I’ve been getting more and more into B&W and desaturated photography this year, mainly because I’m finding that, as this guy explains so well, working within specific limitations forces me to think more creatively. 

When I was between 8-10 years old we were doing some kind of special play-like thing for a school assembly, and I was playing the part of a photographer. Maybe it was a presentation about famous/successful people from our state, Mississippi… Yeah I think that’s it. Anyway, I don’t remember the details, but the photographer I had played or presented on was actually there. We had our photo taken together at the end of the assembly, which is probably the only reason I can remember any of this at all.

That was my first encounter with the idea of becoming a photographer, and I soon forgot it. It wasn’t until my freshman year in college when my mother let me borrow her little 2 megapixel Fujifilm Finepix that I’ve been a photo fiend, and having spent 18 years of my life being an annoying little brother, the protests of unwilling models only fueled the fire. I went on taking photos of everything in my path. The only thing that limited my shutter sprees was the lack of digital storage space on my little laptop’s 4gb hdd.

Ever since that first digicam, I’ve had an insatiable lust for cameras, upgrading regularly and window shopping almost constantly. Unfortunately, I haven’t always felt this kind of desire for the acquisition of valuable photography-related skills and knowledge. It wasn’t until relatively recently that I started seeking out such things, and even now it only comes in short spurts. That’s why I’d like to start making a little bit more of a continued and intentional effort to study the craft.

On Photogra-Thursdays, I’ll be posting at least one photo, as well as studying and reviewing one or more bits of useful photography-related tips, tricks, and knowledge.

What I learned today: It’s kind of embarrassing to admit this, but I didn’t know what the little * button on the back of my camera was for until today. Apparently, I can use it to lock the exposure. Good to know!

PS–Today’s photo is a bit of a cheat, because I actually took it much earlier this year. My computer has been acting up and making it rather difficult to upload and edit new photos. I’ll try to get it sorted out before next week’s post.