I get bored with life sometimes. I don't always know what I'm doing or what I want to do and that usually results in an impulse idea/hobby. Welcome to impulse hobby #35, photography.
I purchased a Canon T3i off of Craigslist the other day in San Jose which usually doesn't make for a good time and results in a lot of awkward communications back and forth with a person you don't know anything about. So I make my way down to San Jose early Saturday afternoon with my friend Alex and meet this guy over at San Jose State University. Turns out he's a graduate professor at SJSU teaching MIS and knows a lot of the professors over at UT. Small world. Anyway, so I'm now a proud owner of a brand new shiny DSLR.
I figure the best way to keep me involved in the hobby and prevent my camera from being an expensive brick, I should take my pictures and post them. If you see any room for improvement in my pictures (I think you'll find plenty) feel free to drop a comment on how it can be better. A lot of the pictures you'll see coming up are kind of tilted to the left or right. That's because I took these pictures while I was walking the dog, and his leash kept dragging my hands down. I figure I'll fix them with photoshop later, but until I get a computer to properly run photoshop, here are the raw files.
Just another picture of the dog. He's a spoiled brat but adorable. Took him for a walk today and decided to bring my camera along.
View outside where I live. Super hilly areas all around. Hills suck.
Flora around this area is really incredible.
My side of Market St where I live. The other side is a lot busier and has a lot less residential areas.
My favorite shot. Notice the carved faces in the wood. Looks like a house directly from a Disney movie.
Found a nice hill/park not too far from me. Met some interesting people. More on that later.
Sprawling city. Not very happy with the composition of this photo. Feels off, but it gives you a good idea of what SF looks like. Those tall buildings on the left is the Financial District.
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Ok, well quick story time. While I was exploring the hill, I see this guy messing around and doing these really cool things with short whips. As I approach, he notices that I'm looking at him and asks me if I want to try. I decline but I start talking to him and his friend that was filming him. The guy with the whips was Asian and 21 although he looked much older and also named Eric. His friend was older late mid-50s I'm guessing and named Rob. Eric tells me some cool and interesting things about whipping techniques and shows me some cool tricks. Rob notices my camera and asks me a few questions. I later find out that he used to be a professional photographer and worked in the television industry for 15 years.
Anyway, so a few take aways that I got after chatting with Rob for a while. He told me that a lot of people he knows that get into photography often become equipment snobs. Equipment is great, he says, but don't forget, your most important piece of equipment is your eyes. That's something I think I'll really need to remember. Being a huge techie geek, I think I can easily get caught up in the hype. The second thing he told me was to always be prepared with a camera. The photograph that can make you as a photographer is usually impromptu. He told me a short anecdote of how him and his photography buddies used to carry small cameras under the seats of their cars so they would be prepared for these moments. Then, to reiterate the point, he pulls out a Sony Cybershot and tells me he never leaves home without it. Point taken. I'll definitely try to remember to bring my camera around more often, and at least always have a backup digital camera on me.
The final lesson I learned from this encounter was that I need to be ballsier sometimes. I would have loved to have taken a picture of Rob and Eric to post on the blog or maybe film Eric and his whips. But I felt awkward asking. Anyway, so yeah, September resolution: If you feel like taking pictures of someone, ask them.
Life lesson learned.
Flora around this area is really incredible.
My side of Market St where I live. The other side is a lot busier and has a lot less residential areas.
My favorite shot. Notice the carved faces in the wood. Looks like a house directly from a Disney movie.
Found a nice hill/park not too far from me. Met some interesting people. More on that later.
Sprawling city. Not very happy with the composition of this photo. Feels off, but it gives you a good idea of what SF looks like. Those tall buildings on the left is the Financial District.
