For Photo Lovers

This is a link I've saved / used when I need some photo inspirations for my own photography or just to check out other cool work that people are creating ...

Flickr's Last 7 days most interesting photos

It changes every time you visit it so you can "reload" and check out even more pics.

I love photos, looking at them and creating them. I've always appreciated good art, 2D, sculpture, etc. With the exception of simple sketches I've never had a much patience (nor talent) to create remarkable works. Not only that, I've always thought that, after all the work I might put into a "piece", in the end I would have one "thing", one painting, one sculpture, one drawing. That has it's appeal, but not if you want to share it with many people.

Enter the digital age. Anything I create I can share via files and pixels. Enter photography. Enter digital photography. Oh ya baby!!! I have always been a photographer, as long as I can remember (really). When I was a very young kid, I got a black and white (camera) that I had to load 120 size film by hand (no cartridges!). Later on I got a color, Kodak pocket instamatic. Oh man I was stylin' now!

In high school I was one of the school photographers for the yearbook and newspaper. I shot 35mm for the first time! I used an old Pentax (a range finder) and BW film. I developed all the prints in a darkroom at the school. I learned how to develop film from scratch, use enlargers, dodge, burn, create contact prints, etc.

In college I bought my first SLR. A Canon EOS (the original). I went through several more SLRs (all EOS), and loved to take pics, but didn't like the fact that I had so little control over the developing process. I didn't have a dark room and relied on a shop to make my prints. I couldn't crop, or manipulate my images in any way.

Along comes digital photography. Even with the first cameras (a Sony Mavica) that had low resolution, I KNEW it was going to revolutionize the photo industry. I kept reading article after article at the time that said that digital photography would NEVER replace film. I smiled as I knew, confidently, it surely would.

Today I shoot with a digital SLR (Canon 20D) and a digital compact (Canon G6). I love them both for different reasons. In my "darkroom" (Photoshop), I can crop, burn, dodge, and manipulate to my hearts content.

Photography allows me to be creative, to create art and memories. I love the techy side of learning how to use the tools (the camera and photoshop) to truly create new works that are from my mind and heart. It didn't take me years of practice (like painting) to create a piece of reasonable quality. The images that I've created can be easily shared, they are not the one of a kind works such as a sculpture.

Don't get me wrong, I will always love and appreciate good art of any sort, but for me, the ability to CREATE is second to none.