beach/bum

This is what the beaches in Buffalo looked like this weekend (woodlawn state park for those curious) a far cry from Patti's voyage.

I've been feeling like I'm doing less work lately but in reality I've shot more this month than probably any month ever...in fact my frame count this month is already over half of my 2008 frame count (subtract paid work which made up most of that year) regardless pretty nuts.

As you've all noticed, I've got my camera glued to me, it comes with me 100% of the time now, it even goes to sleep with me (not joking, D3 sleeps next to me in bed with lens mounted ready to shoot). Day to day I don't feel like I shoot more because it's with me, but looking at how many shots I have, I am definitely shooting more. More importantly I'm photographing at times when I wouldn't have before, like the other shot below of the man on my street this morning. If my camera were in my bag, I would've missed this.

I never want to sound preachy with you guys, or sound like I know it all, but one lesson I'm learning and one thing that I feel is finally showing up in my work is that shooting more is good. It sounds stupid, but for all the time we spend talking and editing and printing and learning about some new yadiblah blah blah we could be shooting. I had the comment said to me in critique the other day by a very critical professor 'this was taken by someone with a very well trained eye'. It felt like things paid off.

And if you're like me you're thinking at this point, 'yeah but Brit, Brent, Brett my D300 does not match my coach bag!' and you're right it doesn't, but it never will and it's easier to just bite the bullet and get used to it now and not play catch up later. It's a pain in the ass to carry a DSLR with you everywhere let alone embarrassing at times to have a camera strapped around your neck, but I'm glad I do it and I feel as though it's paying off very very quickly.

moral of story....Western New York is cold, hang in there, shoot more.