Skill

Something Different

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In my last post, I briefly mentioned that I had the opportunity last year to go to my first vintage car show. Now I must admit that I had never considered shooting cars before this even after a few invites from my very talented friend Byron Morris aka Vizionz '93 (@vizionz93photography on Instagram) . But ever the explorer, I decided to grab my camera and give it a quick try on a Sunday afternoon outing with friends. Even with a long time between the shoot and editing, I must admit that I was pleased with the results. See how they came out in the gallery below.

Regarding the editing process, I used Photoshop Elements 11 for such things as exposure and colour correction. Some images required a more technical approach. For these images, there was replacement of the sky and background and some cloning and spot correction. I don't consider myself to be a photoshop/editing expert but I was glad for the chance to exercise this creative muscle. I'd love to have a bit more gear to experiment with, next time around.

Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention and this quick shoot was a great learning experience for me. At any car show, expect to see a lot of people milling around and sometimes drifting in and out of your shot. I've discovered that if you're shooting at a car show, you either need patience, some good editing skills or both! And people can add to your shot, depending on what kind of story you want to tell. A car show isn't necessarily just about the cars unless your focus is strictly advertising work. Whatever the direction you decide to go in, be sure to try stepping out of your comfort zone. Take the opportunity to practice those skills which you may be weak in or consider to be intimidating. 

Camera and equipment details:
Camera: Nikon D7200
Lenses:  Nikon 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom, Nikon 55-300mm VR DX AF-S
Lighting: Natural Light

Be sure to check out Byron's work on his website. I can only endeavor to be this good one day.

 (https://www.vizionz93photography.com/automotive/).

New Start

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I've had a hard time in 2017, as I'm sure that quite a few other people may have also experienced. I've felt like I was struggling with personal direction, loss of a relative and general creative blocks. Sometimes I will admit it was quite overwhelming. But I suppose that we've all been there at one point or another. 

Still it helps to be optimistic for the remainder of 2018. Although the year has started, the remaining months are a blank slate. So why not start over with the positive things that happened in the past year. No matter how small they may be. Maybe you met a new friend. Maybe you got a promotion. Maybe you completed a course or tried a recipe that turned out to be a hit. Maybe you fell in love or out of love, and not necessarily with a person.  Anything positive is source of strength. Amidst my tumultuous times in 2017, I realised that I still have quite a few things to be thankful for, including the following:

  1. I attended my first protest for a social cause which I consider to be highly important. See the Life In Leggings Women's Solidarity March post for photos. 
  2. I attended my first dog show. And it's no secret how much I love dogs! Please see my post Must Love Dogs: Barbados Kennel Club 2017 Dog Show. 
  3. I attended my first vintage car show. A small trip out with a friend turned out to be a fun Sunday afternoon. I am certainly no car enthusiast and I had never photographed cars before. But I embraced something new. I'm inclined to try it again this year, given the chance. 
  4. I was contacted by a regional magazine and sold some work. Published! Small steps and small victories can add up. Check out the teaser pages from Caribbean Insight magazine: https://view.joomag.com/the-caribbean-insight-issue-2/0536250001504020549
  5. I completed an introductory 7 week course in video production. I'm rather happy about the new knowledge and skills.
  6. Been working on my website here and there. This may not seem like a positive but I am really enjoying the creative process of making content. While I didn't have a great volume of content, I am proud of what I managed to accomplish. 

There's a lesson here that I learned from 2017. There's good in everything, even "failure". And to the creative types, never see a slow period as a negative. They are sometimes necessary to reset and focus the mind. I hope that this helps anyone who may be struggling creatively today. 

Until next time...