touch a camera again.

But after a while I’d start grabbing the little point and shoot and go out and shoot some photos. Then I got the itch to have a little more control so I started grabbing the SLR. Then I bought another lens for the SLR. And before I knew it I was taking photographs again.

I told myself this was to be a hobby only. No making money from it. This was going to be something I could do purely for the pleasure of it. Well that didn’t last long. Professional photography has been a part of my life for so long it’s hard to imagine not using these hard-earned skills to earn at least a part of my income.

So then now I have to decide what kind of involvement will I have with making money from my photography? Will I go back into journalism in some manner? Will I shoot portraits? Weddings? I didn’t particularly like any of those ideas. In fact I’d get rather depressed thinking about the different possibilities.

And of course there were all the myriad little things to worry about. Do I shoot film or digital? Color or black and white? On and on and on, ad nauseam.

All this time that I was obsessing over what to do with my photography I was often just wandering about making photographs with no apparent purpose. And it was making me happy.

But I didn’t really clue into that. My photography had to have purpose and meaning! Not there’s anything wrong with photography of that sort, it’s just that it isn’t for me at this point in my life.

But the past week or two I’ve really been noticing what it is that I shoot. And what it is that enjoy the most while shooting. And I’ve also realized that the photographer’s whose work I enjoy seeing the most are the ones that simply (at least so it seems) wander about shooting whatever catches their eye.

And I realized that I really do need to pursue this art primarily for my own sake. So I set up this blog in order to help keep me focused in my new direction. Photographs seen here are available for licensing or as fine art prints. But I’m not going to obsess over it anymore. If folks contact me so be it, if not that’s fine as well. I’m fortunate enough to have a job that pays the bills and allows me plenty of time to shoot.

So I hope you enjoy the photographs you will see here. And I hope you will put up with the occasional rant that I might write as well.

Do you remember your first camera?

Mine was a Fisher-Price 110 kiddie camera that I got for Christmas when I was 5 or 6. Like this one.

It was a real heavy-duty, rubber-armored piece of work. I had that camera for years and years.

I remember at one point when I was 7-8ish I took a piece of white poster board and colored all over it with markers and that was my “backdrop” and I went around offering to make people’s portraits. I don’t think anyone took me up on the offer.

Even when I was a teenager I still toted that thing around all over the place. Shot photographs of my Boy Scout trips, and my church’s youth group activities and trips.

I remember at an amusement park in Denver, I sat in the very first seat of the roller-coaster so that I could get a photograph as we went over the edge of that first big hill. I don’t think the photo turned out quite the way I thought it would.

Even way back then I can see the beginnings of the passion that I have now for photography.

I’m not sure whatever happened to that old camera. Maybe I’ll have to try and pick one up on eBay or something.

What was your first camera?