A New Year is upon us and already I am a few days behind my goal of daily blogging. I have numerous excuses but have decided to step into this year excuse free and just look forward rather than dwelling on why I did not do something, by simply doing what is required, to the best of my  ability, going forward.

The purpose of blogging, for me, has multiple levels: Firstly, it is to provide myself a space and time that allows me to focus, without distraction, on my photography and my world. Secondly, (and this has been transformative to me) it is forcing me to look at my images and discern what, exactly, it is about the composition that makes the image appealing. People have told me I have an ‘eye’ for this, but since it seems to be a natural thing for me, I’d like to understand what drew this ‘eye’ to the composition in the first place.

Many images from the past year have had an appeal to me which I don’t fully comprehend and I mean to seek out what this is. This introspection seems to be working. In the past I would go out and make about two hundred photos and have two or three good ones. By being intentional about my compositions, my ratio is now around ten to one. The final reason is that I am often being asked about the story behind my photos. I was asked details such as where was this, what camera did you use, and how were you able to see this the way you did?

Last year, I started to blog as often as possible to create individual pages for a book of my year and thoughts. This came to fruition last year ,as I published my first book of some 130 images and thoughts. I’m also making note of camera settings (which I share) and learn what is working for me and why. I have recently stared locking my ISO in at 250 to force me to be more deliberate in shutter and aperture settings as well as my selection of lens.

One final thing I am hoping for this year is a more interactive blogging experience, whereby I get feedback, both positive and negative on my images, so that I can continue to improve and be able to document and share more effectively my journey through this world.

So, please take a few minutes and offer your feedback. I’d love to hear from you.

Nikon D200
Nikor 70-300 mm, f/4.5-5.6 @ 165 mm
1/100 sec, f/5.0, ISO 720

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website
http://www.edlehming.com