Thoughts After a Week of DFAP

Wow, this photography thing is getting to my head. I think about taking a photo of this and that, and I do. It's tiring.

I've been flipping out my mobile phone camera on my way to karate and back, which has lengthened my walk time considerably. I find my phone camera akin to a sketch book. It serves well as a jotter for ideas I might want to develop later on with my Canon camera.

So far I've found close ups rewarding, possibly because I find it hard to find interesting wider angle compositions.

I've successfully taken portraits of two strangers, which is the most 'fun' my photography experimentation has given me.

Today I read through the camera manual and fiddled with setting focus, exposure, and colour settings.

I'm wondering if using miscellaneous settings such as 'switch colour' and 'colour accents' are allowed? They're fun... though perhaps a tad immature, or unprofessional.

During my relaxed researching I've found a few artists I enjoy :

Antonin Kratotchvil (B/W social / celebrity) Interesting in multiple levels; visual, theme, intent.

Ryan McGinley (Nude / Portrait) I find his works so relaxing. How do I make my photos look like they're from the Seventies?

Wolfgang Tillmans (Street / Portrait / Abstract) Clean, and crisp. My eyes can relax into the image.

Martin Parr (Street) Great sense of humour.

Nan Goldin There's passion of some sort, buried, hidden, subdued in most of these works.

Artists I have NOT enjoyed :

John Pfahl (Landscape) HOWEVER!... I did enjoy some of his compost compositions.

Arnis Balcus  (Street) ... A very drab, and cold street.