Wasted Day?

One of the goals I have set for myself recently is to take more photographs, on a more consistent basis.  Since I bought my Nikon D40 I’ve taken 9,800 photographs.  Sounds like quite a few, and definitely well on my way to getting the first 10,000 out of the way, so I can start making true progress towards taking fewer “snapshots” and more “photographs”.   Then, I did the math.  I’ve had the D40 since May 2008.  850 days, give or take a day.  9,800 photographs divided by 850 days = 11.5 shots a day.  It takes about two seconds of thought to realize that 12 attempts at anything a day – photographs, free throws, free kicks in soccer, whatever, is nowhere near enough to develop a skill or find a voice or become so familiar with a process that it becomes second nature…


So, I’ve come to realize that I need to shoot more photos, more often.  Not to run up the number on the shutter count, not to fill up hard drives full of random shots, not to take photos for the sake of taking photos, but to take the time to experiment, look, visualize, to try and SEE the world around me differently, and to translate that into better photographs, on a more consistent basis.  To become better, I must practice and push myself, no different than when I literally shot hundreds of free throws, day after day, when I was 13 and trying to become a starter on the junior high basketball team…

I’m not talking about sitting in the living room every evening taking 200 “candid” shots of the cat sleeping on the back of the couch.  I’m talking about taking the camera along whenever I go for a drive (and, let’s face it, even in town who hasn’t had the “damn, I wish I had my/should have brought my” camera thought), on long walks with the dog, those everyday opportunities that we realize later would have been the perfect time to try and capture something different or unexpected…

Last Saturday was a perfect example.  Unseasonably warm weather, hardly a cloud in the sky, leaves turning into their autumn hues, gently falling to the ground.  Sun warm on the skin even if the slight chill of fall was in the air.  A perfect day for a long walk.  We decided to take advantage of this perfect day and headed to Eklutna Lake for a long walk and a picnic lunch, the first big “nature” outing with our semi-new dog.  A perfect opportunity to take the camera along and get some practice in…

And, I did.  25 shots or so at Eklutna Lake, then another 35 or so later at home, trying to capture a shot of fireweed gone to seed, thinking the cottony tendrils backlit by the sun might make an interesting shot.  After the sun faded and as the evening was winding down, I downloaded the day’s work to the computer and took a look.  What did I have?  Nothing.  Not one shot that I would show someone else, not one shot that I would say “huh, that turned out alright”.  A big zero.  Was it the subject matter?  Was it my technique?  My vision?  Or lack thereof?  I honestly don’t know.  I would like to think that it was just one of those days where things just didn’t click.  But, to be honest, I would tend to think it’s more a reflection on my present skill set and lack of creative vision…

So, back to the title of this post.  Wasted day?  Not at all.  I learned a tad bit more about myself as a photographer, tried a thing or two that didn’t work (and that I’ve tucked away in memory).  Most importantly – and this is the true lesson of the day – I got to spend a wonderful day with my family and our semi-new, lovable (and exhausted) rescue pup…