Few and Far Between

“ Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." –Ansel Adams

The godfather of the zone system, Ansel Adams, knew what he was talking about. Great photos, significant photos, are few and far between.

This is still true in this day and age when every one has a digital camera and the feedback loop is so short anyone can take a good photo. A good photo is not a significant photo. In fact, during any given year you might only take a handful of truly memorable images. Sure your odds will go up if you take thousands of photos in a year. But for most of us who aren't full time photographers, that probably isn't going to happen.

If I was going to be truly honest with myself about my underwater photographs...their might be 20 significant images in 20 years of work. It was never easy shooting nearly blind underwater with a slow shutter speed, on film no less. Capturing a useable image, much less a significant image, was its own victory. 

I have taken over 5500 Lego mini figure photos this year and I would be hard pressed to come up with eight images I would include in my portfolio. That ratio is slightly better than my underwater ratio of usable images to images shot, but still not that impressive. Luckily, when I look at those eight images they make me feel all "warm and fuzzy inside" (my sons phrase) and I know that it is all worth it.

So try not to get discouraged by the sheer number of images that need to be taken to get a significant image. Remember you are in good company: you, me and Ansel. 

What is your favorite image of the year? 

How many images do you have in your portfolio? 

"Now where?"

This is my new favorite photo of 2014 

BrickSailboat

As we await +Me2 and his/our grand adventure to begin I thought I would introduce you to another great storyteller: Bricksailboat.

BrickSailboat has always been one of my favorite feeds on Instagram. What is there not to like about free wheeling ninjas, a crew of regular mini figs and classic pirates all struggling for control of a full size sailboat?

The mastermind of this silly and beautifully photographed feed is Paul S. Mr S loves a good story. The characters who populate his feed are often engaged in an elaborate story lines involving adventure, epic quests and mysterious strangers. Even when the ninjas are simply training on the boat I have the feeling they are bidding their time until the next adventure begins.

Now that Mr S. is on his own epic cross country trek, relocating to another coast line, the entire crew of the sailboat has gone on equally large quests. As we are treated to photos of ninjas' trekking across sand dunes I realize that Mr S planned his entire road trip around finding these stunning locations just to feed the story line. That is some dedication!

If you find yourself treading water with your photography, creating a specific story line is a great way to move forward. If you are handy with words write an original adventure, if not try recreating a favorite literary passage. You might just find yourself creating some beautiful photographs along the way.

Who are your favorite storytellers on Instagram?
Have you tried your hand at creating a unified story and telling it using Lego?