PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIFE

I have been giving consideration to what I really want to do in the next five years in my life. Or ten years. Or twenty. Whatever. I have been considering what I truly enjoy doing. I really take pleasure in my job and think that I have the best employer I could ask for, and the ideal fit for me. In the future, that may no longer be true, but today, this is good for me. My real passion, aside from Heather, Jericho, and Gabriel is photography.

I have investigated the idea of taking photography classes, but haven’t made up my mind if there is something out there for me yet, something that can make the spark of inspiration grow ever more stimulating. I considered the New York Institute of Photography, but am not sure if it is reputable or not. NYIP has been in business for 99 years, so it has staying power, but what will it do for me as an aspiring photographer? I do not know yet, but it is a consideration. This is the site, if you want to see what I am seeing: http://www.nyip.com/

Another site I have investigated, though not a formal photography training organization, is the Nikon User Community. It is a forum for photographers who happen to think that Nikon cameras are great tools for the photographic vision. I am not a site member, but am mulling it over. The site is http://www.nikonians.org/ in case you are interested. There are sites out there just like it for Canon users, but the D300 has made me a true believer in the quality of Nikon cameras. Maybe someday, I will graduate to a D3, but if I do that, it will be funded by a reinvestment in a photography business or profitable hobby. We will see if it is in the cards.

I have been investigating another site called Part Time Photographer. The idea is that the forums on the site encourage aspiring photographers to develop their craft, while helping to see if the individual could become a paid shutterbug. The last post I read has hints about a ready-made business plan, not a full-blown document, but the guidelines that would allow a part-time photographer to see how feasible it will be to conduct their business for profit. I am not there yet, but some day, anything is possible. If you are curious or interested, the URL is here. http://www.ptphotographer.com/

I have a couple other URLs to share, but I will do that shortly. The one I have hinted about in the past is a photography site that I am developing. No one but Heather and a couple of her friends have even seen the site yet. I do promise that one of these days, I will publish the site. I am just trying to be sure that only my very best work is on display. I think that it drives Heather mad, but maybe not, that when I go to work at Lake Vermillion or Grand Portage, I may take 500-700 pictures in one day, and when I return, I sort through the pictures, and I decide that two or three are good enough for public consumption. To be honest, I hope that I have set my standards high enough, so that when I put my site online, it doesn’t disappoint. I am being off the wall with that comment, I admit, but it is not meant to be avant-garde or pretentious. I just want to put my best work out there and I don’t want to disappoint with what I hope is an engaging photographic vision. If you are interested, stay tuned and I will tell you more, as soon as the site is ready. I know, I said it would be ready months ago. When it is ready, you will be the first to know.

Looking back to when I got the D300, I had a post or two here about how the capabilities of that camera really energized my enthusiasm for photography. Each new day is like that, and it just keeps getting more exciting. I see photographic possibilities everywhere.

Photography is life.

Life, Death, and Accountability

Mom told me that a classmate of one of my nieces committed suicide yesterday. Barring severe psychosis, it really makes a person wonder what is wrong with people, both kids and adults, when taking one’s own life seems like a viable or effective solution. While nobody asked for my opinion, I am giving it anyway. Why does this happen? The average teenager knows right from wrong, but sees no consequence of bad behavior. Why? Society focuses too much on material achievement, and as a result, parents are not paying attention to what their kids are doing. Kids should hang out with their friends more often under the watchful eyes of the parents. You know, parents should encourage their kids to hang out at home with their friends, instead of hanging out in parts unknown and doing who knows what. Too often, when kids get into trouble, part of the blame lies with inattentive parents.

The one good thing about Heather working and me watching the boys a lot more evenings is that it gives me a chance to spend quality time with Gabriel and Jericho. Further, it forces me to pay attention. That is key to kids turning out okay. Kids need to know that their parents really care, even when parents are in disagreement with the kids. You know how it is. Teens think their parents are just being difficult, but when children reach adulthood, they understand that parents really do have moral and ethical experience from which to direct their children’s behavior, and have the best interests of their children in mind when they make demands that seemed annoying and overbearing. Later, it all makes sense. I say that as a former kid and a former teenager. I have been there.

May those kids rest in peace and hopefully, the friends they have left behind will find peace and a better way to cope. Parents need to pay attention! Families need to remember that they are the first line of defense in the safety and welfare for their children. When parents fail, when teenagers fail, a big part of the answer is accountability for personal actions, and parents keeping a close eye on their kids. Completely different and absolutely the same, like Ronald Reagan versus the big Russian bear: Trust but verify. Parenthood is no different; it is just a different scale of consequences!