Star-Struck

I’ve been a little disappointed with the photography world lately. It seems to have become as star-struck, as any other business out there. The focus has been more on the “star photographers” and the “marketing geniuses” than on photography itself.

I’ve heard people say they are going to a photography workshop to meet their idol, and learning does not seem to be the objective at all. It makes me wonder if we are wasting our money and effort on the wrong things.

I am fascinated by fashion photography. But, I’ve noticed that, aside from the technical side of it, if I focus too much on the super models and start comparing myself to them, I can’t help but feel the immense distance between us. Somehow, comparing myself to them does not inspire me to work out more or wear more make up. It makes me feel inferior, period!

There has to be a balance in everything in life. If comparing myself to super models is making me feel bad, then I have to learn to distance myself from it. I have to learn to look at it with the right attitude. I understand it is an unreal photoshopped world that can makes us dream and it should be admired for what it is. I can draw inspiration from that!

I think it is the same with photography. I have taken a break from spending so much time following these so called “celebrity photographers”. There is a difference between learning from role models and spending all your time living through somebody else’s life. In the end, these photographers are just humans, like any of us. There’s no point in holding them to a standard they cannot keep. It makes no sense to try to follow the same path they have followed and trying to arrive where they have arrived. We have to make up our own definition of success and accomplishment.

I’m on a mission to regain my inspiration and love for photography. I’m trying to devise a plan right now. It’s not clear in my head yet but I have a feeling it will not include spending more time online, it will include spending more time in the real world with real people.

Advance Amateur

I’ve been trying to choose a new camera for over a year and finally did it yesterday. I got a Nikon D90 and I’m anxiously waiting for it to arrive in the mail so I can play with it.   For a long time, I went back and forth between the D300s and the D700 and couldn’t quite make a decision. I was considering the need/cost/benefit ratio. Undoubtebly the D700 was the best choice but I couldn’t quite justify the high investment since I haven’t been spending a lot of time with professional photography lately.

I currently own a D100 and it has been faithful for over 5 years. It’s still doing great but it lacks the high ISOs from the newer cameras. I envied all my fellow photographers that could photograph indoors without a flash while I struggled with the sharpness of anything taken at any speed below 1/160 and ISO 400!   I read a lot of reviews online and didn’t see the benefit of getting a D300s for myself at this moment in my life. I’m not saying it’s not a great camera, I’m just saying that I didn’t really need it. In a controlled environment with studio lights, my D100 does a great job. I am basically just looking for a camera to carry around on my travels and the D90 seems just as good regarding the quality of low light photos and it is a lot cheaper than the D300.

I have to admit that I hesitated for too long to include the D90 on my list of options because Nikon target it at “advanced amateurs“. I didn’t want to be called an amateur so I was basically just being a snob about it. Some friends of mine use it and love it so I finally got over it. B&H had it on sale this week so my decision was timely. As a side note, you can only see the special pricing once you add the camera to your shopping cart.

Like I said, I can’t wait to play with my new toy once it arrives in the mail. I will post updates on how I like once I’ve had a chance to use it.

Online catfights

Welcome Spring!

I’ve been thinking about the subject of offense as it relates to the online world. I’ve spent a lot of time reading photography blogs the last couple of years and it always amazes me when an argument breaks out in the comments section. Most of the time the argument is unfounded or it is based on one person misinterpretation of what was said.

 I’ve noticed it only takes one person to light a fire. People will start to take sides, they will feel the need to defend a person or an idea. Somebody will start to take things personally and  bring the level down with name calling and accusations.

 Not too long ago, a known National Geographic photographer posted an announcement for an unpaid internship on his website. Normally this would be a great opportunity for many aspiring photographers but somehow the announcement created an uproar among photography blogs. People were outraged by this idea as if it was a completely new concept. They used the word “slavery” a lot to describe unpaid internships. I would think that if you took the time to apply for an unpaid internship, you would know what it entailed. If you’re not up for the challenge, just don’t apply. These internships are highly competitive anyway and there will be plenty of other people wanting the spot.

 Now, this is not a post about internships or any ideas in particular. It is a post about “offense” and how most of the time it can be counterproductive. If the blog has a good moderator and people can keep things civil, discussions can be great for growing and learning. But if the offended person decides to react too quickly and attack, things can get ugly.

 So next time you read something that doesn’t sound right to you. Stop for a minute, think about why you feel that way. Give the writer the benefit of the doubt and try to understand where they are coming from. And if, in the end, you still feel like you should say something, think about how you can start a constructive dialogue and for crying out loud, refrain from personal attacks.

Money Talk

I’ve had a lot of questions about how I can afford to travel so much. In 2009 the time I spent with personal travel almost equaled the time I spent working. Basically I worked hard but I played even harder.

The truth is that I don’t make a lot of money but I have learned to stretch it out as much as possible. Here are a few tips that I’ve learned during the last few years:

- Don’t spend more than what you make. Don’t use credit cards unless you can pay them off every month.

- Keep your bills as low as possible. If you don’t absolutely need it, cancel it.

- Get used to a low monthly budget. If you make more than what you need, put it away in a savings account and pretend you don’t have it. You can withdraw it slowly later when you don’t have any income coming in.

- Always keep a little saved up for emergencies. They will happen and if you’re prepared, it will be easier.

- Look for ways to accumulate miles, hotel points, etc.

- Spend time researching the best deals and reading reviews online.

- Stay with friends and family when you travel.  You get to spend time with people you love and save money with hotels.

- Don’t spend all you have saved up. Get back to work before you completely run out of money!

That’s how I’ve done it. I’m not an expert by any means and I don’t intend on living this nomad lifestyle for the rest of my life, but that’s my two cents about all my traveling for the past few years.

It’s actually pretty simple if you remember the number one rule: DON’T SPEND WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE. Financial debt can be your worst nightmare, it will rob your peace and your freedom. Avoiding it in the beginning is your best option. If you’re already in debt, have patience, pay it off and travel later. Don’t get into more debt to travel, it will be worth the wait.

Hopeful 2010

I have migrated from Blogger to WordPress! I was able to import all previous post and so far I’m liking WordPress a lot better.

I finally stopped procrastinating and made a new simple, clean and more focused website to show my portfolio. I want to add a lot more beauty and fashion shots because that’s the type of photography I enjoy the most.

After a few months in my hometown in Brazil, I’m going back home to TX this week. I’m hoping to welcome spring soon. I’ve been spoiled with warm weather here and I’m not a big fan of winter.

I’m a little late on this post but here’s wishing everybody a happy and hopeful 2010.

Olá!

Posting a brief hello while hanging out with my family in Brazil. It’s been raining for three days straight but the sun is finally trying to make an appearance today.

I haven’t been doing many family portraits anymore but I had fun taking the photo above for some good friends in Dallas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I love the fact that this holiday is not about buying stuff! It’s about spending time with loved ones, giving thanks and eating.

Of course, as soon as that’s over, the craziness starts. My friends are already talking about what they will buy on black Friday and all the Christmas shopping that needs to be done. Here’s a link to a great video that encourages us to “Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and most importantly, Buy Less! Let’s think of creative ways to give without destroying our planet. I personally think it’s a great idea to just give more of yourself, why not spend more time with loved ones?

I know this is not a Thanksgiving photo but I just thought I’d post it anyway. It’s from a recent photo shoot with Hip Hop artist C.S. Rucker.

Compartmentalizing Life

There’s a tendency in the Western world to compartmentalize everything. Somehow we have this belief that it is possible to separate our professional, spiritual and personal life. I find myself in conflict over this very thing over and over again.

A recent online discussion about social networks brought this subject to mind once again. It made me ask myself: What is my purpose in joining social networks? Do I just want to connect with friends and family scattered around the globe or do I want to promote my photography? Is it possible to do both? How much is too much personal information to display online?

To add to the conflict, there was a report done on the terms of service of these social networking sites. A lot of these sites have really confusing terms of service regarding copyright and you have to be careful about posting your work there.

I remember many years ago (before Facebook) when I decided to cancel my “Myspace” account. My friend list was growing and it became harder and harder to keep things in their “compartments”. Strangers were asking to be my “friend”. If I said no to them, I was wasting the opportunity to promote my business and connect with people of like mind. If I accepted their request, then I would have to create a somewhat impersonal online profile in order not to feel exposed. I just chose not to deal with it at the time and cancelled the account.

Networking sites can be incredibly addicting and before you know it, you are wasting an absurd amount of time posting useless information about what you ate that day. I know a lot of photographers that use facebook (FB) and twitter solely for photography related news. I admire them and I appreciate reading their updates but I don’t connect with them as much. They either live and breathe photography or they are really good at keeping their personal lives private. I also know photographers that share personal information and seem to be okay with it. I have never met Zack Arias or had any personal contact with him but I know he recently had a beautiful baby. I know this because I read his blog and I’m a fan of his work on FB.

I have failed miserably at this compartmentalizing business. I tried to do it and this blog has just been neglected and boring. Everything in my life is overlapping each other at the moment and I think that’s how it will always be with me. I don’t know how to keep my faith separate from my photography. I don’t know how to not talk about what I ate if I’m really passionate about it. I might start to share a little more of my thoughts and feelings on this blog and that’s just how it is.

I don’t really have the answers but I’m not canceling my FB or Flickr just yet.

The long way home

Spain and Portugal were a pretty cool experience. It was a little rushed in each place but my sister, mom and I were able to enjoy it nonetheless. It was so interesting to see where a lot of the Portuguese culture and construction techniques influenced Brazil.

My body decided it had enough and needed some rest when I first got to Madrid. So after a few days of a weird stomach bug that forced me to slow down, I was myself again. Maybe it was hummus withdrawal, I don’t know…

I’m finally settling in to the US central time zone again. A few days ago I got the chance to photograph four amazing graffiti artists in an all night event in Dallas. I was only able to do it because I was still in the European time zone. For the first time ever, I was thankful for jet lag. I’m editing some of the photos and might post them later. It was a collaboration with Key City and Stainless Studios and I had a blast.

I was kindly reminded by my brother that I need to go visit my nieces in Brazil so one more big trip for the year coming up and I’m ready for 2010! When did I decide to become this nomad???

Band promo shots

I’m looking for bands and artists in the Dallas/Fortworth area to photograph the first two weeks of November. I’m working on a new portfolio and would love to colaborate with musicians or actors that need promo shots. Please email me at rosanewalker@gmail.com if you are interested.