I am in a dormant phase at the moment. Waiting for some snow, looking at possible day trips for the next month or two. No big plans at the moment. When I get into this zone, I normally go to the archives and start mining for stock photos. But, I’ve done that often enough that the pickings are getting slim. At this point, the best photos have been found so anything I dig up is not likely to do that well in sales.

The challenge right now is finding something to write about. I’m not doing gear head articles, what could I say that someone else isn’t saying better? I have some website work I need to do, which will get done, however, that’s just a couple of days work. I come up with ideas for fresh blog posts, but their freshness wears off and they usually just sit there unfinished after I stare at them for a few days. Sometimes I finish them up, sometimes I delete them. So, what to write about?

Let me start with trends in photography. I try to keep up with what is going on, but to be honest there isn’t really much going on. I suppose the biggest thing I’m seeing is the improvements in image editing software. I recently upgraded my DXO PhotoLab Elite software to version 6.x. I’ve been using the DXO software for some time now, in conjunction with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I like the lens profiles and the noise reduction and DXO probably has the best noise reduction of all the editing software in my opinion. Photoshop and Lightroom both had recent updates as well. Some very nice new features and capabilities and are a welcome addition to the toolbox. The biggest benefit I see from the current state of software offerings is how well they work with my older images that may need a little umph to get those images made with old cameras and lenses looking as nice as the new cameras.

Photography gear is getting less and less interesting. I don’t slobber at the thought of buying a new camera or lens. I more or less use what I have, which is pretty good, and I don’t worry about keeping up with technology, because for all the bluster and marketing, image quality is about the same from the latest, greatest mirrorless body to my 6 year old DSLR. I’m certainly not into financing bragging rights amongst my friends and colleagues. The idea of switching to mirrorless is becoming less interesting each day. My kit works just fine, thank you. My only real concern regarding my equipment is what if something breaks? I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. eBay is my friend.

I also find myself cruising the web from time to time, to look at the portfolios of other photographers. The world is full of good photographers and seeing what they are doing is always food for thought for what I am going to be doing in the future. I like looking at their websites too. Just to see what clever designs they come up with.

One reoccurring thing I notice is how photographers describe themselves. We have a plethora of descriptions to use when marketing ourselves. We have the basic category of “Photographer”, which is often time expanded upon. There’s professional photographer, amateur photographer, enthusiast photographer, fine art photographer, award winning photographer (my personal favorite), nature photographer, wildlife photographer, landscape photographer, portrait photographer, street photographer, photographic artist, and just plain artist. It all gets a little too pretentious from my view of the road.

Professional Photographer is an interesting one. There is no solid definition of this title. I personally use the benchmark of what my insurance company says. If I tell them what I do and they say I am considered a professional, well there you have it. They can then charge me more for my insurance. Everything else is up for debate.

Another favorite is “fine art photographer.” I suppose the implication is that the fine art photographer is only creating works of beauty. That’s up to the viewer imo, but it does create a mystique of superiority to other forms of photography. Naaaaa.

Another favorite is “award winning photographer.” The award-winning photographer must certainly be better than the average bear. I mean, just realize, they have been awarded for their excellence. The question is, what award?  A Pulitzer Prize is an award and certainly worth mentioning, but what about a photographer who wins a photo contest in their photography club? Is that really something to brag about? We all like to brag a little bit when it comes to self promotion, but using the phrase “award-winning” is kind of deceptive me thinks.

What the heck am I? I think my photos speak for themselves. Look at the subject of the images I create and that’s what type of photographer I am at that moment in time. Pretty simple and much less deception.

I’ll just stick with the title of “Photographer” and let everyone else figure it out.