OK – so if you clicked this tab, you must want to know a little something about me or my photography.
I am an emerging photographer with a wide range of photographic and artistic interests and motivations. My inspirations, like me, are eclectic and unpredictable.
I vaguely remember the very first camera I was given. I was young – I think in first grade in 1969. It was a hand-me-down Kodak Brownie and the first pictures I took with it were at a Bush Gardens theme park in Houston. While sturdily constructed, Bakelite doesn’t hold up too well in the hands of a 6 year-old boy. As a young kid in elementary and middle school, the annual gift subscriptions from my Aunt to National Geographic also fanned an interest in learning and a curiosity about the world through the stories told by the images that came to me in the mail each month.
My next camera, as a teen in the late 70’s, was a Polaroid SX-70. I got it as a Christmas present that I begged for as the only present I wanted or needed. I remember it turned out to be a costly camera to take photos with for someone still on a tight allowance and after a while it lost its appeal. A decade passed and I didn’t take up photography again until 1989 when I started traveling for my work. I had an Olympus AZ-330 that I really loved and I took many rolls of film with that camera. I had a real job then and could afford the film and processing. I adopted digital in 2002 with a Minolta Dimage 7 and in 2009 I invested in a Canon digital SLR system. That’s when I rediscovered a really obsessive way to satisfy several passions at once.
Whether through photojournalism, documentary photography, travelogue, portraiture or still life – photography as an art and a physical science allows me to indulge in and express my many interests. You see, I work in a very logical, methodical, left brain environment and I really enjoy it for the most part. I love science, technology, gadgets, the theoretical and the abstract. I have a voracious appetite and curiosity for learning of all types. I love the challenge of mastering new concepts and disciplines. I love travel, art, music, social interaction and people watching as “sport”. I love controversy, heated debate, and activism. For me, photography is a dynamic synthesis of all the things I love. It provides a laboratory for learning and experimentaion while at the same time a medium for me to exercise my right brain through creative expression – the ability to capture a moment, to tell a story, to teach, to entertain, and maybe affect a change.
This photo blog and journal is very much a work in progress. It’s a place for me to not only store my images but to journal about them. It’s a place for me to write about and keep notes about the photography classes, books, equipment, and techniques I learn about and use. If any of the general photography information is useful to you, please leave a comment or a click on the “I like it” button. Feel free to share your knowledge and experiences – I’ve learned most of the really useful things I know from others and their work.
One quick note. All my images are copyright protected with all rights reserved and no commercial or private use is permitted without permission. If you would like to use an image, first please email me at michaelasanderson@gmail.com. I am certain we can work something out.
Thanks for stopping by. -Mike
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Hi there!
Clicked on your link from NYIP!
Awesome blog:)
See you’re working on Unit 1. I am just starting–any helpful hints, such as order ot website for more info? I feel WAY overwhelmed and still excited to get busy!
I also want to get my website up and running–have my address, just nothing there, thus the twitpic for now!
All hints are welcome,
DrMarm
Laura
Hi Laura, thanks for stopping by my blog. I have read all the material for unit 1, I just need to plan and shoot my unit 1 assignments. The weather has been uncharacteristically cold and wet here in Houston and I just haven’t done it yet. Last summer I started buying some books and reading and I’ve also got involved with some local flickr groups for photowalks and assignments. The groups and other photo studies and course at a local photography center have competed with time for the NYIP course. In other words, I dove in and I’m in deep. I feel overwhelmed at times, but I tend to do better when I have more than I am comfortable with.
I would guess that having completed your doctorate you are a fairly disciplined individual. I would recommend deciding what pace you want to set for yourself for the NYIP course and work out a plan to achieve it. Don’t forget to have fun and spend at least as much time shooting as you do studying
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If I understand your question, I print out my images at MPix.com. They are easy, fast, and high quality. I don’t print enough to justify the expense of a high end printer and supplies (I would rather have cameras and lenses – haha). Websites – I am not sure if you are wanting to set up a commercial website or not, but I set my blog up in about a day and a half following along with a two part video course on Kelbytraining.com. I later hooked it up with my Flickr galleries but I am going to get to a point soon where I put my images on my hosted webserver. I also eventually want to have a front end with only selected images in more of a gallery format (if you take a look at Stephen J Alexander link in my links section you’ll get an idea of what I want for my main site). I don’t have any specific goals of going commercial, but I think I would like to one day compete in some juried competitions or have some things in a gallery.
Thanks again for stoping by. I appreciate the comments and happy shooting. -Mike