Island in the Net by Khürt Williams
Technology and Photography Musings. Established circa 2000.
This morning I was stuck in the traffic behind a school bus on Princeton Pike. I pulled out my iPhone to snap a photo of Princeton Battefield Park.
This morning I was stuck in the traffic behind a school bus on Princeton Pike. I pulled out my iPhone to snap a photo of Princeton Battefield Park. The snow had melted and I loved the play of the early sunlight on the mostly brown grass on the field. Only after processing the image in Photogene did I notice the slant in the cloud line. It almost looks like a crack opened in the seams between the land and the sky and the sun peaked out.
Quaker Road is a narrow country road with a ditch on one side and a river on the other. There is no place to stop. But this day, I looked behind me and there was no car in sight.
I drive along Quaker Road almost every day to get to my client's office. Sometimes I leave my home later than I should and I'm worried about arriving later than I want. Quaker Road is often the quickest route depending on traffic patterns. I'm often in a rush to get to the office so even though I've noticed the beauty of the sun rising over the farm fields I don't stop. Quaker Road is a narrow country road with a ditch on one side and a river on the other. There is no place to stop. But this day, I looked behind me and there was no car in sight. The image was processed captured with the native iOS camera app with a lot of tweaking in Aviary on my iPad. I recommend you download a copy.
A camera is just a tool. A carpenter using a hammer and me using a hammer are going to get different results. I can use a hammer but I don’t know how to make a table. For me it’s not about the camera, it’s about the skill and the storytelling ability.
I see so many people -- especially parents -- with DSLR cameras all set to "Auto". In my opinion, they've bought very expensive point-n-shoot cameras.
How many people come up to me and say, “Oh, your camera’s nice. I bet it takes great photos.” Yeah, it does. Because I’m using it. No one would say to a dentist, “Oh your drill must do great root canals.” Photojournalists aren’t replaceable. Photography isn’t about smarts, it’s about feeling and understanding emotions. Some reporters are really good at that, but most of them aren’t.
