Elemental View: Guelph

Friday, January 5, 2018

A new website for 2018

My never-ending battle to sift through life's distractions and non-essentials goes on. Fortunately, getting older and gaining life experience brings with it some clarity.

Years ago, I tried to be all things to all people; I'm still a generalist, and I'm proud of it. My earlier (and still current) website was just that: landscapes, weddings, social activism, still life, assorted videos, etc.

The New Year and my recent birthday was the impetus I needed to be mindful of what I enjoy shooting the most: weddings, events, and portraits. Especially weddings.

And so yesterday, on my birthday, I sat down and started putting together my new site. I knew the most difficult part would be editing out 99% of potential content. Editing has never been easy, I tend to look at content as all valuable. As the saying goes, "too close to the trees to see the forest". I've had to remove myself from myself and look at things from a different vantage point. I'm too kind to my own creations.

The Client Galleries will have Private and Selects Galleries. Privates are accessible with a password, and they will be populated with photos with a range of technical and artistic qualities. I leave it to the clients to decide what they like. Selects will contain my personal choices.

My pricing will reflect both the economic realities of the times coupled with technological advances in image creation. Advances in digital technology has meant that there is now a manageable price for anyone to get into paying commercial work. Technology has replaced the well-earned knowledge of producing technically great images. Anyone can walk into Best Buy and purchase a $500 camera that can take sharp photos like the 8x10's of Ansel Adams, and use free filters to produce B&Ws like Ansel Adams'. In addition, the glut of digital images has saturated our senses to the point where we have absorbed certain basic artistic sensibilities. Most people don't have formal or informal training in the Elements of Composition but most people recognize these elements when they see it on an image. And so most people learn by being bombarded with it.
Fortunately, there is still a market for professionals who are both technically and artistically accomplished, and who can deliver the expected product.

It's only been 2 days and it'll be an ongoing job to populate my new site. I do hope that the artistic sensibilities displayed on my Home Page will be maintained throughout the site, and in fact, throughout all my shoots. Below are some of the images on the Home Page.