Photography and the photographers who take photographs.

Todate I have just under 20,000 photographs on my hard drive...19,767 to be exact. Over the last few month I have attempted to delete the worst of my photos. I probably have had over 25,000 photos at some point. What can I say, the Canon EOS systems that I have used have used can take, depending on the camera I had at the time, anywhere from 3-6 frames per second. That can result in the same subject, doing the same thing, at the same time, many times over. Sometimes it results in way too many pictures. I admit, I'm as lazy as the next person, so going back and deleting duplicates and bad shots is more effort than I can muster at times.

It does bring into focus one of the main rules of photography though. If you want to take the "one" in a million photo, you HAVE to take a million photos! That is a lesson I have learned.


This photo is a perfect example of this. When I realized what was about to happen, I pushe the shutter down and just let it fly. Back then I think I had the Canon XT or XTI which takes 6 frames per second. If I had my Canon 5D(my current camera) which only does about 3 frames per second, I may have missed this shot.

Another rule of photography that I am TRYING to learn is, PATIENCE!
It is aa very important rule!!
Since this photo does NOT have a creative commons licsence on Flickr, I will only link to it. But do look at it. How hard is it to capturethat photo? It has been taken by many people, over many years. But it only happens about ONCE a year, if your lucky!!! That is patience. Patience is waiting for the right light, but also maybe waiting for the right time of the year, or maybe even the right year!!! Ansel Adams destroyed more photos that he ever developed and shared. You never saw his failures!!!

That is a lesson I'm trying to learn also. Never show your poor photographs!!!!

Now I will make you suffer! I'm going to post about my photos on Flickr. Flickr tracks your photos popularity based on 4 catagories. I'm going to show and talk about the top 3 of each in each of those catagories. they are:
1.Inerestingness(a secret formula developed by Flickr)
2.Views(How many people viewed the photo)
3.Favorites(How many people call it a favorite)
4.Comments(Most commented on photo)
Its only 12 photos, you'll live through it.....lol
Interestingness:
1.
This is a recent addition to my top list. This photo was taken at Binions in Downtown Las Vegas. I took it upon the request of the girls shown. When they saw my camera, obviously having good tastes in cameras, they wanted thier picture taken.
It never even made my Flickr list until I added it to a group called "Caught in the Act" about photos you got in trouble for. Within a week it shot to the top!
Originally it was just taken as a "man", or in this case, woman on the street, enjoying a good time in Las Vegas for my blog.

2.
This picture, and the first one in this post, are among my favorites. It was taken at Crosswinds Marsh in Michigan. Infact the first photo in this post is hanging on my wall in the form of a 2 1/2 by 3 foot print in a frame.

3.
This pictue was taken at Sunset Park in Las Vegas. Not a bad photo, but I could take it or leave it. No accounting for tastes!!!!

Views:
1.
Taken at a protest for Verlaine May Powless, a young woman run down and killed in a pedestrian walkway in 2008. Although I remember virtually EVERY photograph I have ever taken, this set really touched me. I remember the pain in many of the photographs I took that day. I remember being asked if I was part of the "press", and, not wanting to lie, saying "no" even though I was determined to tell her story. The picture below sums up the protest.

This was NOT a young lady out doing the wrong things, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons! She was out at 8PM and was run over, when she DID have the right to be where she was! Everytime I drive by there i think of her, even though I never met her. There was no intent upon the part of the driver who hit her. He was visiting from Detroit, and stopped and took responability for what he did. He is still sitting in Clark County Jail as far as I know. In a fraction of a second, things can change forever. He was, without a doubt, at fault, but I still feel sorry for him becuase he never had the intent to do that.

2.

This photo was taken while riving down the road in my service van. Camera out the window, settings on Auto. Click! By far it beat out every photo of the snow storm I "worked" at taking!

Favorites:
1.

A LVMDP motorcycle cop sitting outside of The Fremont Experience during the Helderado event. Not a great photo, but anything involving photos of police is popular on Flickr!
2.

Taken in 2005 durting our vacation out west. we visited Death Valley and I took this shot somewhere near the "train" in Death Valley. I remember it very well. One of my favorites.
3.

See above....lol

Comments:
1.

see above!

2.

See above!

3.

See above!

Note that these are NOT my favorites. Maybe I'll show then later.

I'd like to point out though, that for each of the nearly 20,000 photos on my hard drive, I can remember the story behind each. I think thats true for most photographers!