Golf and Photography

While I was in college at Harding University, I decided it was time for me to cultivate a hobby. Knowing that I would be going to dental school in a few years, I decided to pick up the game of golf because, as everyone knows, doctors and golf go hand in hand. I received a set of clubs for Christmas my sophomore year and could not wait to try them out when the weather improved. Quickly I realized that I was not very good at golf.

As spring rolled around that year I began to go to the driving range and the golf course weekly. Playing more golf did not make me any better. The more I played I realized that every once in a while I would hit a Jack Nicholas type shot (Tiger Woods and John Daly had not come along yet). It was those once a round shots that kept me coming back to golf. Every time I played I would long for one of those great shots. If I were in the sand, if I were in the woods, or if I had to go over water, I would imagine hitting that great shot. Sometimes I would.

Now, I know you are wondering how this fits into a photography column. For me, golf and photography are similar in this way. Every time I go out on a photography expedition I long for that perfect shot. Sometimes I may go out and shoot pictures all day and not get a great shot. Then one day I got it. The shot. The Ansel Adams, Alfred Stiegitz or George Tice style picture. You know the one, the one that after it is developed or put on the computer you sit and stare at it and think, “Wow, that is a great picture!” It is after I have taken one of those pictures that I develop a fire in my belly to go out and try to masterfully compose another one that is even better than the last. If you are a photographer, I hope that you have taken at least one of those shots. If you have not, go out and keep shooting until you do.

What was your perfect shot?

Weight Loss and Health

Once again I embark on the effort to lose weight and become healthier. Over the past month I have had some health problems that I am self diagnosing along with the help of a primary care physician.
This past week I have walked every morning before work and I feel better for it. I will try to post some of my progress on this blog so that I may go back to it in the future and see how far along I have come. Hopefully my progress will be an inspiration to all who read.

Tools of the trade. Surprisingly tools that a lot of people do not use.
You would be surprised to find out that the majority of people do not brush daily. Also the most people do not brush before they come in to see me. We have to work through all of the plaque and food that people bring with them on their teeth.

Why I take pictures

People take pictures for different reasons. Why do I take pictures? I take pictures because it gives me the opportunity to preserve a moment in time. I take pictures so that I can express creativity. I take pictures so that I can show others the things that I enjoy.
When I am in a beautiful place, the first thing I want to do is photograph it. I spend a great amount of time looking at the subject and analyzing it so that I may be able to capture it in a way that expresses how I feel about it. If the subject is a wonderful landscape, I look for the elements that I want to include in the picture and for what I want to leave out. I determine what is the best time of day to photograph this landscape, and even what time of year will allow me to transfer my feelings of this landscape to the photograph. Sometimes I photograph what I like to call abstract images. Abstract images are just that, abstract. Sometimes taking a picture of just a part of the subject makes more of a statement than a picture of the whole. An abstract picture of an object often makes the viewer of the photograph think more about what the object is and its purpose than if he or she has a view of the whole object. So why do you take pictures?

Picture I took today

This is a lemon from my water glass. I love the color.