100 - More Signal, Less Noise

I am 100 days into this 365 project. It's been an interesting and enlightening experience. Along the way, I've learned a number of technical things about lighting and exposure and composition. Just forcing a camera into my hands every day has sharpened my skills. I've also learned things about myself like, if under the gun, I can produce creatively. That's incredibly empowering!

And I've taken some pictures in this project that I'm really proud of.

But.  There's always a but.

The problem is I just don't have the free time required to come up with a shot of which I can be proud every single day. All too often, after the kids are in bed, I scramble to take a photo in the remaining hours of the day. As a result, I've developed some creative crutches that I've abused to get the shot out. Some of my pictures fall short in both concept and execution. I learn nothing from these and they turn this project into work of the tedious and unenjoyable kind. Most of all, I hate that they've diluted the quality of my online work - the stuff by which people form opinions about my photography. In my life - whether it's mowing lawns, making music, programming computers, marketing products, or taking pictures - I've never been happy working on something unless I feel like it's genuinely good. And too often in this 365 I've not been able to do that.

Worse, this project is competing for time with other projects that I desperately need to complete - like finishing off my guitar photos, building a new web site with e-commerce, or putting together my photography book from 2013.  I've learned a lot doing the 365, but I'm forced to admit that the cost/benefit of continuing is no longer in my favor.

Now, I hate quitting things. Always have, always will. I'm wired that way. But continuing to do something just for the sake of completion, at the expense of other opportunities that have a much higher pay-off is irrational and counter-productive. From an economist's perspective, the "sunk costs" (in my case, the time investment I've already made in the 365) are not relevant factors to consider in decisions regarding current options (whether or not to continue the 365 or invest the time in something else). This runs counter to what we're taught as children, and what we teach our children ("Winners never quit and quitters never win!"). But it is true that knowing why and when to quit, and acting upon it decisively, actually helps you be more successful by opening opportunities that could otherwise not be explored. (I struggle with that concept, but this podcast really helped.)

So, I sincerely thank you for paying attention to my little project and I apologize for ending this prematurely. But it's the right thing to do. I will of course be posting tons more photos at my regular site, but I will go back to my old way of just posting the pictures that I believe in and for which I don't have to feel apologetic.

More signal, less noise.

Love you guys, David

99 - Hamer Time

This weekend I shot my Hamer Special FM. The Special FM is no longer made, but it's basically a slab-cut Les Paul. It has the classic Les Paul formula of dual humbuckers, mahogany body and neck, and a maple top. It varies from the formula with a double-cutaway shape and a control configuration of two volumes, a master tone, and a 3-way toggle placed on the lower bout. US-made Hamers are great instruments with excellent woods, top-shelf parts, and superb fit and finish. The thick maple top on this one is PRS-pretty with an amber finish.  I bought this guitar 20 years ago and it's still in fine shape. It has a few surface scratches and the pickup covers have a fair amount of corrosion (one of the drawbacks of nickel-silver covers). I swapped out the original pickups for Duncan Seth Lovers, which are particularly authentic reproductions of '50s era Gibson PAF pickups. They're low in output and very warm sounding, with just enough bite to be articulate. All of which adds up to a vintage Les Paul sort of sound. I used this guitar for some of the rhythm tracks on my first CD and they ended up being the songs that had the best guitar sounds on the record. The only real criticism I have for the Special FM is that the short upper horn makes the guitar just a bit neck-heavy when balanced on a strap.

I've reached a crossroads with my guitar photo series. I have several photos left to post-process, but beyond that I'm trying to decide if I want to continue the series or not. I've learned a lot and of course there's always more to learn, but I think I could advance my cause more by moving on and finding some new challenges. On the other hand, the series has gone very well and has generated a fair bit of traffic to my web sites. Most likely, I will at least take a break from photographing guitars for awhile and maybe return to it in the future when my enthusiasm for it has recharged.

98 - Big Wheel

This truck (I think it's a Unimog, but I'm not sure) was sitting outside a barbeque restaurant in Brenham, Texas. I went over to get a picture of The Punisher logo on the driver's door, but then I noticed that the tire was as big as C and decided to get that photo as well. We stopped at the restaurant to eat while driving through the area looking at bluebonnets and other wildflowers, which are currently in season.

This photo is a pretty good example of shooting on an overcast day. This was taken when the sun would have right over head, which would cause very harsh shadows on a clear day. But on an overcast day, the clouds acts as a giant softbox so C's face has a nice even lighting and even the shadows under the truck are soft. Very nice light for portraits, as long as you don't let the sky itself dominate the shot.

97 - Lavender

96 - Bridge Orb

95 - Bad Egg

94 - Orchid Redux

I'd taken a picture of some of my wife's orchids before, but I wanted to do it again. First, they've bloomed a lot more since the first photo. But even more, I felt like there was a lot better photo to be had. I did both color and black and white versions of this photo. They both looked good in my opinion, and the color version had a lovely classic still life painting aesthetic to it. But I went with black and white because it made the simple composition even simpler.