Am I that far out of the loop? Where'd all these good photographers come from?

When I first moved back into Bakersfield four years ago I was disappointed with the local scene. Yes, there were the long-standing pillars of studio portrait photography and the experienced staff of The Californian were snapping away their weekly shots, but I never saw younger, talented, fresh-style photographers anywhere.

I walked into Borders today and noticed a small coffee table full of local material. The only place I frequent that carries Bakotopia is Daphne's and I haven't been there since the new issue came out so I picked one up. I also picked up the Southwest Voice, Mas, Bakersfield Life, Soul Bakersfield, and B.I.C. I was excited and disappointed to see some great photographers that I didn't even know where out there.

Jessica Moncrief, Greg Nichols, Holly Carlyle, Studio 13, Joseph Gomez, & Pilar just to name a few.

Excited because I'm not competitive. I don't look at good work and see it as a threat to my business because I don't have one. I love photography! When all the elements come together its beautiful. I devour the latest copies of jpg and Rangefinder, it just feels real good to see local talent shaking things up.

Disappointed because I feel I'm missing out. I often talk about my college days when all the photographers would be working tirelessly trying to improve our craft. Networking and feeding off each other. I don't have much time anymore. I guess its a good thing in some ways. Due to a number of reasons I've started to take alot out of my life that doesn't either improve me, or help me improve the lives of others. Its a good new focus. With my photography it means I've been able to do stuff I really want or use what I know in ways that will impact the lives of others.

/If you have a way in mind, let me know.

Beautiful day today in my I opinion. I LOVE overcast days. Portraits are good indoors if you're near a large window. Black & White shots can be fantastic. At my day job dealing with HVAC it means a slow day (which is good most of the time). Cool weather is generally associated with it. It just makes me feel good. Am I alone?

 A friend of mine who just moved to Bakersfield from Japan broght with him the game of "Go" and introduced me to it. I'll be shocked and thrilled if anyone here plays the game and would be up to getting together for a set or two.

Go is the oldest board game still played. It was invented in China around 2000B.C. and is similar to Othello. Its debatably better then chess. I'm trying to spare you the details but the rules are very simple but you quickly find that that makes the game very complex. Its been a blast in a very nerdy way. But then again, my wife and I are the kind of people who rail against box bookstores for not carrying Thomas Payne's, "Common Sense"

I saw something today that kicked off something in my head. Just for the record, even though I've been a photographer for several years, I've never been a full-time photographer and only completed two years of a photography major. I'm going to try to keep this short.

To The Bride & Groom:
Try to find the best photographer you can afford. By best I mean, you like their style and believe them to be reputable. The images you take away from a wedding are some of the most tangible items you remember. It is a great feeling to pull out pictures from a wedding that captures the feelings, emotions and excitement of that day. That outcome can be thwarted by a host of reasons: Photographer does little more then "smile & shoot" pictures, Photographer didn't get the shots you wanted, communication between you two, It takes forever (if ever) to get your photos, too high priced so you get little coverage or few prints, hands you a CD.

That last one may seem like a great idea. I've done that for a couple occasions. But you know what happens to that CD? Nothing. Most people don't get around to printing them, and when they do, it may not be all the prints and the quality may be crap. This setup may work well for some ambitious couples, but if you're wanting to low-ball the photography and just get some visual documentation of the event, assign someone a digital point & shoot or get that uncle with the fancy-pants camera to take pictures. If, however, you think at some point in your marriage you'd like to gaze upon a wall with a beautiful print of your wedding day, go for the best you can afford. Trust me. If quality is important to you, a trained, talented and professional wedding photographer is worth the money they are charging.

To The Photographers:
[This is directed mostly to the newer photographers] What sparked this blog is I saw a wedding photographer in the park. He was doing the family portraits and had no assistant. If he wasn't shooting the main shots, he was directing and setting up. Meanwhile beautiful moments were flashing all around him. Relatives laughing, family milling around and showing off their characters, but he didn't get a frame of that. Furthermore, he was shooting in the shade with on-camera flash firing straight on with no deflectors. (shudders).

In this market there are alot of people who are jumping in with nice new cameras, and saying to themselves, "My friends have always said I take good pictures. I have a nice camera. I must be a photographer!" But it takes a specific blend of talent, training and business know-how to be a successful photographer. To be a good wedding photographer takes an even more unique blend. Its stressful, there's pressure to perform and be creatively sharp. You have to want to do the best you can, every time. Your customers deserve that. This is their special day. There are no re-shoots. Don't half-ass it! That's one of my biggest peeves is when I go to a wedding and some hack is standing around waiting for something to happen. Luck favors the prepared. You've got to be ready for not only that day, but for all the little moments during it. That's one reason why I don't do weddings anymore. I believe if you're going to do something. Do it right, and do it to the best of your ability. I don't have the time and resources to continually provide great wedding photography services. And the kind of clients who appreciate quality deserve it. Just as you deserve to get paid for the hard work you are doing (unless its your first job or something).

 But I am a photographer. So if you're thinking of contributing some thoughts and text to Bakotopia, hit me up! I have fun with my youtube videos, but I've been wanting to get together with someone who's contributing and provide the use of my "eyes" to their article. 

I'll just hang out here... doing my thing.

/Whistles

 Community / Communication / Collaboration.

These are a few of my favorite things. Check out the video on Lucky's Pizza. I like what victor's doing there. He is creating an environment for the above mentioned "C's" to exist. Maybe I'm just an island but it seems I have a hard time finding places where like-minded people like to hang out and meet. Places where all are welcome and creative juices are encouraged to flow are much appreciated. Bakotopia is fine and dandy, but like some on line communities are starting to find, there is no healthy substitute for physical interaction.

larger view

 "Once upon a time there was a bear and a bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long the bee collected nectar from morning to night while the bear lay on his back basking in the long grass.

When Winter came the Bear realised he had nothing to eat and thought to himself 'I hope that busy little Bee will share some of his honey with me'. But the Bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease". 

-Banksy