Head Shot

"Derek, I don't know if you're familiar with the belief that some aboriginal tribes hold. It's the concept that a photo might steal a part of your soul. What are your thoughts on that as someone who gets his picture taken for a living?"

"Well I guess I would have to answer your question with another question. How many abo-diginals do you see modeling?"

I had to get a head shot taken to be uploaded to the photography studio website. The whole experience reinforced how much less comfortable I am on the other side of the camera. The lights literally made me sweat. I don't think being photographed potentially takes parts of a soul captive, but I do believe a photograph can momentarily capture someone's essence. All that aside, I just don't like getting my picture taken. Something about a headshot bores and scares me.

I had the opportunity to shoot some models a few weeks back, and it was an educational experience. No one who wants to be a model should have my disposition to having their picture taken. Generally, I find most women enjoy having their picture taken. Some a little too much. There are countless examples of this on the web.

One of the models was more experienced than the other, and it was very evident. Some people just love the camera. And a of few of them, the camera loves back.

I need to set some photography goals for 2010 and 2011. If I don't, there is a very real possibility that I will be wasting my time. Artists are not always the best teachers, and I want to make sure that my time and energy doesn't go unanswered. It's not my passion that I am questioning. It's that I want to channel my passion in the most efficient way possible. You would think life's blows would have taught me some patience by now, but I still always want to go all-out full-steam ahead.

I've only had my DSLR for a year, and probably only seriously played around with it for about half that time. Unfortunately, whatever I did know will most likely have to be relearned. I recently decided to switch from Nikon to Canon. I'm looking at a semi-professional camera, so it's kind of like selling a tricycle (though I love the thing) and buying a whole different bike with new and different features. We'll see how that goes, but I am not really looking forward to that part.

As an apprentice, no one is going to sit down and teach you the basics. It's sink or swim, and I kind of like that. Sinking is my therapy. Swimming my life.