Inspiration. Maybe.

I need some inspiration.

I have a folder on my external that contains shots that inspire me. Will I ever do anything about it? I go through the folder sometimes, and I'm careful about what I add. I look at a lot of photos, more now than I ever have before, and sometimes I see a shot and before I know it I'm going to right click and save. Perhaps it would behoove me to study the photos more frequently and attempt to pin down what exactly about then I love so much.

Even though I have said it a lot recently, I'm still having issues finding motivation to take pictures. The newest issue/excuse is that my sb-800 broke. I am in bummerville about that right now. During my Halloween party I set up a backdrop and my umbrella and took tons of pictures of my friends all dressed up.

It was the best idea I've had in a long time.

My fondness for black and white continues to grow. I'd like to put some effort into doing high-key shoots. This definitely requires getting my flash repaired. I think the light bulb is burned out. Please tell me that I'll remember to take it to the post office tomorrow, and double-please let Nikon be fast with turn-around.

The other day I ordered a smaller umbrella, a 30 inch. I was only able to utilize it in a shoot one time before my flash bit it for good. The inside of it is silver which created an awesome amount of contrast. I was taking photos of Unjuy and they were really nice. It'd be great to get photos of him with his eyes open. We were in a dark room and his pupils were extremely dilated, plus I currently use the built-in flash on my camera as a remote commander for my sb-800, so that trigger flash gets him blinking before the flash can actually go off. Damn his double set of eyelids!

I have a list of photo ideas that I have yet to dive into. I keep forgetting about the ideas, and when I remember them it's usually too late in the day and I can't execute them properly. Must fix this.

This photo would be much better without the distracting background elements.

While I was taking photos on Halloween I started to think about how much I can't wait to have more equipment and space. It would have been awesome to have a backdrop that was wider and covered the floor. A second light coming from the right to get rid of the harsh shadows would have been good too. I feel good about what I managed to accomplish with just the one light/umbrella though. We all had a nice time and that's important too.

I just love to photograph people. It was a dream come true. I had a room full of dressed up, high-energy people that wanted to have their picture taken. I rounded them up and called them in front of the sheet and just snapped away to my heart's content. It was so awesome. I felt so happy about it all.

In February of next year I'll be returning to Ireland. This excursion will see me there for a full 12 months. Just think about what I can photograph in 12 months. I didn't use my camera enough during the second half of my three months there over the summer. I need to plan a bit better. I also need a better bag for while I'm there this time. More planning, definitely. I have so many places that I want to see. Ger does a lot of walking/hiking/outdoor things and I am hoping I can go with her on some of those adventures and get amazing photos! It will require getting up early and I'll want to just pass out but I'll get to see some incredible things so it will be worth it and maybe it'll toughen me up a bit. ... but most likely not >.>

It's high time that I put the energy toward a sunrise photo. I've always wanted to, but then it comes time to wake early and I think, "Eff this" and I go back to bed. Tsk tsk.

I'm fast approaching the tail end of my 365 project. I am looking forward to being finished with it. Lately I've been doing a lot more camera phone photos than I'd really prefer, but as I already stated I am having some serious motivation issues. I can't think of something to photograph every day, and I am sick of uploading a dumb photo. It's important to me to finish this though. Today was photo number 309. It has helped me to think a bit more creatively and to find interesting aspects of the maybe not-so-interesting things around me. I don't regret starting it. All the same though, happy that it's almost finished.

-MJ