Some of you have met my friend Jonathan Palmer and his wife Danielle. I have a link to his blog in my blogroll. Whether he knows it or not, his insight and approach to photography has given me more to think about when making a image. Jonathan’s background as a photo journalist exposed me to a different type of mindset when shooting. You see, my world is dominated with imagery that may or may not stand on it’s own - an image I shoot may be used in whole or in part after some degree of manipulation (more so than simple color or contrast adjustments). As a photojournalist, Jonathan’s images have to stay “purer”, for lack of a better word. Whether that is better or not is immaterial - to me, the intended use of the image drives the process. Is it for news? Advertising? Fun? Satire? Looks? Each case is different so the same set of rules doesn’t apply equally across the board.

Anyway.

Jonathan helped point me in new directions with off-camera lighting. You know when you look at a photo and the subject has been blasted with flash? That’s pretty much the most unflattering kind of light out there and is what you need to avoid to take your images to the next level. That being said, your point and shoot cameras have a fixed flash on it so you’re stuck with that. But, if you can get your light off camera, the quality of your shots increases. After seeing how Jonathan lights things and also doing research of my own (at www.strobist.com), I could pick out his photos in the newspaper without even seeing the photo credits. If he can, he really strives to make an image from a different perspective that what you would expect. It’s almost as if he figures out what the “walk-up” shot would be (the shot that most folks would just walk-up to the scene and take) and avoids it like the plague. That alone is a huge factor in making a bland subject more visually interesting.  Recently, there was a news story involving a crocodile that was in the area that had to be moved by some local wildlife handlers. The photo of the ‘gator I INSTANTLY knew was Jonathan’s as it was needing flash and I noticed that the flash didn’t come from the camera’s position… it was off to the side. I laughed to myself as I imagined Jonathan positioning a light off to the side of the gator then getting into a different position to take the shot - all the while with people standing around wondering what the heck he was doing. But the extra effort was worth it (and it usually is).

Life happens and for Jonathan and Danielle, it will be happening back in Kentucky, where they’re from. I know they miss home where family and old friends are. I’m sure we’ll stay in touch though as the internet has a way of making miles between friends and family disappear. Oh, and thanks for being a good friend.