Jim Nix 11/12/23 Jim Nix 11/12/23

What Makes a Photo Good?

In this post, I delve into the elusive answer to that common question: is this photo any good?

Is this photo any good?

I’ve been taking and sharing photos online for about 15 years. I’ve written about photography on this blog for well over 10 years. I have created over 1000 tutorial videos on Youtube, talking about how to craft an image to make it look good.

But what actually makes an image good?

It’s a question I get fairly often. Someone will send me an email (or leave a comment on some social media site) asking me to take a look at their photo, give them feedback, and tell them if the photo is good. I don’t mind the requests, and frankly I am honored that someone would ask for my input, but I never feel like my response is what they expect.

I assume they are hoping for some confirmation that their shot is in fact good, or for constructive feedback about some technical or artistic “thing” that would improve it. But that is not what I respond with.

Let me explain why.

Photography is an enjoyable pursuit for all of us (or at least I hope it is). It’s something we do to get creative, or to freeze moments in time, document life, or possibly even to make a living. I’m sure we all have our reasons for pursuing this craft. It’s an artistic pursuit overall, but of course there are some “rules” about how to take and edit a photo, to ensure that it is a good one.

Here are a few “rules” that I can think of off the top of my head (and yes there are plenty more):

Composition is king - consider the Rule of Thirds, etc
Lighting is (quite obviously) key as well
Make sure the subject is obvious: avoid excessive clutter and distractions
Get your camera settings right
Does the photo tell a story in some way?
Don’t over-process the image: too much color or detail looks cartoonish

So does a good photo have to adhere to every rule? Can’t you break the rules? Hey this is art, why are there rules to begin with? Isn’t this all about self-expression?

Here’s what I think: if you like the photo, then it’s a good photo. It doesn’t matter if it follows the rules. It’s really that simple to me.

I have taken plenty of photos that do not adhere to these rules, and yet there is something about them that I really like. Maybe it reconnects my mind to a great moment somewhere. Maybe it reminds me of someone I hold dear. Maybe it’s as simple as reminding me how much I love a particular place. Or quite possibly, I just like the photo “because”. It doesn’t really matter why though - I just like it, and that is enough for me.

My tastes may vary wildly from yours, which is ok. I’ve had plenty of people leave comments about my photos, indicating what they would do different with the image, which would make it better (in their opinion). But it’s not their photo - it’s my photo.

If I like it the way it is, then it’s a good photo to me. I don’t care if a stranger likes it or not. Do you really care? Deep down, does it really matter?

If you like it, doesn’t that make it a good photo? No one else can possibly understand the meaning that you may have attached to the image, or know the depth of feeling that being in that place at that moment meant to you. It’s too personal for anyone else to grasp from just looking at a photo.

And yes, I get that we all have egos and want to hear that we are good at this craft. It makes us all feel better when we get positive reinforcement. But whether someone likes it or not does not change how I feel about it. If I like it, I like it.

So that is what I always tell people when they ask me if their photo is any good. I ask if they like it, and if they respond yes, then I tell them it is a good photo. What difference does it make whether it appeals to my tastes or not? Who am I to judge? I have no idea what that photo means to you. I wasn’t there when you took it, and I can’t possibly fathom what sort of feelings or emotions or memories that image may bring up in you. And I certainly don’t know your “because”. It’s not mine, so I am not emotionally invested in it.

Asking if a photo is good is so subjective that I don’t think it matters. If you like it, it’s a good photo. Don’t you think? Shouldn’t we please ourselves first? This is art, and more specifically, this is YOUR art, so do what you like. And if you like it, it’s good.

What about that photo above? It’s garbage, right?

That photo above is behind some store in south Austin, if I remember correctly. There is nothing technically good about it - nothing. There is not a beautiful composition at play here. It’s way over-processed. It’s a cluttered and distracting scene. I shot it with an old iPhone 6 back in 2014, so there were no camera setting adjustments made - I aimed and touched the screen as I walked by. There’s no story here other than it’s a dirty, grungy, back alley.

And you know what? I still love this photo, despite all that. It has no real meaning to me, but I like it “because”. It was a snap, as opposed to a planned, well-thought out and professionally executed photograph. But it resonated with a lot of people. When I posted it on Flickr years ago, it hit Explore and has been viewed almost 25,000 times now. And why? I have no idea, truthfully. But something about it caught my attention, and apparently caught the attention of others. In other words, it was “liked” by quite a few. Is it good? Who knows. I don’t really care. But I like it, so I guess that makes it a good photograph.

NOTE:

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with asking someone for feedback and input about your images. We have all done it. You may get some insights about techniques you could wield on an image that would help you produce a higher percentage of keepers in the future. You may learn something about editing that changes your approach a bit, or even impacts your style. You may learn a key compositional tip that pays dividends forever. That’s all useful. But that is very different than asking for a subjective judgement on your image. I feel each image we take is personal to us in some way, and thus appeals to our unique tastes in some way as well. No one else will get it the way we get it.

Also, this does not apply to client work. Obviously we need the client to like what we are hired to create for them. 😀

Jim Nix 1/14/20 Jim Nix 1/14/20

Goodbye NomadicPursuits.com - hello JimNix.com!

I have changed my blog name after 10 years. Here are some mad ramblings about why, along with a look back over the years and what got me to this point.

What’s In A Name?

I started this blog about 10 years ago, give or take. I had just recently started photography, and “everyone was doing it”, so I started a blog as well. I had no idea what I was doing, only that I was starting to love photography and wanted to have a blog. It was what I was “supposed” to do. And truthfully, I have really enjoyed having a blog. It’s been awesome. And as I said in my previous post here, I am going to keep it, even though it is no longer something that I will post to every day/week. Additionally I am changing the look, feel and content around here to some degree. It’s a work in process, that is for sure.

Venice, Italy at sunset - wandering somewhere in a back canal

When I was formulating my idea for this blog all those years ago, I wanted to name it something that implied travel, but wasn’t specific to photography. You see, at the time I thought the blog would be about travel, photography and several other topics that I am/was interested in (books, maps, personal finance, inspirational quotes, working out, writing, poetry and more). I thought it would become sort of a digital representation of my interests, and I was excited to work on it and try and grow it.

In some ways, I envisioned it being what is now called a “lifestyle blog”, although I don’t believe such a thing was a thing back then. Maybe it was, I have no idea. But at the time, I could not predict the extent to which I was going to love photography, and dive into it head first. It was a new subject to me then, and I had very little experience with cameras, photography, editing and the like. It was like learning a new language. (And I am still learning.)

Of course naming a blog is hard, and although I settled on Nomadic Pursuits, I never really loved the name and obviously it does not just roll off the tongue. I always felt like I had to spell it out for people, and clarify what it meant, and all that sort of stuff. And although I was Jim Nix on all the social media sites, I didn’t think to just name my blog after me, because other than some friends and family, no one knew who I was.

And back then, I don’t remember people using their name for their blog or website name. I am sure some did, but I don’t recall that other than photographers using their first name and last name with “photography” or “photo” at the end. And as I said above, I never even considered that because I thought the site would be about more than photography.

In retrospect I realize I was trying to create a brand, even though I didn't realize that at the time. I guess “brand” is the right word. I’m not really sure, but it was some “entity” that I was crafting, to the extent I was capable of such a thing. It wasn’t about me, per se, but about my interests, and sharing them with anyone who showed up (though admittedly, not many people did).

When I started this blog I was fresh off meeting Trey Ratcliff here in Austin and learning about his blog (I met him through work). I saw his photos, and read his blog, and literally decided on the spot that this was what I wanted to do with my life. That’s how I got started.

The thing was, I basically just followed his lead and started trying to post a photo here every day. It was tough, and frankly a lot of the photos were crap. I had no background in photography, and of course no background in photo editing, so I was mostly just using iPhoto to drag the saturation to the right. Real smart, Jim. :-) Oh, and I knew nothing about trying to build an online presence via social media, SEO, blogging, etc. (And frankly, I still don’t know a lot about that stuff, I’m just sort of hacking my way as I go.) And even worse, I really had no idea what I WANTED to do. I had no plan, other than to just put out photos. So this sort of became a photography blog, because I found myself spending more and more time just on photography, and not the other interests that I initially envisioned including here on the site.

Just before sunrise in Prague - a stunningly beautiful city.

But as time passed I learned more about post-processing and got more comfortable with a few editing programs, and my photos improved. I kept trying to post nearly every day. But over time I realized I didn’t HAVE to post every day. I was just doing it that way because that is what Trey did, and many others as well, so it seemed like the thing to do. I was just following everyone else’s lead. It never occurred to me that having a blog means you can basically do whatever it is you want to do. There are no rules. And by the way, I wasn’t exactly getting a lot of traffic, so it’s not like people were waiting around for me to post a new photo. But regardless, I made it my mission and I did a fairly consistent job of adding things here.

And of course photography became more and more important to me as I learned more about it, and got deeper into the subject. I just sort of “fell in love” with the whole creative process around it.

One thing I started doing somewhat early was adding a lot of content to the blog that I thought people might be searching for. A lot of this was based on questions I would get. One question I got from time to time was about the best places in Austin for taking photos. So I made a list and populated it with my photos. This was just something that was done primarily so I didn’t have to write it each time I got an email about it, but over time it has become the most viewed page on my blog. I even wrote an ebook about it.

The Loop 360 Bridge here in Austin - an iconic symbol of the city and a great place for a sunset shoot!

I also got questions about tips, tricks and things you can do with various software products, because as I posted photos I sometimes would mention what I did to the photo. This led me to writing up reviews of these software products, which also became some of the more popular pages here on the blog (at least at the time). They are no longer popular though because they were all older products that have long since been upgraded/changed. And (perhaps obviously) I do all my product review/instruction on YouTube nowadays. That’s just a much better way to do it. So I quit writing software tutorials and reviews here, mostly because I know that I will never go back and rewrite it when a new version comes out, or the current version gets updates, or whatever. And in fact, I have deleted nearly all of them from this site.

And of course I had some positions in the corporate world that sent me to various places around the globe for work (I work in the technology business still to this day, and still enjoy it, and we travel a lot as a family on our holidays). This allowed me to take photos in whatever free time I had while traveling, which led me to creating more lists of the best places to take photos in X (insert city name here). If I went somewhere and learned enough about it, had enough photos, and saw enough to make a list - then I made a list. I now have 20+ of these lists on the blog. Some get a lot of views each month, some not so much. But they are there to help people just in case. And of course I captured a LOT of photos, making mistakes along the way and learning and growing my craft.

But all this time the name of this site just didn’t feel right. Sure, I got some views and still get decent traffic. But a few years ago I decided to purchase jimnix.com because I wanted to own my own name as a domain, just in case. I didn’t really have any plans for it, other than to make sure another Jim Nix out there in the world didn’t have it.

An evening shot from London, dragging the shutter to capture a passing bus.

So at first I had that domain point to my Facebook business page for the blog, but a couple of years ago I deleted that page. It was a waste of time and effort to maintain it. Then I had that domain point to my personal Facebook page, and then I had it point to my portfolio site on SmugMug. Eventually, a year or so ago, I decided to make it a secondary domain here, meaning that it would bring anyone who typed it in to this blog. I didn’t really advertise the name, but since it was my name I figured it may as well point to my blog.

And now here I sit, having decided to make jimnix.com the main domain for my blog, and to reduce NomadicPursuits.com to the secondary position. I think it just makes sense. Nomadic Pursuits is harder to spell and harder to remember, and there is absolutely nothing about it that really tells you who or what it is about. Of course, if you have never heard my name then using jimnix.com doesn’t tell you what this is about either, but it does tell you WHO it is about. And this blog is about me - any personal blog should be. And while I am nowhere near being a well-known name, there is some awareness of me in the broader photographic community and it just makes sense to convert the name of the blog to my name. It’s cleaner, simpler, and much easier to remember, methinks. Plus a lot of search traffic that ends up on my blog comes from those searching out my name.

So the other day I did the swap from NomadicPursuits.com to JimNix.com as the primary domain. Going forward, I am only going to use the JimNix.com domain and although I will keep the other one alive, I do not plan to mention it anywhere. So now I am trying to go through all my social media sites and update my blog listing to jimnix.com and thus far I think I got them all. :-)

I want to be clear about one thing - this is not about ego to me. I am using my name for my blog because this is my site, and this is about my photography. I am just making it simple. I’m not really actively trying to drive a lot of traffic to this blog. What I am doing is simplifying the discovery process for those who want to follow my work, my photography, or my mad ramblings here on the blog.

During this process, I have also removed a lot of old content from the blog. I completely deleted all of my old software tutorials and reviews that were here. As I mentioned previously, these were all done a long time ago and the products have all long since been upgraded and changed. Going back in to rewrite a full tutorial is a MAJOR time commitment, and frankly I am just too lazy. Plus, they do not get nearly as many views as they would on YouTube. Plus YouTube is just much easier for me. I can make a tutorial or review and get it published all in the same day whereas writing out a long-form article about a product and including a bunch of screenshots can take several days. It’s a LOT of work, trust me.

And personally, I am a visual learner when it comes to this stuff, so making a video seems better to me anyways, and I suspect a lot of people would just much rather see it than read about it.

So that is it my friends. This was a long article, and I am sorry about that, but I do enjoy writing more than I remember, and it is sort of fun to put my thoughts on paper (or on the web, in this case).

I have more work to do around here in terms of simplification but I have been deleting old content at a rapid pace and will continue to refine this blog over time. I feel that a blog is a living creation, and as such it will continue to evolve over time. What will this blog eventually look like? I do not know, but I am keeping the main idea of simplification top of mind. There is a lot of content here already (I have been doing this for 10 years now) but my hope is to continue to refine and simplify the site so that those visiting will clearly and easily find what they are looking for. We will have to see how that shakes out.

Thanks for following along, I appreciate it.

Cannon Beach, Oregon - my favorite place in the US.

Jim Nix 1/8/20 Jim Nix 1/8/20

The future of my blog

Some thoughts about this blog, and what I want to do with it now that I am no longer blogging that much.

One of my favorite places - Cannon Beach, OR

I haven’t posted here since late November. Wow, that was a long break. :-)

When I started this blog, I intended to keep posting here multiple times per week, basically forever. I really thought that I would do so, and keep doing so. Sure, I knew things would come up, and now and then I would miss a few days here or there, but I never thought I would be sitting here writing this sort of thing.

I have to admit that I have sort of fallen off the tracks as it relates to my blog. Like everyone else with a life and things to do - I have a life and I have things to do. Oh, and I have this thing called YouTube. I spend a lot of my free time creating the videos that I post on YouTube each week. And I love doing that. It inspires me, and the community there inspires me as well. In fact, I enjoy it more than I do trying to think of things to write here. And I think that having a good blog is more about the writing and the “content” than it is just me posting a photo, making a quick comment or two about it, and running off.

Over the last couple of years, my writing here on the blog has become less and less, and I have ended up just posting some quick comments about a photo, or just posting about a recent video that I shared on YouTube. And while it makes it look like I am “active” in my blogging, it was honestly about as passive as you can get while still putting something out here. I have been sort of phoning it in for the blog.

So now I sit here and wonder what I should do about this blog, going forward. Of course I am going to keep it, and continue to post here at times, but I don’t plan to keep aiming (and failing) at posting here several times per week. Instead I am thinking of this as being a place to share my thoughts in longer, written form (such as this note) as well as news about my photography, travels, or whatever.

I have a lot of articles and photos on this blog that I am proud of and worked really hard on, and I intend to keep them here. I like to have this archive of my work. But a blog is not really a good place to host a collection of images, in my opinion. And that is another thing that I have been thinking about…my collection of images.

I joined Flickr at around the same time I started blogging, which was late 2009 or so. I have over 7000 photos on Flickr, and I still find it to be a wonderful place to host photos as well as a supportive and inspiring community. So I will keep posting photos there as my collection of photographs that I share grows. I hope to have 100,000 or more at some point in my life. And I would like them all to be on Flickr.

But that is the thing - if you want to see my images. you can find them more easily on Flickr. They are organized and categorized and it’s easy to scroll through a lot of them and find whatever it is you are looking for. Or to just browse and enjoy it. And I am ok with that. For so long I wanted “blog traffic” and I felt like I did everything I could to get people to come to my blog. I get decent traffic, but I am no longer trying to get a lot of people to come to the blog. If they show up, that is great. But in this day and age, people prefer to stay on their social media site of choice, and those same sites don’t want them to leave anyway.

So I think my transition from a “blogger” (I always used that term loosely with myself) to a “YouTuber” (I really don’t like that term, but I do create a lot of YouTube content) has been a long time coming. I definitely think about YouTube more often than I think about the blog. I think of things I can create for YouTube, not the blog. So it’s definitely become my priority in terms of sharing whatever it is that I can share, that feels like it is a contribution to the world of photography.

So my plans are to continue to invest in the growth and development of my YouTube channel, and to write about things that interest me here on the blog, when I feel inspired to do so. And of course this means I may experiment with a new look here on the blog, since the “daily blog” sort of thing will no longer be my focus here.

So if you have been a frequent visitor or reader over the years, I really appreciate it. And of course you can always catch me on YouTube, Flickr, or even Twitter if you want to connect. Thanks for listening!

Jim Nix 3/19/19 Jim Nix 3/19/19

What is a Pro Photographer?

What is a Pro Photographer? Good question. In this video, I try and define it. Wish me luck! :-)

Here’s a video wherein I share my thoughts on what a Pro Photographer is, and how I am finding it hard to really define it. Follow along and join the conversation on YouTube!

Today I try and define what it means to be a pro photographer, and discuss whether I qualify for that distinction or not. It seems you can define it any number of ways - and I have been asked about this - so I thought I would open it up for discussion and share my thoughts.

Jim Nix 10/1/18 Jim Nix 10/1/18

What is Fine Art Photography?

In this video I delve into a discussion of fine art photography: what it is, what it isn’t, and why some people describe their work as fine art. Follow along!

Do you ever notice that some photographers bill themselves as “fine art photographers”, while many others do not? What is the difference? Why is that description used? What does it mean?

I went in search of answers to these questions, and started having to ask myself questions about my own work. Is it fine art? I’m not sure, but I definitely learned a lot about what people consider fine art, and why. Follow along as I delve into this interesting subject.

In today's video, I delve into a discussion about fine art photography and try to pin a definition on this nearly undefinable genre. Do I succeed? I don't really know. Am I a fine art photographer? I have started to wonder if perhaps I am.

Jim Nix 4/4/18 Jim Nix 4/4/18

So I took my Lensbaby to Chicago...

A little article about taking my Lensbaby Trio 29 to Chicago and firing away all over town with it...plus some thoughts on why I like it so much. Enjoy!

Some thoughts on using my Lensbaby Trio 28 in Chicago, with a bunch of sample photos too

(Click any photo to enlarge and view in a lightbox)

If you read my last write-up about using the Lensbaby Trio 28 on my travels (which was used on a trip to London in that article), then you will know that I absolutely adore this tiny little thing. It’s perfect for my shooting style and usual subject matter. To clarify, I love to shoot in cities after sunset (either at blue hour or after dark), using the ambient city light to illuminate my photos (though of course I take daytime photos, too). And I LOVE shooting street scenes and cityscapes - in fact, those are my favorite subjects.

So when we decided to take a family trip to Chicago, I knew this lens was going to get another workout. And boy did it - I never took it off my camera! As a family trip, I did not bring all my usual trappings - wide angle lens, zoom lens, tripod and all that stuff that usually fills up my bag.

Instead I just brought a small shoulder bag with my camera, the Lensbaby and my other small prime lens, the Sony 28mm f/2. And while I adore that Sony lens, I never even used it. It sat in the hotel room the entire trip. I just walked around all week with the Lensbaby and fired away blissfully. It was wonderful.

Even though I have never actually photographed Chicago (though I have been many times), I didn't feel like I missed out on anything because of my exclusive use of the Lensbaby (as you may know, there is a specific look this lens creates, where there is a lot of bokeh on the image edges, so everything is not in focus). Instead, I feel like I captured images that I would otherwise miss.

I also like that the images are much different than my usual fare, and (hopefully, at least) much different than anything else that thousands of other people have captured there. Because let’s face it - like any large city, Chicago has been photographed and photographed and photographed. Without a significant investment of time (which I didn't have), as well as a healthy dose of luck in terms of the sunsets/weather (which is always questionable in Chicago - it snowed on us one day...see what I mean?), how could I expect to really capture some amazing shots there? I had to try something different in order to get some shots that would really make me happy.

And that’s exactly what happened. I find that what I captured with my Lensbaby Trio on that trip really does make me happy. Obviously I love the look this lens creates, but I also find that I am looking at things a bit differently, with a more creative eye, and that helps quite a bit, too.

In short, the Lensbaby is giving me a creative outlet that I can tap into without having to wait until I get home and start editing the photos. They feel and look fresh and creative right out of the camera, and I love that about the Lensbaby. In fact my usual processing for them is much simpler and the quicker than what I would normally do for my traditional shots. I just do some minor adjustments in Lightroom and I’m done.

In fact, here’s a video I recently shared showing how I edit one of these photos in Lightroom.

Thanks for swinging by today!

Jim Nix 3/23/18 Jim Nix 3/23/18

My changing relationship with Social Media

Social media continues to grow, and yet I find myself shrinking my presence there. Is this wise? I'm not sure, but I'm doing it anyways. Here's the scoop.

Social Media Spring Cleaning, 2018 Edition

It seems about once a year, I get a little fed up with social media (or some component of it) and write a little “rant” about it here on the blog. (The word rant is in quotes because I use it lightly here. I think of a rant as something I am genuinely pissed off about, and that is not the case. So it’s not really a rant, but I don’t know what else to call it.)

This time, I'm changing my approach to social media in general, although I will delve into specifics in a bit.

I’ve come to believe that social media isn't really very social at all (with some notable exceptions) and that sadly it’s mostly all about getting attention, and that is wearing on me. Yes, I completely get the irony that I share my work via social media and essentially look for attention for that too, so I include myself in what I am writing here. And of course I am sharing this article on my blog and then will share it on social media, too. I know - life is full of contradictions.

I'm just changing my approach to these things - and my opinion of them - and I no longer feel like I used to feel about social media. I'm not seeing the same benefits, and I really don't understand the need to be "everywhere, all the time".

I am also examining my photography work and taking on new perspectives, opinions and ideas about what I want to be, photographically speaking, and how I just might be able to “get there”. Since my thoughts and plans are nowhere near complete or final, I’m not digging into that today but it has caused a lot of self-reflection, which can be difficult but productive.

One thing I have learned about myself is that spending a lot of time and effort on social media is just not rewarding to me. Sure, I love all the comments, feedback, attention, likes, etc as much as the next person. My ego likes it, and it gives me a little “high”. I think that’s a human reaction to positive feedback. But, it doesn’t really improve my quality of life or help anyone improve theirs. It’s sort of like consuming sugar - you get a quick high and then it drops off. Then you want another hit to feel high again. It’s essentially a vicious cycle, and one that likely doesn’t end well.

We recently took a week-long family trip to Chicago, and I rarely got on social media that week. It was wonderful. I spent time with my wife and daughter, took some photos, consumed some great food and just enjoyed life. I didn't post a single photo on any social media site that week, and frankly I didn’t miss it at all. Not one bit. (Ok, truthfully I missed creating and sharing a video, but that’s the one exception.)

Now don’t misunderstand me here - I am not quitting social media, though I have quit some sites and may quit more. I like to think of it as spring cleaning, social media style. I was way overdue. It’s time to tidy up the house. Things were messy. Stuff was scattered everywhere.

There are just too damn many sites to post on, and doing a consistently decent job on any one of them is nearly a full time job. Doing a consistently decent job on multiple sites is damn near impossible. You could kill yourself trying. The saddest part about this is the constant feeling that you aren’t doing enough, aren’t good enough, and all that horrible baggage that comes through comparing yourself or your life to others. So, I am shedding weight, cutting ties, cleaning house, dumping the losers…whatever you want to call it. In other words, I am getting focused on only those sites that really matter to me, because there is only so much time in a day, and life is far too short. And frankly, I don’t want to waste my time on things that aren’t helping me move forward with my creativity.

The life that conquers is the life that moves with a steady resolution and persistence toward a predetermined goal. Those who succeed are those who have thoroughly learned the immense importance of plan in life, and the tragic brevity of time. - WJ Davison

The point is that I have been a mile wide and an inch deep with all this stuff for too long. I don't like it. I find myself getting more realistic with what I can and am willing to do, and I don’t want to pretend to keep up with all this crap. It’s a total drain on my creativity, and doesn’t add to my quality of life. I would rather be creating something useful than mindlessly scrolling through a social media feed. Not to mention that I love to do many other things outside of photography, and I have neglected them for far too long. I am reclaiming some of my personal time, and it feels good.

Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. - George Bernard Shaw

And by the way, I have also unsubscribed from a lot of email “things” that have long come my way. This may look like I am withdrawing in some ways, or that I am running away from things. In truth, I am running toward a better life for myself. How can I be creative, educated and curious if I spend all my free time on social media? In this day and age, I think it takes an active effort to make time for the things we love, or else they will get lost in the shuffle of life, work, relationships, social media and more. There are just so many distractions.

To those of you who post on many, many sites each day/week and like it, benefit from it and thrive on it - more power to you. I’m not sitting in judgment on anyone else’s choices. To each his own, and all that. You do whatever suits you. I’ve just arrived at a point where I want to be better in a lot of ways, and reducing my life’s digital clutter is one step in the right direction.

So, below are some of my thoughts on these various social media platforms that many photographers use, and my current thoughts on these sites, how I am using them (or not) and whether I will continue to use them (or not). Surely I have missed listing quite a few, because I was never on them all and never planned to be. But now I will be on even less of them.

500px

This site was great in the early days, but became a ridiculous game of “vote for my photo” just so that a photographer could try and get a high score on a photo and sit atop their “leader board” for a day - presumably just to pick up lots of views. What a waste of time. So I quit posting there a few years ago and now that they have been sold, I decided to delete all my photos from there and delete my account. I wasn’t using it anyways, and it did nothing for me. It’s gone, good riddance. One down.

Vero

A few weeks back, a lot of photographers got all excited about this app, calling it the next Instagram or some such. Out of pure curiosity I bit, opened an account, followed a couple of people, and posted one photo. I haven’t opened the app since, and haven’t thought about it since until I started writing this article. The funny thing is that I don’t see anyone talking about it anymore either. I haven’t closed my account there yet, but likely will. Am I really going to see anything there that I don’t already see elsewhere, or get “discovered”, or come across some great opportunity? No, no and no. This is likely destined for the trash bin. It’s not a bad site, but it feels like a waste of my time.

Update: curiosity killed the cat, so I went in and looked at this site again. I had some pending “connection requests” or whatever they are called, but otherwise it’s all the same stuff all over again. Still not sure I will keep it. I don’t see the point.

Ello

Remember this one a few years ago? It was all the rage for a little while, but it faded quickly. I also forgot about this one, and didn’t even remember how to log in. But I figured it out and deleted my account. Same reasons as above. Again, not a bad site, but a total waste of my time. Good bye.

Google Plus

This was the first real challenger to Facebook a number of years ago, and I loved it for a long time. But it faded, and to my knowledge is mostly dead as a social network. I haven’t posted a photo there in ages, but I will admit that my YouTube videos get cross-posted here (which I choose to do). I don’t actually go onto G+ to post my videos, but since Google owns YouTube I have the option to cross-post here automatically. I figure it takes just one more click, and it may help in search, which I do care a lot about for my videos. So technically I still use this site, but only as an automatic option. I don't actually go post here at all, but obviously I am keeping it.

Trover

I used this site quite a bit for a while (a few years ago), and have to admit I sort of liked it. But I quit posting there a long time ago, and haven’t logged in in ages. I don't anticipate getting back into it, simply because it’s not a core sight for me. I will keep it alive for now but won't spend time on it. Possibly getting deleted, jury is out on that one.

Snapchat, Steller Stories, 1x.com, EyeEm, etc etc etc

Never signed up, don’t care.

Viewbug, Pixoto, and any other contest site

Never signed up, don’t care.

Twitter

I never got into this site. It’s way too hyper for me, and being rather OCD already it’s just too overwhelming for me, visually. Too much stuff, and most of it is just noise. I have my photo posts from Flickr and Instagram automatically cross-post here (along with my YouTube videos), but otherwise I don’t actually log in and use it…and I don’t care. I have considered deleting it, but still not sure if I will or not. Any reason I should keep it?

I rarely pin anything, but have to admit that some of my old pins continue to drive traffic to my blog even several years later. There’s a particularly long life for some pins, if you get lucky and start getting some repins. It just snowballs. There’s no formula here that works every time but once in a while it really works well. I will pin some more at some point, but it’s not a focus for me. But owing to the fact that it drives traffic for me, I will keep it. It’s also not a bad site for discovery, if you take the time to dig in and sort through all the junk.

Flickr

So many have predicted the demise of Flickr for so many years - and some say it’s dead already - but I still love the site. No it’s not a big traffic driver for me, but I do get photo licensing requests from here more than any other site (besides my blog). But mostly I continue to post because I just think it’s a great way to catalog my work, organize it, and share it - and I enjoy the community. I will keep this going for a long time, methinks.

Facebook personal page

I sort of have a love/hate relationship with FB. On the one hand I get some great engagement on my personal page and obviously all my photo friends are on it, but on the other hand there is just so much noise that it’s annoying. However, there is a secret benefit to FB and that is using Groups. In fact, I often log into FB and just go straight to a couple of groups that I enjoy. There are great people there, great photos, and worthwhile conversations happening. I absolutely love all of that. I get inspired constantly. That keeps me coming back more than anything else.

But, I get added to new groups a lot and that is annoying, so I have been cleaning that out and removing myself from them. While it doesn’t actually change my feed very much, it does make the experience on the site more enjoyable when there is less clutter. Obviously I will keep this one. I don't have a huge following here but as the largest site it’s too important to skip.

Facebook business page

I also have a FB Page for my blog, and I almost never use it. I spent countless hours trying to build it up over the years, only for FB to decide that I would have to pay to show my posts to those who already liked my page. That felt like a kick in the shins, and wasn’t worth the money, so I only post there a few times per year, and guess what? No one sees my posts - surprise! I actually think about deleting this page all the time. I may have to pull the trigger on that. It’s just sitting there, and the only way to get it active is to post all the time and pay for engagement - and I am not interested in doing either one of those. So, this is likely headed for the trash bin. If you can think of a reason for me to keep it please let me know.

Instagram

I like IG, I really do, but I wanted to love it. But I have to remind myself to post there…it doesn’t seem to come naturally to me. Sadly, there are a lot of people who seem to do the whole follow/unfollow thing which is super annoying, selfish and egotistical. Like many sites, it’s become a game about how big of a following you can have. There also seems to be a lot of pages that buy followers, which just makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I have been unfollowing a lot of pages there recently, which cleans up my feed and provides me with a better viewing experience (but no, I have never done the follow/unfollow thing). My feed is cleaner and I can be more engaged with those pages I do follow. I just want to see my friends’ photos and those of some photographers that I don’t know but whose work I admire. Obviously I am keeping this but my engagement and activity there will remain about the same, which is what I would call "medium".

YouTube

I absolutely adore YouTube these days and it’s by far my favorite site. Since I have been creating videos there over the last couple of years, I have really grown to love the whole idea and process of creating, editing and sharing my videos. It has literally given me a new lease on my photographic life, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I also really enjoy following along on the adventures of other photographers and travelers, and learning about them, their lives and their creative process. It’s actually inspiring to me, and makes me want to do much more there than I have done thus far. So, I will be talking about this again another time, but suffice it to say that this will be the site where you will find me the most. YouTube allows me to share my passion for photography with the world more easily than on any other site and I just want to pour more time and effort into this platform. I’m all in for this one, head first.

Some parting thoughts...

"Get busy living, or get busy dying." - Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption

Have you ever seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption? If not, I highly recommend it. At one point in the movie, Morgan Freeman's character Red says "Get busy living, or get busy dying." I love that quote, and it's so appropriate. We only have so much time, and I want to spend it doing something of value. There's no point in wasting time. You can never reclaim it.

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. -- George Bernard Shaw

Well my friends, if you read this far - congratulations! Haha, seriously though thanks for reading my ramblings. By all means feel free to leave a comment, provide some feedback, share your own experiences and thoughts, challenge some of my decisions and assumptions, etc. This is just me talking and I don't pretend to know it all. I’m wandering in the dark half the time, and I bump into a lot of furniture. :-)

I just feel like I am coming to a place where I want fewer distractions so I can spend my time on creating things of value. Social media is pretty much the biggest distraction there is, and it’s a natural place for me to start cleaning house. That is one thing that I have come to realize - I want to create things that inspire people, help them improve their own creative efforts, and just enjoy the entire process. So that’s what I plan to do with my newfound free time: create, inspire, be curious, learn, think, and grow. Sounds like a win to me.

What are you doing with social media? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by today!

Jim Nix 9/21/17 Jim Nix 9/21/17

5 Reasons to Get Aurora HDR 2018 Right Now

Aurora HDR 2018 is available for pre-order, and it's awesome. Here are 5 reasons I think it makes sense to get it pre-ordered right now.

5 Reasons to Get Aurora HDR 2018 Right Now (Like, Today)

Aurora HDR 2018 is the latest version of Macphun’s award-winning HDR software, and it’s fabulous. I got my hands on a copy a couple of weeks ago, since I am currently creating a bunch of videos for the Macphun site. This basically means that I have been using it for several hours each day as I dive in, experiment, and create videos explaining how to get the most out of it (they will be on the Macphun site soon).

The more I use it, the more I find that I love about it. I’ve already shared an overview video as well as a video about some of the new features, but what I haven’t done yet is sit down and write out some thoughts about why this is such a good release. So, here you go!

Natural HDR is automatic and easy
Lens Correction and Transform will literally change how you look at your photos
Dodge & Burn will become one of your favorite new features
HDR Enhance is an amazing replacement for Clarity
The User Interface is modern, elegant and awesome

Prefer to watch a video instead of reading this? No problem, here ya go!

Let’s look at each of these a little closer…

1) Natural HDR

The biggest knock you hear about HDR is that it isn’t natural looking. People always complain that HDR is extreme, over the top, whatever. Sure, we have all seen and probably created monsterpieces in HDR but frankly you can do that in any program, regardless of whether it’s HDR or not.

But in Aurora 2018, your base image is just so natural and beautiful and realistic. Macphun did an AMAZING job with it. Photos just look great. Colors are right, skies look great, and everything is realistic and natural. Sure you can go extreme if you want to - and sometimes it’s just fun - but you can totally make a superbly beautiful and natural HDR quickly and easily.

This is the base HDR photo after importing, with no adjustments. So natural and realistic!

2) Lens Correction and Transform tools

While I have used these tools in Lightroom in the past, I never really paid them a lot of attention. But now that they are front and center in Aurora HDR 2018, I am using them a LOT. And WOW, what a difference they make (I usually use them together). You can not only remove distortion but you can fixing “leaning buildings” and more in just a few seconds. It has literally caused me to approach each photo with a different sort of eye. This stuff is just great to have at your fingertips!

Fix those leaning buildings quickly and easily!

3) Dodge & Burn filter

Gone are the days of adding a new layer, changing the exposure values, and then masking that change into the photo. Now you just open the Dodge & Burn filter and start painting. Quick, easy and incredibly effective.

I used Dodge & Burn to darken the walkway on the Right side of the frame - only took about 10 seconds!

4) HDR Enhance slider

If you are like me, you used the Clarity slider on every photo in the previous version. So when I heard that Clarity was replaced with HDR Enhance, I had to check it out. After using it on countless photos, I can firmly declare that this is a huge win. This filter is perfect. It accentuates details and textures in the right places, without causing a lot of artifacts and other unwanted elements to appear in places where you don’t want them, such as a beautiful sky. Now I use this filter on every photo! HDR Enhance is the new Clarity!

HDR Enhance gives rich details and textures to a photo.

5) User Interface

I love it when a User Interface gets updated - there’s just something about getting a new and shiny thing to play with. The UI changes in Aurora 2018 are just perfect. It has a modern feel but remains very intuitive. I jumped right in the first time and started editing photos without delay. It just feels so much more streamlined and modern.

OK, I lied - there are 6 reasons to get Aurora HDR 2018 right now. #6 is that the pre-order bundle price is awesome! (See below).

These are just some of the things I am loving about the new Aurora HDR 2018. It's not an exhaustive list of new features. There’s just too much to write about. So, here’s a screenshot from the Macphun site that gives you a bit broader perspective on all the new stuff in this version (click to enlarge):

In short, Aurora HDR 2018 is a total win in my opinion. My photos are looking amazing and I am having more fun creating HDR than ever before. This release has literally rekindled my love of HDR. Ok, time to go edit some more HDR photos. Thanks for stopping by!

Get Your Pre-Order in Before It’s Too Late!

The pre-order period for the new Aurora HDR 2018 goes until September 28, then the special price and all the bonus material you get with it are gone forever!

You can place your pre-order right here on the Macphun site.

You can read more details about it right here on my blog.

Want to see it in action? My introductory overview video is right here.

Thanks again and let me know if you have any questions!

Jim Nix 1/17/17 Jim Nix 1/17/17

25 Tips to Jumpstart Your Photography in 2017

Here are 25 tips designed to help you get the most out of your travel photography in 2017. Go forth and create my friends!

Make 2017 Your Best Photographic Year Yet!

With the New Year upon us, many of us have told ourselves that we are going to improve our photography. I know that I have done so. Have you? There is always something to learn, whether it’s how to use a particular camera setting, or some new-fangled trick in the digital darkroom. This photography thing is a never-ending quest for knowledge.

I love the start of a new year. It’s a symbolic reboot and it makes me think about everything I want to do in the next 12 months. While I already wrote about that a bit, I didn’t go into too much detail…partly because some of this is fluid and partly because it’s impossible to predict. But I did mention writing some longer form articles, and this is the first in that category for 2017.

Perhaps you got a new camera for Christmas, or perhaps your dream of visiting some far away destination is coming true in 2017. Either way, your desire to capture great travel photos is probably high on your list. It’s definitely atop mine. Who doesn’t want to take great shots? Whether they are for you and your family or for a wider audience, we are all driven by the desire to capture the stunning beauty we encounter while we travel.

I gave some thought to how I prepare for a trip and have put together this list of tips which will hopefully get you all set and ready to go capture some of the awesomeness that is waiting for you out there.

These tips are based on my own experiences traveling around the world over the past 5+ years. While it is not exhaustive - and being inspired by my own travels, it’s a very personal approach to things - this should help you stay the course and come home with images you are proud of. Worst case, maybe it gives you a couple of ideas.

Take a read, feel free to disagree or offer suggestions, and go forth and capture. Have a great year in photography, my friends. There is so much beauty that awaits us. We just have to get out the door and start shooting.

I broke this list of tips down into 4 categories and they are in a specific order: Plan, Arrive, Shoot, Process. This is the way I look at things and how I approach my own photography. Any photo trip, near or far, is an opportunity for capturing those fleeting moments of magic, and it always serves us well if we have a bit of a plan. So, that’s where we start…

Plan

Research the area in advance: Check out Flickr, Google Images or whatever your preference is and make sure you know WHAT you want to shoot and WHERE it is. There is nothing worse than being somewhere and being unable to locate a particular spot.
Prioritize your spots and top alternates: After compiling all your targets into a list, prioritize them. You never know how much time you will really have to shoot in the best conditions, and of course you want to get the most important stuff done.
Do the math (count the # of sunsets and sunrises): Most of us like to shoot the big stuff at the edges of the day, so count how many of those you will have and compare it to the number of sites and their location/orientation to the sun, and make a plan.
Edit your list ruthlessly and focus on the ones you consider most important: This is another version of #2 above (pick your spots and top alternates), but based on the fact that you now know exactly how many sunrise/sunsets you will have to capture them.
Plan your route: This is obvious, but there is nothing worse than shooting something, moving on and then realizing later that you missed something that was close by. I use Google Maps and often print out a hard copy if I am not familiar with the city. It really helps.
Have a backup plan: Sometimes weather or other factors screw up everything. Make a contingency plan. If it’s raining, is there a great museum you can shoot in? If it's too bright and sunny, can you shoot macros or architectural details? Just be creative and exhaust every alternative.
Get up early: I find sunrise is the best time for shooting famous landmarks in big cities, because all the tourists are still in bed. Literally, this works every single time. Never fails.

Arrive

Slow down: I often arrive somewhere after hurriedly walking there to get into position, which means I am short of breath. Take a moment and breathe, calm down, and get into the moment. You don’t want to be twitchy with a camera in hand.
Look around and get familiar: Resist the urge to start shooting the very second you get somewhere. Take a moment, take in the scene, and plan your shots.
Focus on your composition: Don’t just hurry to get something captured. Think about what you are doing and not just how excited you are to be seeing it. I know, it’s hard. I'm as twitchy as they come, believe me.
Check all of your settings: Is your ISO still on 2000 from something you shot last night? Make sure you don’t take a bunch of shots with the wrong settings.
Shoot RAW: This gives you more leverage for editing later. You literally NEVER know what you might want to do with a photo a few years down the line. I frequently go back to old photos and try stuff with them in newer tools. Having raw files makes this a much better experience.

Shoot

Use a tripod: Sure you can get clean shots handheld, but better safe than sorry, right?
Use a cable release or remote release: This only works if you are on a tripod of course, but it further ensures you aren’t shaking the camera when you depress the shutter button.
Start shooting. See how long it took to get to this step? ;-)
Change things around and shoot it again: Now experiment a bit with your f/stop, composition, and more. Mix it up a little. I often capture better stuff after getting the shot I planned to get.
Consider your orientation - Now shoot it in portrait orientation instead of in landscape. You will be surprised how this minor change can have a big impact on your shots.
Experiment with the # of photos in your brackets: If you are firing brackets for HDR, don’t assume that your basic 3 exposures capture the full range of light. Perhaps you need to move up to 5 or 7, depending on the scene.
Don’t always center your brackets: I rarely shoot -2, 0, +2. Generally I start a little darker, something like -3, -1, +1 or even -4, -2,0. I find that the +2 exposure when brackets are centered is just too bright and thus pretty useless.
Try some filters for long exposures: If you haven’t tried a 10 stop filter, you are missing out on a truly joyful experience.
Take a lot of photos: They say your first 10,000 photos are your worst, although with digital it’s more like your first 100,000. Practice, practice, practice.

Process

Experiment with different techniques (process an image two or three times): I often take a single image and process it 2 or 3 different ways. It gives me more experience with editing, which is good, but also I often come up with things I hadn’t thought of initially that I actually like.
Try it in black and white: I have been a “big color” sort of photographer forever, but over the last year or so I have really started getting into monochromes, and they are just beautiful.
Share and engage: Share your photos with your friends, or family, or online. Ask for feedback and constructive criticism. Don’t take anything personally. Just enjoy the art of photography and the joy it brings you and others.
Make yourself happy first: Isn’t this what it’s all about? Be sure you are enjoying the entire process, because this should be fun. Do whatever you want to do with your art, because that's your prerogative. Find your own vision and express it.

Well friends, I hope this helps you make the most of your travel photography this year. In many ways this is a reminder to myself, as I am as guilty as anyone about many of these tips. I screw up a lot but usually figure it out before it’s too late! Usually. ;-)

In all seriousness, I wish you a productive and creative 2017. Challenge yourself, learn some new things, go somewhere you haven’t been yet, experiment and screw up, and try again. Take a shit-ton of photos. This is art and should be fun, challenging, educational and eye-opening. Go forth and create my friends. There’s a kind of magic that happens when you do.

Jim Nix 10/23/16 Jim Nix 10/23/16

There's Nothing Left to Shoot

Some thoughts on trying to be original in a world where everybody has a camera, everybody is a photographer, and everything has already been photographed.

Do you ever feel like there is nothing left to shoot? You know the drill. You’ve already shot all over your hometown, and you are casting about for other ideas that aren’t too far away, so you can hop in the car and shoot something new. (We always want something new to shoot, don’t we?). So you come up with an idea of something nearby, and Google it, only to find some fabulous photo that has already been taken of the place (or more likely, several photos) - and likely by someone you haven’t ever heard of (even though they are local).

Or here’s another one - and this feels even worse. You and the family decide on a big vacation somewhere new, and you are fired up and ready to get some photographs of something far away and exotic, something new and exciting, something foreign and unique. So once again, you turn to your friend Google, and start researching the things you want to see and do when you get there.

And what do you find? A multitude of amazing photos of the place, already taken and shared by countless others. We recently returned from a 6 week trip to Italy, which was amazing, but I felt like I was often shooting the same thing that has been shot a thousand times before.

It gets frustrating, doesn’t it? It seems like you can never be the first one somewhere, or be the one to capture the “defining” shot of a place, even if you end up capturing an amazing photo from there. You can’t exactly control the weather so that stunning sunset you are hoping for might end up being just another unfulfilled wish, and you likely don’t have time to return to that same spot again and again, in hopes of that sunset you dreamed of actually coming together for you.

You are not alone in feeling this way - I suspect we all have those moments when we just want to scream. These days there are fairly low barriers to entry in this world of photography, and a lot of creative minds in the world, and some amazing tools, and thus a lot of fantastic pictures that are already taken of all these awesome places. It happens.

Now, of course you didn’t expect to the first one to get a great shot of whichever place you are heading to, but you also didn’t expect to find SO MANY EXCELLENT photos that already exist of it, did you?

Sometimes, it feels like there is nothing left to shoot. I know I feel that way occasionally. I just spent 6 weeks feeling that way, every single day. It’s almost depressing.

But, I have decided that I don’t care that I will never be the first one somewhere or that I will not be the one to take the defining shot of a place. I have realized that luckily there are some ways to resolve this conundrum, and it’s not just to lower your expectations (that works, of course - though I don’t recommend it). It’s about finding and following your inner vision and getting creative on site. It's about breaking free of any artificial restraints you may have imposed on yourself and just doing what makes you happy. Isn't that what this should be about anyway?

So how do you do that?

Well, there are probably a million books and articles that can give you way better advice about this than I can (see, someone has already done that, too!). But here are some things I try to do either onsite or in the digital darkroom to get creative and (hopefully) end up with photos that I am both proud of and that (hopefully) have a chance of being at least a little bit different than those that came before me. While there is nothing wrong with photographing something that has already been photographed (and photographing it in the same way - happens to me constantly), it sure feels good when you come up with something fairly original.

Here are 7 tips I try to employ in my photography to help me get creative in the field.

Am I succeeding in implementing them? Maybe. Sometimes. There are times I am well aware of being stuck in my old habits, and so I force myself to make some changes to get creative - but I don’t alway succeed. Art is tough, and being original is really tough. Being consistently creative and original is nearly impossible. We are creatures of habit. Such is the human condition, I guess. :-)

So like everyone else, I am trying. Some days are better than others, but getting out with the camera and giving it a go is always a good start.

1) Change your perspective

I shoot in landscape mode ALL THE TIME. You may not notice, since it’s generally the “standard” view of things, but I often find that when I switch it up and turn the camera into portrait orientation, something interesting happens - the image looks very different. This is a minor shift, physically, but a bigger one mentally. It really does impact the outcome of the shot, and it’s something I keep telling myself (and reminding myself) to try when I am out in the field.

Interestingly, I find that with my iPhone I shoot in portrait orientation a whole lot more. Perhaps that’s because that is my natural state for holding the phone, or maybe it’s something else. But I am working to get more shots with my real camera in portrait orientation. I like the look of those shots - I just have to remind myself to change it up. In the above examples, I used my Sony camera in Portrait orientation and I really liked the framing and the outcome. Usually I hold the camera horizontally, so switching to portrait orientation for these shots really helped isolate the subjects here. Of course I started shooting that Venetian sunset in landscape mode, capturing the grandeur of the scene, but I found that isolating the bell tower worked better for me.

2) Change your lenses (or your camera)

An iPhone image from Piazza Navona in Rome

I suspect we are all guilty of this at times. We find a lens that just “feels right”, or that offers a focal length (or zoom capability) that just really appeals to us in some way, so we stick with it again and again. I do this a lot. I went through a period of a couple of years where I shot everything with a wide angle lens. I was completely addicted. I’ve been able to break that addiction (thankfully), and now find myself using my mid-range zoom (a 24-70mm on my Sony A7II) more often, since it’s much more flexible in terms of focal length and I get a better variety of shots from it.

I am also getting out a lot more with my prime lens, the 28mm f/2. Since it’s a prime, it causes me to move a lot with my feet to frame the shot, which helps me look at things in different ways. I love that about the prime lens, since it makes me think more when I am out shooting, and that’s really what it’s all about.

But don't forget about your phone! I use my iPhone all the time, and often find that many of my iPhone shots from a trip are my favorites. I took a gazillion iPhone shots in Italy. I was shooting with it constantly, and I think I captured some nice photos with it. I also have a small point and shoot that I was toting around, and I fired away with that one, too. Using three cameras really caused me to mix things up quite a bit, and I think it resulted in more diversity in my shots, too.

So I am not suggesting that you go buy a new/extra camera, but do take advantage of that amazing piece of equipment in your pocket, at the very least. You might just get some seriously good shots out of it. Plus, I always find that I take a different type of shot with my iPhone or my point and shoot. Something about changing gear seems to change my approach to the shot, too.

But whatever your habit or addiction is, try and break it, at least at times. You may find that you are creating new and interesting shots that you hadn’t thought of previously.

Another iPhone shot - this one of some street art in Florence.  I never shoot these subjects with my Sony, but frequently yank out my iPhone and start firing away. — Another iPhone shot - this one of some street art in Florence. I never shoot these subjects with my Sony, but frequently yank out my iPhone and start firing away.

3) Change your subjects

A vendor at the Rialto Market in Venice - totally different subject for me!

This is another hard one. I definitely have my favorite subjects. Namely, I love to shoot landscapes and cityscapes and architecture, with some graffiti and neon signs thrown in for fun. My eyes are naturally drawn to these subjects and I shoot them a LOT. In fact, that’s nearly everything that I shoot.

But I really need to mix it up and force myself to do things that I am not comfortable with, because it’s how you learn. This is probably the biggest one for me. I guess I’m really set in my ways, but I’m trying. It’s hard to break habits that you have accumulated over many years, but I find that when I do so, and succeed in capturing something new, it’s really rewarding.

On this trip in Italy, I tried some street photography as well as some more random shots that include locals. I find you really have to look harder to find things you aren’t naturally drawn to, but it is quite fun and certainly makes you think a lot. If nothing else, it's a great creative exercise and that always helps me expand my photographic experience base.

A vendor in the San Lorenzo Market in Florence.  Sort of a slice of daily life type of shot.  Different for me but fun nonetheless. — A vendor in the San Lorenzo Market in Florence. Sort of a slice of daily life type of shot. Different for me but fun nonetheless.

4) Change your processing

Something a bit different for me - heavy use of texture and major color shifts.

This one is not really that hard to do, but it’s really hard to get started (at least for me). I feel like our processing styles are ingrained in us a bit from years of practice and experience (and the weight of years of habit, likely), and so when I am ready to process something, I just start processing it in the same old tools, and the same old way. But it’s easy to make a shift here.

In fact, I completely changed my workflow when I adopted Aurora HDR from Macphun. It’s a wonderful tool and I am glad that I am now using it, both for HDR and single exposures. Previously I just went into auto-pilot with my other tools and became almost robotic about it.

But when it comes to processing, being robotic is not a good thing.

I need to be experimental and creative - it helps drive me forward - and Aurora is helping me explore new techniques (such as applying textures to photos). But this isn’t about getting you to use Aurora (although I highly recommend it - and you can download a free trial here). It’s about trying new tools, or new tricks in existing tools.

You see, this doesn’t mean you have to go buy more software. You can completely change the way you process images in whatever software you have. Just take the time to learn a new technique, or experiment and see what happens. Try new presets or filters. Click on something you have never clicked on before. You might find something amazing.

Try split toning. Convert a photo to black and white. Apply a texture. There are a million things you can experiment with, all pretty easily. I have been a "big color" sort of photographer for many years, but I am really loving the pure simple joy of a monochrome photo, and have been converting more and more of my shots to black and white. It's been a great creative outlet and one I continue to explore.

The bottom line is that there are many paths you can take on any photo, so try and be cognizant of what you habitually do, and stop yourself before you just do the same thing again and again. Try something new and you will be surprised how it alters your approach the next time.

The Vatican at Night - although I loved the color version, something about this in monochrome just really looked great.

5) Get up close/Fill the frame

A zoomed-in shot of Riomaggiore in Italy.  Different but I found it interesting. — A zoomed-in shot of Riomaggiore in Italy. Different but I found it interesting.

As I mentioned earlier, I used to be addicted to my wide angle lens. While it’s something that I love to shoot with, it’s not the only arrow in the quiver, so to speak. The thing I loved about the wide angle was that you could just get so much in the frame, at least from left to right. What I often found was that you also end up with a lot of empty space at the top, since the view is so wide.

These days I err more on the side of trying to fill the frame, which is likely a tip you’ve heard before. I think it’s a good one. There is absolutely nothing wrong with negative space (and sometimes it makes the image), but just don’t forget that you can go the other direction and get MORE in the photo, which could make it more impactful.

While I think you want to be careful that you don’t create an image that’s too busy, I think getting in closer allows you to really see something in a different light. Instead of an item being a small part of a wide angle shot, it can be the subject of a closer shot and really make an image pop.

I used the gondolas to anchor the foreground while still keeping focus through the entire image and including that lovely Venetian architecture in the background.  A full frame but a beautiful one to my eyes. — I used the gondolas to anchor the foreground while still keeping focus through the entire image and including that lovely Venetian architecture in the background. A full frame but a beautiful one to my eyes.

6) Go minimal

I only shot with my iPhone in this market, and came away with some shots that I really like.

When traveling, we all pack our gear - even stuff we rarely use - just in case. Am I right? I have done many trips where I barely use a lens, for example, and it probably wasn’t worth even bringing it along. It was there “just in case”. What if I need it?

Well, I have also done some trips (and not just local outings - I’m talking about getting on an airplane and flying off somewhere distant) with just a single lens. Yes, one lens. It’s very hard to convince myself to do that, but I have to admit that it has worked out just fine EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I have captured shots that I am proud of and that I genuinely like. (I have also done trips with just my iPhone - talk about feeling free!)

This exercise in minimalism is a great way to force yourself to think differently. You HAVE to get creative because you don’t have the safety net of other tools to lean on. It’s also incredibly freeing. I love to travel light - always have - and having just my camera with one lens (and no tripod, even!) has caused me to look at things differently, and while I frequently shoot things I would shoot with other gear, I have also shot new things, which is exactly the point.

I had several outings in Italy with just my iPhone, or just my Sony camera with no tripod, or just my small point & shoot camera. I feel free when I travel light, and I feel more willing to get experimental for some reason. Perhaps not being burdened with a large, heavy backpack is the reason, almost like you are a part of the scene and not just an observer there to document it. You feel like you can get deeper into it, since you aren't setting up a tripod and bumping into people. You can be quick and stealthy, and it's just plain fun. Plus your back doesn't hurt at the end of the day. ;-)

An iPhone shot from one evening in Florence.  Even with a phone I was able to capture images that I like. — An iPhone shot from one evening in Florence. Even with a phone I was able to capture images that I like.

7) Change your expectations

Ah yes, expectations. We all have them. We all want them to be exceeded, don’t we? I dream of a magical sunset happening every night on every single trip and I visualize it happening, but that doesn’t mean Mother Nature is going to cooperate. I mentioned earlier that you can just lower your expectations, but that just feels like you are handing over the keys to fate and letting things happen, doesn’t it? It feels like a letdown. It feels like you are giving up.

I don’t think any of us want to do that. We want to take the wheel and drive it ourselves.

But I try to go into any trip with limited expectations. I hope for the best, but let’s be honest - hope is about all we can do, since we can’t control the weather.

However, we can work around the weather, dealing with issues like rain by shooting inside (many museums are camera-friendly, and architecturally-gorgeous), or dealing with crowds by shooting in off-hours (sunrise is the best for that) or by zooming in for detailed shots of a location. Or maybe we change up our subject matter and decide to create completely different photos of a place than we originally planned.

We just have to take a different approach. I don’t think of it as lowering my expectations as much as it is adjusting my expectations. I allow my expectations to be fluid. Don’t expect too much, but know that you can deal with any obstacle and find a way to get creative onsite so that you still get the shots you envisioned prior to arrival (and hopefully, many that you did not envision!).

Summary

So that’s it my friends. It’s easy to feel like you are the last one to see some famous landmark, and thus the last one to put your own creative stamp on an image of it. And while many may have come before you (and many will come after you), that doesn’t have to stop you from getting an interesting and creative photo of something. Sure, it may not be the first great photo of a place, but really, does it matter?

I think what matters is that you went out and created an image that means something to you. An image that you like. An image that you will cherish.

And for the record, I absolutely advocate that you take a shot of that famous landmark wherever you are, even though there are already a million shots of it. Who cares? You still need your own shot of it, don’t you? I shoot all the same stuff that everyone else shoots, though I try and get creative using the tips above, and I seek out other less-well-known spots in the places I visit, too.

Mix it up. Experiment. Get creative. Do something "weird". Who cares? This is art, and it is meant to be experimental.

These are tips I try to use on each outing, just to get me out of my comfort zone and into the creative zone. Sometimes it works, and admittedly, sometimes it doesn’t. But when I make the effort to change things up, I always feel better about it.

Creativity is its own reward. Get out there and create my friends! Thanks for stopping by!

Jim Nix 6/26/15 Jim Nix 6/26/15

A mid-year update

I have been really busy with my photography and blogging this year, and am well on my way to achieving my goals (and in some cases I am way ahead!). Today's post is a summary of what all I have been doing. It's hard to tell just by stopping by and reading the blog every once in a while, so I thought I would summarize it all. I really did it so I could see how I was doing against my goals, but if it's interesting for you to read then great. If not, umm, sorry? :-)

Here's a summary of what I have been up to so far this year!

Way back in January of this year, I wrote a post about what I intended to accomplish this year. Now that it is nearly the halfway mark of 2015, I thought I would update you all on my progress. You know, stop halfway and take a look around, make sure I am going in the right direction (or even on the right road) – that sort of thing.

To save you the effort of looking for that post, you can find it here.

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2014/12/29/my-plan-for-2015

Basically, here is what I said I wanted to accomplish this year:

More photos
More product reviews
Invest in myself
More travel-related content
More musings

So far, I am doing pretty well against my goals. In some cases I am way ahead, and in some others…not so much. Read on for an update and heck, I went ahead and assigned a grade to myself. It’s really not about that of course, but it helps me quickly focus in on what I need to focus in on. LOL

More Photos (Mid-Year Grade: A+)

Back at the start of January, I had already published about 2275 photos on Flickr, with a goal then to take that total to 3500 by year’s end (with a stretch goal of 4000 pics). Right now, I am over 3700 photos on Flickr, so I am way ahead of the yearly goal, and nearly to the stretch goal. So being a bit goal-oriented in my daily life, I am going to raise it to 4500 pics with a stretch of 5000. Getting to 5000 will require nearly 8 photos per day, every day, for the rest of the year. This won’t be easy, but will sure as hell be fun – wish me luck (and send coffee)!

I also stated that I would take my portfolio site on SmugMug from about 1250 photos to 2000 by yearend. I’m sitting now somewhere north of 2500, so I completed that already too. I am raising that goal to 3000 with a stretch of 3250. Fingers crossed! And I need to go edit some photos!! :-)

More Product Reviews (Mid-Year Grade: C)

So far in 2015 I have published only a single product review, and it was a lens review. It’s the Panasonic Leica Summilux 15mm f1.7 prime lens, in case you were curious. And that is a great lens. I use it all the time and absolutely love it.

Back in January, my initial thinking was that I would be trying several new software products, and assuming I felt I could add value, I would review them. But truthfully I haven’t had enough time for that, hence my grade of a C. I don’t plan to turn this into a review site by any means, but it is fun to write these things down and share them. It helps me better understand how I use a product too, which is useful to me. I have a few things in mind that I still want to review, and time-permitting, will get another 1 or 2 reviews up on the site this year.

Part of the miss here is that I left Aperture and converted to Lightroom, so a lot of my “free time” to learn new things went into learning LR. It was a good use of time, as I am now very comfortable using LR, but it’s taken a while. And actually, I have about 20 hours of video on LR that I still need to watch. I plan to do that soon. I want to really “master” it, so I am investing in that. That conversion has kept me from getting deep into the On1 Software suite, which I have had for quite some time. Sadly, I rarely use it and that is something I intend to change. I hear great things about those products, and want to experience it myself.

Invest in Myself (Mid-Year Grade: B+)

I want to be better at taking photos, using various bits of software to process them, and writing content for the blog. I seriously enjoy all three, and have spent a good chunk of time thus far in 2015 investing in all three. That's all good. The biggest thing I did was finally move off of Aperture and into Lightroom (as I mentioned above), and it’s been great. That was a major shift for me – and long overdue – but boy am I glad I did it. Now that I am on this side of things, I am much more confident that I made the right decision.

Heck, the Clarity Slider in Lightroom alone was worth changing for! :-)

And while I have spent a lot of time learning this year, I feel like I can do better, hence the B+ grade instead of an A. But hey I should get an A for the Aperture to Lightroom conversion, because that was a LOT of work! LOL You can read about my conversion at the link below.

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2015/5/19/farewell-aperture-hello-lightroom

More Musings (Mid-Year Grade: A)

Writing extended posts is actually one of my favorite things to do here on the blog, although obviously I can’t do that every week. Like everyone else, I am busy with work and family (and processing photos so I can hit goal #1 above!), so I do all this when I can make time. But it’s so enjoyable, and I work hard to get it done.

In 2015, I have thus far shared 4 of these longer “musing” sorts of posts, where I just write about something that I want to write about. Sometimes these are popular, and sometimes they aren’t, but I love doing it anyways, and will keep at it, whether you like it or not (haha). Here are the links to them:

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2015/1/4/how-a-mirrorless-camera-changed-my-photography

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2015/2/7/old-photos-new-results

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2015/3/1/revealing-the-artist-within

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2015/5/19/farewell-aperture-hello-lightroom

So that’s it. It’s been a busy half year so far, and I suspect (and you can expect) that there is a lot more goodness coming. In fact, I know there is, because we are leaving on that big family trip soon. I’ll be back to update you on that one (and you will probably see a lot of photos too!).

If you are interested, you can follow me on Flickr, which is where all these photos end up, and the iPhone shots from the road get there first! So follow along and see you out there! Keep shooting people!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jim Nix 5/21/15 Jim Nix 5/21/15

Farewell Aperture, Hello Lightroom!

Well, I finally have left Aperture behind and moved over to Lightroom. It was a challenging process in several ways, but I am on the other side of it now and Lightroom is great! Click on in to read about all the fun I had making the switch! (That was a joke - it wasn't really very fun at all. But it's behind me now, YAY!)

It’s official - I have finally switched to Lightroom - and it’s great!! (and the move was long overdue)

After about 5 years of using Aperture, I recently made the switch to Lightroom, and so far am really glad that I did. It was a bit trying, and even a little painful at times, but it’s behind me now, and the future looks bright!

A little history

I have used Apple’s Aperture software for years now. It goes way back to about 2010 or so when I picked up version 2. And at that time, it was great for me. It was WAY beyond what iPhoto could do (which was all I had prior to that), and I was learning more and more and trying to develop my skills and my style, so it fit right in. Plus, I loved the way Aperture helped me organize all my files. Before that, I didn’t have much of an organizational system. But luckily, I didn’t have too many files either! :-)

Then I moved up to version 3 and continued to be happy. But version 4 never came, and in fact version 3 just fell further and further behind Lightroom, and like everyone else, I feared that Apple was going to abandon it.

Then, it happened.

The news broke in late June last year that Apple was going to cease development of Aperture in favor of a new app called Photos. Photos was supposedly going to be geared to both consumers and professionals, but let’s be honest here - that’s a very fine line to walk. Making both camps happy is virtually impossible. And while I am not a full-time pro, I treat my work that way and want the best tools available. Who doesn’t, really?

Initially, after I got used to the idea of Aperture going away, I sat down and wrote out my thoughts at the time, which I shared here:

http://nomadicpursuits.com/blog/2014/6/30/some-thoughts-on-the-demise-of-aperture

Basically, I decided that I would try out Lightroom but that I was not in a hurry to move over. I had plenty of time, since Apple committed to supporting the product for a while. And frankly, I was a little scared.

So I did buy Lightroom 5 last year, but I never found the time (or more accurately, made the time) to really get in there and learn it. It basically just sat there, virtually untouched. I dragged a photo in there from time and time and moved some sliders around, but really I was just playing. That was the easy part. Apart from the obvious things that sliders did, I really didn’t understand how to use the product.

Lightroom v6 hits the street - and so does Photos

About a month ago (late April 2015), Adobe finally announced availability of Lightroom 6, also known as Lightroom CC. I read about it with interest, and saw many comments across social media and various blogs about the product. It all sounded really great.

I was intrigued - again - and I like that Adobe continues to invest in and develop the product. This is a market they are very interested in, and that gives me confidence.

Also pretty recently, Apple made Photos for OSX available. While I was tempted to take a look at it, I ended up deciding against it. I didn’t even want to try it out. Some things I read indicated that it was really just a consumer app, and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I didn’t want to go down that road with Apple. They make great products - and I am sure that Photos is great in some ways (maybe even many ways) - but they are not focused on the professional photography market, and I want to stick with someone that is. So while it may be short-sighted (or lazy, or both), it is what it is.

And over the last 6 months, Aperture has been giving me fits. It would crash unexpectedly, for no apparent reason. Every time I launched it (which was nearly every day), it would start “generating previews” which would slow the system to a crawl. I had to go in and manually cancel the task or it would just sit there, generating previews. I searched but could not find a way to stop it permanently. I am a reasonably patient person, but it almost became unbearable to open Aperture and start processing photos - and that’s clearly a bad thing.

So what did I do next?

I jumped back into Lightroom 5 to take a much closer look at it. I figured that there is no time like the present, and if I am not learning something, I am falling behind the rest of the world. I’ve had Lightroom 5 for nearly a year and basically wasted all that time, sadly. I could have mastered it by now, but life got in the way, I guess.

Then a few weeks ago, I got a curious little email from On1 Software. I have their suite of products, and though I have not spent enough time with them, I do enjoy them. (This is another thing I need to spend more time learning. That’s next on the agenda for me.) Anyways, the email was offering a course on the new Lightroom 6/CC with Matt Kloskowski. He’s well-known as a LR trainer, and the course was on sale for $50. (Buy it here.)

I bit.

I figured it was well worth $50 to see what the fuss was all about, and to learn it from a pro like Matt. And let’s face it, I was running out of runway in terms of how much longer I could use Aperture - and how much longer I wanted to use it. So I bought the course, downloaded the videos, and started learning. If you are on the fence about Lightroom yourself, the video series from On1 with Matt teaching is well worth it, even at the normal price (which I believe is around $80). I learned a ton from it.

And while the videos were all about v6/CC, I watched and “played along” with the v5 that I already had. By the time I had watched all the videos (and re-watched some), I knew it was time to make the switch. I was determined to dump Aperture, move to Lightroom, and basically catch up with the times. And I wanted to do it right away. There’s no time like the present, is there?

So I did it - and I’m so glad that I did. It’s a huge relief to be using Lightroom.

The first thing I did was go ahead and sign up for the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan, which is super affordable at $10 per month, and gives me the latest version of both Lightroom and Photoshop. While I am not a Photoshop guy and have never really used it, you can’t argue with the price. Heck, Lightroom alone is worth the $10 a month. It’s like you are getting Photoshop for free.

The next thing I did took a bit longer - quite a bit longer in fact. I started figuring out how to get all of my photos out of Aperture and into Lightroom. I have seen and read SO many things online about how best to move an Aperture library over to Lightroom, and every single one of them indicates that there are some “gotchas” in the process. Those risks range from losing keywords, to missing files, to even losing edits you have made on the photos in Aperture. So I read a TON, and basically got more scared. :-)

Plus, I found lots of different ways to do it - from buying some software I found somewhere online (that actually sounded pretty good), to importing it directly from the Lightroom menu, to manually doing it yourself - plus a few more. I was nearly overwhelmed, and came close to stepping back and waiting.

But I was determined, and figured it was better to try than to wonder about it, right?

So then I started actually moving them. And to clarify, I ran my Aperture library as a fully managed library, meaning the photos were sucked into Aperture’s database and the underlying file structure was invisible to me. It was just one big gooey Aperture database file, full of my photos. This was much more complicated than just importing a series of already existing folders into Lightroom. That would have been easy.

I was scared shitless, to be brutally honest.

This is years of my creative work all wrapped up in Aperture (with all the individual files obscured from my view, basically), and I was terrified that it was going to be a huge mess trying to extricate everything. What if I lost some things? What if it didn’t work?

So what did I do?

I started small, that’s what. I had tons of Aperture projects, all organized neatly and orderly. So I just picked one of the projects, and in Aperture I highlighted all the files in a project, selected Export -> Originals, and ticked the box that said “include IPTC metadata”. I then exported them to a folder on my external drive that I created using the same name as the Aperture project. Then I looked at all the exported files, and looked again.

It's always good to double-check, and in this case, triple-check. Or quadruple.

Although I will say I got this error message a LOT (the one to the left). Aperture doesn't seem to want you to attach metadata to a PSD file when you are exporting. Not sure why, but it happened to me all the time.

I read that when you export Originals, you lose all your edits, but I wanted to make sure I exported all the RAW files, even if I missed the edits. I have previously exported all of my processed photos and uploaded them to my portfolio site at SmugMug, so I figured that worst case I could always retrieve them from there. Or rebuild them, which I guess is actually the worst case.

So how did it go?

Pretty well, actually - thanks for asking. I spent over a week doing this (obviously I didn’t spend all day on it any day - for various reasons, I had to break it up into manageable bites), but eventually got all ~140,000 photos out of Aperture and into a brand new folder structure that I set up on a new external drive to use for Lightroom.

And while in the “old days” I looked favorably upon the Aperture database file and how it obscured things from me (hey, it’s one big file, that’s cool and easy to keep track of and easy to backup!), now that I am using Lightroom I love the fact that Lightroom is the EXACT OPPOSITE of the Aperture method. Lightroom isn’t a file manager, but rather an editing and processing tool. You set up folders with your files in them, store it wherever you want (in my case, on an external hard drive with multiple copies of it on other drives), and just use them in Lightroom. You always see the underlying files, know where they are, and it’s easy to get to any single file if needed. It’s simple and brilliant. I’m a fan, and I never even knew that about Lightroom until I started watching the videos.

So Jim, did you lose anything in the process?

Yes, I probably did, but when you have 140,000 photos it’s pretty hard to tell...so I am not entirely sure just yet (and I still have my Aperture library just in case). After all the exporting, I went through each folder to look at the shots (both RAW and previously edited ones in Aperture) and it looks like they are all there. But I am way too busy to go through it all file by file. I just can’t handle that level of detail over and over - it would take months to check it all, and I would go postal in the process. So I looked in certain folders for particular images that are my favorites, or popular with customers, or whatever - and they were all there...with the edits even, surprisingly.

And since I don’t work full-time as a photographer, I figured I could live with it if something went missing. My best photos were already on SmugMug, so I felt a little smug myself. That’s the beauty of cloud storage - someone’s got your back. Three cheers for SmugMug!

I saw this error message way more than I should have!

I did have some challenges though. Aperture crashed on me dozens of times - like an old girlfriend throwing a tantrum to keep me from leaving. But I stayed Zen-calm the whole time and kept saying “this is better for both of us”. I would relaunch Aperture, start that export job over again, and work my way through it.

I could pinpoint which specific image was causing it to crash, and I would export up to the image before the culprit, then export the one causing the crash as a version instead of as an original, then go back and export the rest of the project as originals. It worked every time. Weird but true.

It looks like all my keywords came through as well - surprisingly - but I will say that all the filenames I had given to my finished photos did not come through. They all reverted to some variant of the original RAW file name, instead of “Sunset over Lake Austin” or whatever incredibly original name I had assigned it. :-) But that is ok with me, as it doesn’t really affect me in any way.

So that’s really it, folks. I’m done! I'm using Lightroom!

It was a little nerve-wracking for me, as you can probably imagine, but it all worked out in the end and now I have all my files (at least, I think I have them all LOL) in a file folder structure on an external drive, and I use them in Lightroom - and it’s freakin’ awesome!

I still have a lot to learn about Lightroom, but having spent so much time in it lately (and watching so much online training), I feel like I have a new lease on my photographic processing and am having a hell of a good time with it!

Thanks for listening! Let me know if you have any questions.

And here is my layout now in Lightroom, with all my well-organized files in a simple structure there on the left. And I love that a quick glance tells me how many photos are in each folder. Simple, easy, straight-forward, and awesome!

Ok, time to go process some photos, folks - thanks for the visit!

Jim Nix 12/15/14 Jim Nix 12/15/14

15 Tips for Better Photos in 2015

Today, my friends, I have a list of 15 tips that will help you take better photos in 2015. Sound interesting? Take a look and let me know what you think! I wrote this as a way for me to get focused, but decided it might be helpful and was worth sharing. Enjoy!

How can I get better at photography in the new year?

Whether you are a hobbyist or “serious” photographer, you are probably always thinking about how you can up your game. I know that I am. I am always thinking about photography, and post-processing, and composition, and all that good stuff we spend our time thinking about (ok, maybe obsessing over).

If you want to improve at something, you have to put in the time. Obviously the trick as an adult is to find the time, but assuming you find some, how do you spend it? I have been out many times and gone into auto-pilot, just doing what I do and taking pictures. It’s easy to do that. We’re just doing what comes naturally. We finally have a chance to get out and shoot, and so we just start shooting without giving it a lot of thought. We're excited.

But as a new year approaches, I am thinking about how to be more efficient with my time, and how to get the most productive growth out of it. Let’s face it - most of us have day jobs and other responsibilities, and they all take up a good chunk of time. So I plan to get hyper-efficient and learn as much as possible in the time that I have.

So how am I going to do that? What am I going to do in 2015?

Here’s the list. I just started compiling this list as a reference for myself, but then thought that maybe it could help someone out there. And that’s what this site is about, in some ways, so here’s my list. I hope it works for you! Let me know if you have any questions!

1) Stop being hyper, dammit!

I am extremely guilty of getting somewhere and then immediately starting to fire off shots. Instead, I plan to slow down a bit, think about what I want to shoot and how I want to shoot it, and then proceed. It’s better to get one or a couple of shots right, then to take a bunch that are just hurried and with no forethought.

2) Frame it. No, not on the wall.

This dovetails perfectly with #1. After I slow down, I will focus on the composition of my shots. I often fire away indiscriminately, only to get home and review the shots and find that many of these are not so great. You can’t fix that later. :-)

3) Read it then live it.

Whether it’s photo blogs, magazines, ebooks, or actual books, I will devote some time to learning more about this craft. If you ever stop learning, you’re stagnant. Photography is literally a lifetime thing - why not learn as much as I can now so I can benefit from that knowledge for longer? Start today. Time isn’t waiting around for me!

4) Is that a camera in your pocket?

Regardless of your brand choice for a phone, you probably have one, and it probably has a pretty decent camera and photo editing apps on it. And I bet you NEVER leave home without it. So use it, and use it a lot. When I travel, I come home with loads of iPhone shots. Sometimes I don’t take my “real camera” on a trip because I know I won’t have time to shoot. So I just use the iPhone, and it’s great! It still counts as photography, and it’s still a great way to work on my skills. When I have both, I find that although I may be shooting the same things with my iPhone that I shoot with my Olympus, I am shooting them differently. That’s good too.

5) Share, engage, be social.

I am somewhat active on social media, and though I don’t plan to spend a lot more time there in 2015 (I can't spend too much time there or I would never get anything posted here!), I do plan to continue to share my photos and engage in the awesome online community of photographers that we are all a part of. I learn a lot just reading things that people share. Just don’t get trapped watching cat videos. :-)

6) Tell me what you're thinking.

I do a terrible job soliciting feedback from others, but I think it’s important. While someone's opinion of my work isn’t what I want to base my definition of success on, there are those whose opinions I trust and I intend to do a better job getting feedback from some of my peers this year. Everyone has their own perspective, and it's good to hear them.

7) Go somewhere. Go anywhere. Just go.

I’m a big fan of getting out in the world and taking the camera along, but that’s probably pretty obvious. But even if you are limited in funds or time, you can still travel across town or to the next town, and get a change of scenery. I think it forces you to think differently, because you are in a new place. It opens up creative channels in your brain. Get out there and see new things. It’s great for your mind, your body, and your photography.

8) Shoot the small stuff too.

I’ve been doing this more and more. I used to only try and get the big shots whenever I went somewhere, and while I still get the big ones, I make an equal effort to get the small, overlooked shots too. And guess what? Taking the “in between” shots is a great way to get in more practice and up your skills. Why not grab some while you are walking from one big shot to the next? You might even capture some that make a real difference to you. Besides, everyone has already seen a photo of “the big one” in whichever place you are shooting. Why not take a photo that everyone else overlooks?

9) Volume, up.

There’s an old quote that your first 10,000 photos are your worst, and I completely agree with it. My opinion is that you should take a lot of photos, but keep in mind points #1 and #2 above when doing so. They are not all going to be winners, and never will be. But you up your chances of getting keepers if you have trained yourself on how to do things the way you want to do them, and that comes from a lot of practice. So take a lot of shots. I bet you will find that you start to get more and more photos that you think are worth keeping.

10) Do some research.

Before you go somewhere, spend a little time researching the town for all the best spots to shoot there (I have a bunch of lists on the blog here for cities I have spent time in). There’s nothing better than getting somewhere and having a plan, even if it’s a loose plan. But research other things too: read your camera manual. Read reviews of the gear you own because you are very likely going to learn something. Read reviews of the software you use, even stuff you use all the time. You will certainly learn some new things.

11) Spin those dials.

I did this a lot on my recent trip to France, and I learned a lot about my camera as well as my style of shooting (which is changing). On my old Nikon, I shot at f/13 almost all the time, and it was nearly always a 7 exposure HDR done on a tripod. But on this trip to France a couple of weeks ago, I was shooting 3 exposure brackets handheld at f/2.8 with my Olympus, and I got some great results. I’m still learning and plan to keep doing so. It feels great, and I am getting different but still satisfying images.

12) Find new ways to push those pixels around.

I have been using several different software packages over the years, but one in particular was the one I used the most. I am trying to move away from my dependence on that one (though it’s still quite good) in the interest of broadening my skills in post-processing. So mix things up. Try something different. I’ve been enjoying Topaz Impression a lot lately, which allows me to convert my shots to paintings. It’s fun, and I am continuing to learn and push myself creatively. I also purchased the OnOne Software Suite, and have been getting started with that one, mostly Perfect Effects. It’s causing my brain to expand because I am learning something new. You just can’t go into Auto-Pilot when you are learning something new, and that’s good.

13) Quit photography (but not for long).

Sometimes it’s best just to take a break. Walk away for a bit. Take a day off, or a week. While it’s important to continually invest in your knowledge and skills, it’s equally important to be in the right frame of mind - and let’s face it, some times we don’t feel creative. That’s ok. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Take a break, recharge, and come back hungry. There’s growth in the breaks too.

14) No one will die if you screw up.

I once had a customer, upon learning that her print shipment was being delayed, say to me “That’s ok, there are no art emergencies”. I love that quote, and keep it in mind a lot. It’s very true. This is a life passion, not a mission-critical business (at least for me - I realize some folks depend upon photography as a line of work). Lives don't depend on my getting something right. I doctor images, but I'm no doctor. So whenever I get stressed about this or that, I remember that quote and it helps put it all in perspective.

15) Enjoy the hell out of this stuff.

It really all comes down to this for me. Am I having fun? Am I enjoying what I am doing with my photography? If the answer is yes, then I keep going. Whenever I don’t feel like it’s fun, that’s when I take a break. Recharge. Reset my expectations. Then when I come back with the right attitude, everything is great again. And since this is how I spend my free time, I absolutely want to make sure that I am enjoying it. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Well that’s it folks - 15 ways that I intend to improve my photography in the new year. I hope that everyone has a great 2015 and if you want to add to this list, feel free to do so in the comments section. I am sure there are about 5 million more great ideas out there about how to improve in the new year. See you out there shooting!

Jim Nix 10/9/14 Jim Nix 10/9/14

It's not about the postcard shot

Today I share my thoughts on how I am changing as a photographer. I love great photos of the big things, but I am finding an equal (and sometimes greater) satisfaction from shooting the little things. Read on to get my thoughts on this and feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section!

Some thoughts on shooting the little things

When you travel, do you plan to see and photograph all the big sights in whichever place you are traveling to? You do, right? I do too. We all do. That’s natural. The famous stuff is famous for a reason - everyone loves it, wants to see it, and plans to take photographs of it. And, it’s usually beautiful, historic, or incredibly interesting in some way (or all three). In other words, it’s a landmark. It just beckons you to come see it.

That’s why they become postcards.

But that’s also why they are getting harder and harder to shoot, or get an original shot of. They are overshot, in some ways. They are crowded. Still awesome, mind you - but overshot.

And most of us don’t have the luxury of returning to that spot over and over again, so that we do get the most perfect conditions for some epic photo. We might get one shot at it - and that’s it.

This was embedded in the sidewalk in Bratislava, Slovakia.  It was a full circle with many cities listed. — This was embedded in the sidewalk in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was a full circle with many cities listed.

There's more to travel photography than the big sights

While I do advocate going and taking your shot of that landmark (if you are like me, you have to have your own!), I have started to realize that the little things are just as important as the big things. They fill in the blank spaces between the big shots. They are the sweet little slices of a place that you don’t often see on a postcard. They add meaning, and depth, and substance. They’re real.

You don’t just show up, shoot the big stuff, and then turn around and shoot the next big thing. They are not just waiting there for you, all lined up and ready to pose. There is usually a bit of travel between them, but there’s also a million shots to be had in between, if you take the time to look for them. And they can be incredible.

This is an opportunity for all of us.

A corner of a building in Brussels, Belgium, shot at sunrise.  I just loved the lines and the light - and that wall of graffiti at the end of the sidewalk. — A corner of a building in Brussels, Belgium, shot at sunrise. I just loved the lines and the light - and that wall of graffiti at the end of the sidewalk.

Now of course you pretty much have to shoot the big stuff (in some ways, it’s the proof that you actually went there - and let's face it, they're awesome), and to be clear, I advocate that you DO shoot the big stuff. But my advice is to stay alert and open-minded while you travel, and seek the lesser-known stuff too. The big shots are sort of like the bones of a good story (plot, major characters, etc) - the little shots are the muscle and all the connecting tissue. You need both to tell a complete story.

The other thing I have learned over the years is that there are just SO MANY incredibly good shots of the big stuff already. It’s been done so many times, and it’s probably been on the cover of a book or magazine, like National Geographic. Someone had the right skills, the right light, and the right eye to capture an iconic photo at the right time - a masterpiece. And it is just AWESOME. I freakin‘ LOVE seeing photos like that. They inspire me.

Another European street corner - this time in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Down to the right is Nyhavn, the popular harbor area with the historic ships.  I just loved this little scene though, and had to capture it! — Another European street corner - this time in Copenhagen, Denmark. Down to the right is Nyhavn, the popular harbor area with the historic ships. I just loved this little scene though, and had to capture it!

Just think about it for a moment. Even if you have never been to some famous places, you know exactly what they look like, right? You can see the photo in your mind, right now. The Colosseum in Rome? Machu Picchu? The Acropolis in Athens? I can picture them all, right now, clear as day. And it’s because someone has been there and made an exceptional photo of it.

For me, it's about setting my expectations

Am I really going to get perfect conditions and end up with THE shot of Big Ben, for example? Probably not. Am I going to go and shoot it anyways? Of course. But I go into it knowing that the outcome is likely not going to be a game-changer in the world of photography. That's not a fatalistic, defeatist attitude. That's the truth. I'm always hopeful (I'm pretty much a perpetual optimist), but I go into it knowing the probabilities. (See, I'm also a realist.)

And that’s ok, because I am not hunting for a single masterpiece on any trip that I take. Those are so incredibly rare that I just cannot set that as a goal for myself. I find it limiting, or restricting, for my style of photography, and for what I want out of photography.

There are those photographers who do set that as a goal, and often achieve it. I think that is awesome, and I am thankful for them, because I love seeing great photos, and I want photographers who create great things to get the rewards that go along with their efforts.

But I rarely have the time to repeatedly visit a spot, looking for that perfect photo. I want to shoot everything I can, and move on. I want to collect evidence of a place, which is a whole lot more than a single location. Then I want to go collect even more. :-)

St. Thomas Church in New York City - just a short stroll from the much larger and more famous St. Patrick's.  I went there too, but it was under construction and STILL super crowded.  So I popped over here and nearly had it to myself! — St. Thomas Church in New York City - just a short stroll from the much larger and more famous St. Patrick's. I went there too, but it was under construction and STILL super crowded. So I popped over here and nearly had it to myself!

I find that my goals and my approach to a trip have changed over the years. I want to weave a fabric that shows the soul of a place, and I want to capture a lot of various shots of any city I visit. I want to shoot EVERYTHING, and come back with an entire album of photos, showing the good, the bad, and the in-between. I feel like most of the time that happens with the little things, or at least a blend of the big things and little things. Photos of famous places don't tell the full story - they just can't. They may be remarkable, but they are a single chapter in a novel. They don't stand alone.

I find a trip so much more satisfying when I take the time to find all the overlooked and ignored things that every place has to offer. And guess what? Those things are NOT photographed to death, partly because everyone just hustles off to the next big thing. You can get an original shot of the little things, and there is often no one in your way. That’s a win.

Just some colorful trashcans lining a street in the historic Casco Viejo district in Panama City, Panama.

And guess what else? I think these little shots tell a better story than the big iconic ones. They are more real (as I said above), and they give you insight into a place that you don’t get from a shot of a famous landmark. They humanize a distant land, making it familiar. They bring it to life. They are relatable.

So the next time you are traveling somewhere far afield, with your list of all the great spots to go shoot (and I have happily created plenty of those here on the blog, because I think they are worth seeing and photographing), don’t forget to stop along the way and take photographs of the little things. You might just find that they give you an incredible amount of satisfaction.

If nothing else, they will help you tell a better story.

There are so many incredible things to shoot in San Francisco, CA.  Between them, I stopped and shot Pier 23 Cafe.  Ain't it cool?  I love little spots like this - so much personality. — There are so many incredible things to shoot in San Francisco, CA. Between them, I stopped and shot Pier 23 Cafe. Ain't it cool? I love little spots like this - so much personality.

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Thanks for listening. Here are a few tips for making sure you get the little shots:

Print out a map of your destination, and highlight the big sights you plan to shoot while there (and take into consideration time of day, light direction, etc)
Depending on how much time you have (and how many outings you get with the camera), plan out a general route between these big sights
Walk between the big sights! Do not take taxis, or trains, or whatever unless you just absolutely have to (for example, if it’s really far).
Wander the streets between sights and do not be afraid to get a little lost. I find more interesting things to shoot when I meander somewhat aimlessly. You get the added benefit of becoming very familiar with a place!
All the tourists are taking taxis and trains - so since you are walking, you will not have to deal with as much of a crowd when you find little tucked away spots to shoot.
Get up early and shoot sunrise. I have had more luck with sunrise shooting than any other time of day. Added bonus: all the tourists are still asleep!
It's of particular importance to shoot the big things at sunrise, because you will more likely have them to yourself. Then shoot all the great little stuff afterwards!

Jim Nix 7/16/14 Jim Nix 7/16/14

Terminally addicted

You have heard me say how much I love train stations, especially those in Europe. Now, here's a full examination of why, and some tips for getting the shot too! This is a lengthy read, but I hope you enjoy it!

Thoughts on my photographic addiction to train stations

This is the facade of Union Station in Denver, which is beautiful.  But the rest of these shots are from Europe. — This is the facade of Union Station in Denver, which is beautiful. But the rest of these shots are from Europe.

In case you haven’t been here before, or just haven’t noticed, I have a thing for train stations, especially those found in Europe. It’s a serious thing. It borders on obsession. But I’m ok with that, because it’s a healthy obsession. I think.

Whenever I go to a new town, prior to my trip I look up the main train station terminal in the town and see where it is, check out Google Images so I can determine whether it’s worthy of a visit, and in some cases I arrange my hotel to be near it, for the sake of convenience. Is that obsessive? :-)

Glasgow Central Station - Scotland.  I had this all to myself, and I loved it! — Glasgow Central Station - Scotland. I had this all to myself, and I loved it!

While that can also be helpful from a work standpoint (as I often have to get on a train to somewhere), I admit that’s not why I stay close. I just love to shoot them, and I want easy access, especially early in the morning before they are crowded (and sometimes later at night). Who wants to get up super early, only to have to walk for 20 minutes in the dark? I want to just pop across the street and get it done. Call me lazy if you want - I call it strategic.

Plus, they are often located in the center of a city, so that puts you in easy striking distance of many other major sights that are probably already on your photography list. We all want to shoot the major landmarks anyways, right? I mean, obviously they’ve all been shot, but we aren’t satisfied until we shoot them ourselves. You’re with me on this, right? A city’s Central Station is usually in the heart of it all. It makes everything convenient.

I have been giving this a lot of thought, trying to figure out why I am so afflicted. It didn’t come from my youth, that’s for sure. While I played with toy cars and that sort of stuff like any young boy, trains were never “my thing”. I wasn’t into them, specifically. I mean, I had a train set (at least I think, it’s been so long that some things are a bit foggy), and like any kid I enjoyed playing with things like that, but I was not a train-crazy kid.

Berlin Hauptbahnhof - what a crazy but awesome place!

NOTE: As a point of clarification – I am talking about shooting the train station itself in this article, and preferably in HDR. That’s my preference, and my point-of-view on this subject. Plus, they look freaking awesome in HDR! But, if you don’t like HDR or are into street photography/street portraits, I am sure you can still get a TON of great stuff in a train station. But, that’s not me. I want to shoot the place in HDR, and avoid the people in it.

So, here we go…

3 Causes of My Addiction

I think it really comes down to 3 major themes here: the allure of travel, lead in lines, and grit. That’s why I love them. That’s the whole enchilada. Simple, right?

1) The allure of travel

I’ve been some sort of traveler my whole life. It’s in my blood I guess. My Mom calls it having “itchy feet”. I just like to go places. My Dad was in the Army when I was young, and as such we moved just about every year. When he took his final assignment (ending up in San Antonio, TX) and we stopped moving, it seemed weird. After a year or two there, my sister and I thought we were supposed to pack it up again and go somewhere new. It seemed odd to just stay put.

Canary Wharf Station in London - I love the train system (and the stations!) in the UK!

That’s what train stations represent to me – the ability to go, to move, to step into new lands. They represent the notion of “packing it up and hitting the road”. Especially in Europe, a train can get you just about anywhere, and in a short amount of time. It’s very appealing to someone who likes to travel anyways.

Also consider the fact that I live in Texas, which is a pretty big state, in case you hadn’t heard that somewhere before. I live in Austin, which is fairly central, and as such if I want to drive to the next closest state, it’s something like 4 hours in the car (and that gets you to Oklahoma, which is hardly a vacation in my book). You can drive East to West across Texas and it will take you – no kidding here – something like 13-14 hours. It’s a damn long way. Like I said, Texas is a big state. So if you are in a train station somewhere in Europe, and you consider the proximity of so much awesomeness which is all just a short train ride away…well, that’s pretty tantalizing to me. Several countries within striking distance? Sign me up baby!

2) Lead in lines

Lead in lines are the inherent lines and shapes in a photo that naturally lead your eye through the frame to a distant point of interest. They direct the visual traffic, so to speak – and they are wonderful. Many times you have multiple lines in a scene all converging in the distance. I love finding scenes with great natural lines, and train stations have them in spades. The tracks, the ceiling – these all offer great lines and lead you visually through the frame.

In other words, it’s all about the architecture!

St. Pancras International Station in London - this is where you board a train to Paris, via the Chunnel!

I find that strong lines accentuate a photo, making it more visually appealing to the human eye. Maybe it’s something that our minds like at a deep level, as if it satisfies our sense of order, proportion and direction. Whatever it is, I find myself drawn to photos with strong lines. They’re beautiful.

Couple those lines with the often incredible architecture in a train station (I find even the mundane, unadorned ones quite interesting) and there is a lot to point the camera at, so to speak. Clearly, I am also just a huge fan of architecture (and considered studying it in college, but never did) and get pretty fired up in places like this!

3) Grit

Let’s face it – grit can be good. I love gritty, rough scenes, especially in HDR, and train stations are absolutely perfect for this. While the main terminal section of a train station (where the shops are) is usually somewhat clean, once you move out to where the trains are sitting, it gets noticeably rougher. It’s vastly different. Gone are the shiny floor tiles (which give off excellent reflections, I might add), and they are replaced with cement that is scuffed, scarred, and possibly broken in spots. There may be stains in it too – or even puddles of water and oil - which makes it even better. You see grease on the ground, and you can smell grit in the air. It’s all very rough and industrial-feeling. It kicks ass.

Glasgow Central Station - with a shiny new Virgin Railways train sitting there.

Then of course there are the trains themselves, sitting there. These beasts are awesome-looking. The sleek new ones look like thoroughbreds ready to start a race – you can almost feel their power even when they are idle. But don’t forget the old classy ones just sitting there looking all smug in their historic awesomeness! What’s not to like about that? These things have personality, and personality goes a long way. (blatant Pulp Fiction quote rip-off).

So that’s why I like them! Now, how about some tips for getting the shot?

4 tips for shooting in train stations

While this article about why I love train stations is fun to write, I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t include a few tips as well. And in all my time spent shooting in train stations, I have learned a few things, some the hard way. So, here are a few tips for getting the most out of it.

1) Go early (or arrive late if you have to)

My best luck in any train station has come early on a weekend morning, especially a Sunday. You are likely to experience much less human traffic, which in my opinion you want to avoid anyways. Who wants a bunch of tourists getting in your photo? I sure don’t. On weekends, all the “worker-bees” are not going there, and if you are early enough that means those who do have to be there on a weekend are likely still asleep. I have literally been in train stations by myself at times. It’s awesome.

And while you can possibly get the same benefit if you arrive really late in the evening, I find that there are more likely to be folks there at night than early in the morning. Plus, I am not a night owl, so I can’t possibly stay up late enough to wait for a place to clear out. I would rather get up early and be the first one there. But, that’s personal preference. I once shot in the Leipzig, Germany train station at night, and it worked out great. Well, until the security guard tossed me out. :-)

As this one was firing, the security guard approached me - but I got my shots fired, yay! - Leipzig, Germany

Keep in mind however that it is better to shoot in the middle of the day when it is crowded than never at all. So if you are only there when it is crowded, shoot away. It’s always better to have taken the shot than to skip it. In fact, one of my favorite shots was actually mid-day in Kings Cross Station in London. It’s when I happened to be there, so I took the shot. It actually worked out well I think, so this suggestion is really for those purists out there who want NOT A SINGLE LIVING THING in their photo. Or, you can use Photoshop. :-)

Kings Cross Station in London - this is the train station that Harry Potter uses to get to Hogwarts.  :-) — Kings Cross Station in London - this is the train station that Harry Potter uses to get to Hogwarts. :-)

2) Plan ahead and move quick

It’s much better to maximize your time there if you have already been to the train station prior to arriving with your gear. I like to scout the place, see what might work, and get a mental plan in place. I feel like you have to be strategic, as there are times when you may encounter a security guard who is not ok with you walking around and photographing the place. So plan ahead and try not to look suspicious. :-) Then, show up and work your plan. Move fast. Set up and shoot. Move on. Set up and shoot again.

Central Station in Malmo, Sweden - just loved all the lines here!

And if you haven’t scouted the location prior to your arrival, then take a few minutes and get a feel for the place. Look around. Keep the tripod and camera in the bag for now. See where the lines direct your eye. See if security is present and/or hassling anyone. Sometimes it’s better to start at the edges, which could put you further away from both tourists and security. Then as you shoot, begin to move in. Converge on the center.

3) Don’t forget the exterior!

All this talking so far has been about how to shoot inside a train station, and that’s where most of the gritty goodness resides. But by all means, get some shots of the façade as well. Some of these exteriors are just incredible! They are often grand and ornate, or at the very least they may have some great signage out front.

The grand facade of Amsterdam Central Station - so awesome.  Sadly I never made it there early enough!  :-) — The grand facade of Amsterdam Central Station - so awesome. Sadly I never made it there early enough! :-)

And there’s another exterior shot to take – where the tracks leave the covered interior and take off into the world. If you can get out there (which is often just walking down the walkway, past where all the trains park to load/unload), you may be rewarded with a pretty cool (and unique) view of things. It’s well worth the walk in my opinion!

Glasgow Central Station in Scotland - I wandered to the end of the station so I could look back at it (and shoot it).

4) Use a tripod

I am a fan of using my tripod anyways, but because a train station is often not extremely well illuminated (remember: you are there early or late, so the outdoor light filtering in could be greatly reduced, and the interior lighting may be insufficient for some exposures), it’s best to have it ready to go. You obviously want a crisp, clean shot because part of the fun of this is all the detail you can accentuate in the photos you create.

So that’s it really - travel, architecture, and grit…the holy trinity of train stations. Then be sure to arrive early, plan ahead, don’t forget the exterior, and bring your tripod. Oh, and don’t forget to have fun! That’s mostly what it’s all about!