Photo Sniper

Are you a photo sniper? Maybe you know a photo sniper? I think of myself has a photo sniper. I like to shoot unsuspecting random victims. Someone who unknowingly shows a side of themselves for photo snipers, like me, to capture and share with others. My favorite - other photographers.

I have great admiration for portrait photographers. Some of them can get the most stunning photographs. The details, the light, the beauty that they capture, truly amazes me. Personally though, I prefer and admire, photo journalists, or in my case, photo snipers, who catch people unawares and captures a true, unplanned moment and expression. Real Life!

To all of you photo snipers out there - I hold my camera up to you and salute you for sharing that one special little piece of time with the rest of us.

The Unexpected Happened

This summer I started a series called, "Spur of the Moment". The intent was to get people out photographing. It was also, from a business and marketing point of view, a way for Alternative Focus to stay in front of it's customers.

How it worked. I would post an upcoming "Spur of the Moment" and then ask people to send me 2-3 photographs to share. For the most part it worked and was a lot of fun.

During all of this, something unexpected happen - a lot of the "Spur of the Moments" were centered around community events, so I spent a lot of time going to local community events - and I found myself not only enjoying photographing, but I found myself feeling 'grateful' at each event for living is such a vibrant, active, loving, giving, and fun community. My "Spur of the Moments" weren't just about photography anymore, or keeping my customers/students involved, it became more about the community in which I live and enjoy.

You don't have to travel to enjoy photography. Your own backyard is the perfect place to photograph. Happy "Spur of the Moment", it truly does 'just happen in a spur of a moment', so keep your cameras ready at all times.

The Art and Soul of Photography

The best camera, the biggest sensor, the newest, or the latest - may help images look somewhat better, but this does not make someone a 'photographer', or an 'artist'. I was recently asked to be the blogging editor for a new blog, "As I See It".   The purpose of the blog - to focus on the passion, the art, the soul of a true photographer. To get a glimpse of the artist within. Not the technical or what gear they use. It is the soul of the photographer that we wanted to focus on.

I am surrounded by photographers. I belong to the Skagit Valley Camera Club and I organize/produce photography workshops, so I get to see a lot of  images. Not everyone is a 'great' photographer, nor are all images technically correct, but it is the passion behind them that really shows in their work and it is what drives them. This is the true inspiration, it is not what kind of gear they have, it is their soul that shows through. In this way I am very lucky and grateful to be surrounded by such passion and beauty.

In our workshops we do teach the technical, but we also try to instill the passion, the creative side of photography, hopefully pushing our students to be more than just someone with a camera.

by Tony Locke