In keeping with the theme

So I am now 31 (OK this makes 32) posts into a Blog that has changed it's course a tad since its inception last month. This blog is completely focused (no pun intended) on Photography. It was conceived of during my first complete Photo A Day project out at pBase where I could not simply post a photo each day, I had to comment on it. I had to comment on something, some verbal indication of what I was doing when I shot the photo, or what I was doing after I shot the photo, or what I was thinking. Well, you get the point.

I started getting comments on my comments. People would tell me that they not only enjoy my photos, but the stories or rants or verbal diarrhea that accompanied each shot. The 2009 year started off with a new resolution, I would stop with the comments and focus on the photos. This resolution lasted all of 3 days, in fact, I went back and added comments after the fact. Something was missing.

Enter the Blog concept. I decided to give Blogging a shot. For the most part, this Blog to date is simply a mirror of the pBase entry (which is a photo blog in itself) which is also mirrored out at Flickr (you'd think I have an endless supply of free time on my hands). While this might be true at first, I have diverted on occaision, posting a different photo in the Blog than at pBase. As time progresses, this will become more frequent, until this Blog grows a life of its own.

My first true Blog was called "PhotoBikah", a name I have used on a few motorcycle forums. I love photography and I love motorcycles, why not combine the two? Well, for one, I started this in the winter, not much motorcycle-related photos or articles, or desire for that matter when there is still 3 feet of snow in your front yard.

"The Agile Photographer" came about after I hearing the word 'Agile' misused in the technology (aka: "Software Engineering") sector. The term 'Agile' was coined by people who were trying to explain the success of software developers who were highly successful. Perhaps not financially, but certainly in delivering product. Coders who could block out the noise and live in their own world(s) for a period of time, often creating intricate components first, then figuring out what they did later. It was (and still is) a highly iterative cycle, figure out what you are going to do, do it, regroup, figure out what worked, what didn't, what's next, do it, regroup. While regrouping, gather feedback, and readjust. Shorten the feedback loop, or the time it takes to learn if something works or doesn't.

So anyway, I've heard this term over and over again. I've heard it used as a noun and as a verb. I've heard it misused so many times. The word 'Agile' is not a noun, its not a verb, it is not something that is used to describe what will be. It is not a word used to describe something that can be. It is an adjective to describe something that is. Period, end of story. At the end of the day, you are either 'Agile' or you are not. There is no writing in a little notebook or diary "Tomorrow I will be more Agile".

Digital cameras have provided us with a very short feedback loop. We can take a photo and look into the preview screen to see if it worked or didn't. We can look for overexposed highlights, adjust the exposure, shoot again, check adjust, etc.

I would love to say that I can tell whether my shot is going to work for me by looking in that tiny window, but it doesn't. Often times I might think I have a great shot, but then think otherwise when I get back to my computer and begin the Post Processing cycle. I usually see a different photo when I get back to my computer screen. Tree branches that were not apparent in the tiny preview window are glaring at me on the screen. Composition errors are magnified, along with blur.

So I finally come to my point here. I have created an unofficial rule for myself for my Photo A Day Project, that I can't shoot the same location/scene twice. I didn't write this down anywhere, I didn't click "I accept" on any Photo A Day license agreement form, there is nothing signed in blood. It's too bad because in a bunch of my photos that I wasn't 100% happy with, I posted my criticism along with the photo ("If I did this again, I would try this..."). It is my hope to use this Blog as a forum to come back to photos that didn't work and reshoot them.

Don't overthink things, go out and "Shoot first" then ask your questions later. . .

-=Glen=-