chrisdscott

What the heck?!

Chris — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:54:45 +0000

So you might be wondering, “What’s up with the lack of updates? Are you alive?”
Rest assured, good things are a-brewing. When the turkey is done and the timer goes off on this project (and it has been a laborious, feet-in-the-stirrups, shouting profanities process), you guys will hear about it.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Cabin Fever.

Chris — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:42:27 +0000

Hey, Four Eyes!

Ok, so the groundhog allegedly saw his shadow.
Blah, blah, blah…more winter. So on and so forth.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I am ready to see the sun again on a regular basis. If it doesn’t warm up soon, our little family unit might go a little stir crazy.
It’s been beneficial at the same time though, stuck inside together. Getting to know one another. Sharing our weaknesses and building on one another’s strengths.
Re-prioritizing. Reassessing. Like a year-end review of what our family has accomplished; what has worked and what has blown up in our faces.
We’ve seen some significant gains with our daughter. We’ve devoted a lot of quality time and energy to her. It’s recently paid off in dividends. She’s starting to understand the meaning of giving. We couldn’t be more proud of her.
Hang in there. A new season is just around the corner.

Would it stop you?

Chris — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:33 +0000

Struggling against the conditions

My question for you today:
Would you let it stop you?
Would you even know?
If you were a guitarist/lead singer in a band, and looking for another guitarist…would you take one on that was hearing impaired?
If you were the editor for a major publication…would you hire a writer that was dyslexic?
If you were looking for a programmer to develop code…would you contract one that was autistic?
If you were wanting some photography done for your event…would it make a difference if you found out he was color blind?

All the colors of winter.

Would you let it stop you?
Would you even know?
What if I told you the first three mentioned actually exist and are highly accomplished. Don’t believe me…that’s what google is for.
Did they struggle?
Of course they did. They not only fought against their own physical differences, but self-doubt and the prejudice of others. They fought, they perserved, they succeeded. They continue to succeed.
So…where are you at? Do you have something that you’ve wanted to do all your life but believed you couldn’t accomplish it because of (insert impairment here)?
If you were born without lower legs, would your dream be to run track in college and the Olympics? Why not? It’s been done before.
God doesn’t give you what you have to set boundaries for you. It’s not a box, a perimeter, a fence of which you cannot cross.

Pristine texture.

What you have is what you make of it.
If I had a dream of being a painter because I yearned to express image and emotion with oil and canvas – but I was born without the ability to see colors – should I let a dream die because “painters should be able to see color”.
Really?

Deterioration

They should see colors according to whom?
Others that see color according to what is normal?
Other painters?
Why not set the world on fire with how you see color?
Let others take a step back from the norm and see the other side.

Fighting the elements

Step away from the crowd and head in a different direction. A path that is overgrown, thorny, and troublesome. Arrive at corner of the world that no one else has seen. Set yourself apart. Make it yours. Let others see what you have found. Inspire the rest.
Being different is what has created something from nothing. Overcoming obstacles is what has changed the world for the better.

Here I am

Hi.
My name is Chris D. Scott.
I am a color-blind photographer.

Here it comes…

Chris — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:48:12 +0000

As if the first round wasn't enough.

So, here comes another dose of the white infestation known as snow. We don’t get it regularly enough to know how to live with it. When it comes, it dumps. The consolation is that it makes for really nice picture background. Anyone else looking forward to playing in it since school is out?

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Put yourself out there.

Chris — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:26:51 +0000

When Tim Tebow made the great speech of 2009, not even halfway through the season, he put himself out there. He did it for the simple reason that if you set a goal and tell no one, there’s no skin in the game if you don’t accomplish that goal. However, if you broadcast it, you have set the world up to watch if you fail.

For my goals of 2010, I’m going to put myself out there.

Here are my 10 photography goals for ’10:

1. Outgrow. My current camera body is rated for 100K actuations. That’s 100,000 times Canon says I should be able to take a picture before the camera has the potential to start failing. Why should I want my camera to fail? I don’t, but the more times I snap that shutter, the better I get. By setting that milestone, I dedicate myself to picking up the camera more frequently and really using it. Therefore, learning more.

2. Outreach. By attending at least 6 photogroup meetups this year, it will expand my depth of knowledge by collaborating with other experienced photographers. It will also give me the opportunity to pass along what I’ve learned thus far, which I enjoy doing.

3. Out do. Submit to at least 6 photography competitions this year as an incentive to shoot better quality pics.

4. Get legit. File the proper paperwork for a Tax ID number, sales tax, state registration,insurance, and join the PPA (Professional Photographers Association). This establishes me as a legitimate photographer and gives me credibility.

5. Get published. Show up in print in a serious publication. Something along the lines of Rolling Stone, Spin, Tulsa People, etc.

6. Get sponsored. Find a vendor to fund my passion. Something that I can back with a clean conscience. Something that I believe in using.

7. Get frequent. Update my blog at least twice a week. Staying connected, you know.

8. Get the good stuff.

What Canon L glass looks like from a distance.

Keep my investments in future lenses to L glass. Pricier, but from what I’ve seen so far, definitely worth the extra money. Don’t buy any lens, if at all possible, unless it’s the pro quality. Because it’s the lens that makes the image.

9. Get specialized. Find a photography genre that plays to my strengths, that I enjoy, and get plugged into that genre. Own that space. Be the (insert) photographer that everyone goes to for (insert) photography.

10. Give back. Find a way to be philanthropic to other photographers and the community as a whole. Give, and it will be given back to you.

Thanks for listening and watching to see if I fail. I find that highly motivational.

A new tool for photographers

Chris — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:38:53 +0000

The iPod Touch, but bigger.

That’s right; the wait is over. The rumors are true.
If you are a photographer in any genre, a new tool has arrived for you.
As a wedding photographer, you now have a way to show the bride and groom – just back from their honeymoon – what their photo album will look like BEFORE you send it off to be printed.
With thousands of apps available from the App Store, you can use Photoshop Mobile with a large screen.
You have a readily available portfolio that can be updated at any time for display…no need to wait to get it back from the printer.
Tethered shooting? Rest assured it will be developed soon that can connect to the 30-pin dock, or just sync through Wifi with the On1 DSLRemote app.
This just scratches the surface.
Starting at $499 for 16GB, let the possibilities begin.

P.S. Accessories have just been announced. You can now use your iPad as a photo dump from your DSLR or point-and-shoot. Great to have redundant copies of your RAW files during a shoot.

Where are you at?

Chris — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:06:28 +0000

IMG_9477-WM, originally uploaded by chrisdscott.

This is my Labrador, Amigo. In terms of the breed of Labrador, he is the Shaquille O’Neal of Labs. Ask anyone that knows him (he’s on Facebook under Amigo Brown…friend him) and they will attest to this.
I love the hell outta this dog. One thing I think I enjoy most is how much he loves to chase a ball. Casey finds it annoying and thinks he’s OCD.
Amigo loves only two things in life: eating and chasing a ball. If a ball was thrown, he would probably ignore eating.
When he’s asleep next to me in the office, I swear he dreams about chasing balls…his paws start churning and he breathes fast.
I took this candid shot of him in a state of longing. He is SO close to where he wants to be. Part of him is agonizing. He knows if he could just get to the other side of that Great Glass Door Barrier, where he sees freedom and running room, he will have NO problem finding someone to throw his ball. He’s amazingly persuasive like that.
Now that I’ve set this up….you’re that dog.
You’re in Amigo’s position.
What’s your Glass Door?
Are you at the Glass Door, poised and ready for your opportunity?
Is the Door open and you won’t run through, ball between teeth, ready to chase your dream, your passion, your goal?
Better yet, what ball do you want to chase?

Where are you at with your resolutions thus far this year? What goals are on your list that you haven’t started? What’s keeping you?

Come on, Amigo, let’s go chase the ball.

Purpose. Mission. Direction.

Chris — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:52:02 +0000

IMG_9625-WM, originally uploaded by chrisdscott.

So, it’s been a few days since I’ve updated. I won’t go into much detail, but I’ll just describe it as a preoccupation with birthing pains. This metamorphosis is taking its toll on the Big 3 (our family).

But I know we’ll come out better on the other side.

This picture I took at last weekend’s Tulsa Convention Center re-opening after their remodeling encapsulates so many messages and speaks to me at a lot of levels.

Sure, the composition is unrefined and the exposure is ruddy, but when it comes to photos…this is how I perceived it.

We’re imperfect. We lack enlightenment and structure at times. We need to be cleaned up regularly, and more than just a bath.

When it comes down to it, we’re always together and watching out for one another. We admire one another.

To my family – immediate, extended, near and far – this one’s for you.

Don’t take pictures…

Chris — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:58:00 +0000

A captured glimpse

Make a memory.

It occurred to me today in a moment of reflection on this day that celebrates the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that so much of photography is creating tokens of memories. Our memory and the ability to recollect is finite. However, if another one of our senses is invoked, our memories are sudden and vivid. The smell of home-cooked stew reminds me of my mom. The Aggie Fight Song brings back a flood of events from college. A baby’s soft skin reminds me of my first born daughter.

We make our way through 1000s of Mondays. A vast majority are mentally blocked for good reason. On this Monday while my wife needed recovery time from an outpatient surgery (nothing major at all), I froze moments in time and made tokens that will allow me to mentally recreate this day even when I am older, grayer, and shorter in memory.

Moments of activity.

Moments of loyalty.

Moments of adoration.

Moments of wonder and curiousity

Moments of fun.

Moments to laugh at.

Where ever you are, when ever it may be. Make a memory. Take a picture for keeps. Enjoy it later. And then later again.

At a concert, now what?

Chris — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:43:08 +0000

IMG_7984-WM, originally uploaded by chrisdscott.

Jodi Friedman at the MCPActions Blog posted this bit of advice (http://mcpactions.com/blog/2010/01/12/12-helpful-pieces-of-advice-on-photographing-gymnastics/) regarding shooting a gymnastics meet and how to overcome the challenges in that environment. What caught my attention is how in her list, a lot of the same techniques are utilized in concert photography.
So, you got a great camera (DSLR) for Christmas, and a friend of yours in a band is playing at the local bar. I would HIGHLY advise against shooting in Auto or P. I wouldn’t even trust shooting in aperture priority (Av) mode.
Check out the list mentioned for starters, and here’s a few additions:
1. Keep your shutter speed between 1/60th and 1/200th. Anything over that and you will most likely underexpose (your pics will be black with specks of outline).
2. Some bars allow flash, unlike concerts. Check with the band or the bartender before you start blowing the flash everywhere.
3. If you can, spend around $100 on a 50mm f1.8 lens if you don’t already own one. Volumes have been posted about the fun of this lens. It sucks in a ton of light, and the focal length is near equivalent to the human eye. You’ll get the feeling from the photos that you were there.
4. If it’s a concert, there’s nearly always a pattern to the lighting scheme. Watch for it and time your shots. In a bar, it will most likely be stationary lighting. Find a good angle.
5. Get as close as you can without getting thrown out.

Oh, and have fun. You’ll have great shots, great memories and great times.