Old Friends
So here is the result of all that scanning that was done by the Scan Cafe- I found many of my old friends! Images that I hadn’t seen in many years that used to be my favorites and that had been hidden in the dark alleys of past technologies were suddenly in my computer, up on my screen and slapping me in my face saying “Remember me!!” It’s interesting looking at the pictures I took 10 to 20 years ago. I was pretty good back then! Not as good as I am now but not horrendous either. The difference in my photography is small but important; I am much more aware of subtle aspects of composition and subject choice now then I was then. Almost all of the old images have some minor flaw that I now would’ve corrected before I pushed the shutter but that I wasn’t aware of then. This is to be expected. The process of mastery in any pursuit is the process of increased awareness to ever smaller details. And besides, you want to look back and realize that you are better now then you were then. This means that you are still learning, still improving, still climbing the curve. If you look back and realize that back then you were better than you are now then you have already crested the hill and you are rolling downhill, regressing to less mastery. Not a good thing. Looking back on these old friends also made me realize all the places I used to go and loved but that I haven’t been to in a very long time. Texas wildflowers, Oregon Cascade old-growth forests, polar bears, Denali, etc, etc are all spectacular places that I haven’t photographed in more than a decade. It’s time to go back and say hi to old haunts. So those of you with piles of slides stuffed away in dark corners take the time to root through them and see what is there. I bet you will find some old friends of yours and find some old desires to go back to those places and photographing them again. Besides, it’s January, what else are you doing on a cold winter’s day? [nggallery id=18]
Workshop Schedule
David Middleton’s 2012 Photography Workshop Schedule Available Light Travel Photography March 28th – April 1st Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe Workshops: www.santafeworkshops.com/photography-workshops This is a practical workshop on how to take beautiful travel photographs without all the annoyance of strobes and cords and battery packs. Based on the techniques I have used during my last three books I will share the tips and procedures that allow you to concentrate on taking great pictures. Daily critiques and shooting sessions in and around Santa Fe are included. Remember, it is not the gear you use but the techniques you use! Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park May 8th – 13th Tofino, British Columbia For complete information contact Brenda Berry- [email protected] One of my all time favorite workshops because of the stunning variety of habitats and subjects, Tofino is a nature photographer’s paradise. Located on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island this workshop will explore ancient cedar groves, magnificent tide pools, beaches miles long, fascinating working harbors and rocky coastlines. We will also spend a morning photographing the low tide shorelines of the back bays in search of the area’s wonderfully cooperative black bears. Taught with my great friend and fellow pro, Brenda Berry. Thinking and Shooting Like a Pro June 17th – 23rd Manchester Center, Vermont For complete information contact Scott Rouse- [email protected] This unique workshop, taught with my friend and digital guru Scott Rouse, is the best way I know to amp up your photography. Over the week Scott and I cover all aspects of pro-level photography from capture to processing to presentation. We also emphasize the benefits and joys of adding purpose to your photography by way of a photography project. For further information see my blog and contact Scott for a more detailed description. The Oregon Coast July 18th – 22nd Newport, Oregon Santa Fe Workshops: www.santafeworkshops.com/photography-workshops Now really, can you think of a better place to be in July than the Oregon Coast? Crashing waves, working harbors, long beaches, beautiful lighthouses and bizarre sea creatures and colorful tide pools all close by and all easy to get to. Plus great sunsets and a fun seaside community. Taught with my great friend and fellow pro, Brenda Berry. Fall in Vermont October 10th – 14th Manchester Center, Vermont Santa Fe Workshops: www.santafeworkshops.com/photography-workshops I call this my backyard workshop because, well, it is done in my (greater) backyard. Taught with my great friends and fellow pros Jeff Wendorff and Lisa Cueman, I take the class to all my favorite locations- tumbling mountain streams, misty ponds, colorful meadows and old barns. We also go to the wonderful old dairy farm that I did an entire book on to photograph the old-time Vermont of generations past. As a special treat we will also photograph two magnificent horses- running against a background of colorful trees and portraits of them with a dramatic black background. Fall on the Maine Coast October 17th – 21st Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park Santa Fe Workshops: www.santafeworkshops.com/photography-workshops I have been going to Acadia National Park and the headlands of Down East for more than 20 years and every time I go there I find more things to photograph. Now after doing three books on the coast of Maine I appreciate the area even more. From the beautiful working harbors to the hidden ponds surrounded with color to the birch forests thick with ferns there are endless subjects to photograph. Don’t go with a group to all the standard places that everyone else has images of, come with us and get unique shots of a unique and beautiful part of our country. Taught with my great friend and fellow pro, Brenda Berry.
Scanning Images
I wanted to report on my experience of sending slides off to a remote company to have them scanned. I have 100,000 slides in my office and since I haven’t used them or even looked at them in several years I decided it was time to either get rid of them all (more on that later) or at least scan the ones I might use later. So I went through a few filing drawers and picked 726 images and sent them to the Scan Cafe. I chose the highest resolution in TIFF format. It took about 8 weeks (I was in no hurry) and cost about 60 cents/slide total. The result? I am very happy. First I would never have taken the time to scan 726 images myself so to have these images now at my fingertips is wonderful. The images were cleaned and well scanned. With the Scan Cafe you get to preview and approve the scans before you pay for them. I approved them all and was not disappointed. Overall they are maybe a third to half a stop dark and some are flipped horizontally but otherwise they are, with 30 seconds of additional processing on part, ready to go. They came back on CDs so they are easy to download into my computer. As soon as I get back to my office I am going to root around for another 7 or 8 hundred and send them off again. What am I going to do with the rest of the thousands of my slides still in filing drawers? Well, the only thing I can think of is to eventually make a big pile in the driveway and set them ablaze. Nobody wants them and they are taking up space so up in flames they go! I’m not quite there yet but I’m close. If anybody want a few thousands slides I’ll post when the pyre is to be lit. But be careful, some of my really old ones probably deserve to be torched!