Slow Photography

H aiku. In our global information age, haiku is poetry for any size screen. Successful haiku photography joins images and poetry with a lyrical, mindful union. W ords and pictures together are more powerful than either alone. Like photography, haiku is based on a keen awareness of the present. Nature photographers explore haiku to capture beautiful wild moments. Street photographers also practice haiku photography, at home with the art on today's social media. Instagram is a ideal gallery to share haiku photography. Whereever your interest lies, it is easy to create a photo haiku in Photoshop. First, for those new to haiku, let's explore what it is. HAIKU PAST: THE SEASON Traditionally, haiku is about nature and our oneness with its winds, seas and sensations. Sometimes serious, often comic – haiku was a short non-rhyming poem. The poem was written in a single vertical line on the page. Haiku poems often referen...

For a personal project, last winter I set out to photograph people who were born in the Bahamas islands. To quote Mark Twain, two things were necessary to succeed with the project: "ignorance and confidence." Meeting and photographing these people led to 4 lessons: When it comes to quality, sometimes slow is better at first.  Manual focus is a vital skill, and an effective way to engage with a subject.  Balanced portraiture is 95 % people time and 5 % gear time. If a photograph is good enough to share, it's good enough to print. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html#Q4molgs7W72ME5l8.99 Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html#Q4molgs7W72ME5l8.99 Wh Whenever you find yourself on the side of th...

John H. White is a spiritual man. Seeing his work, we think of two words: Amazing grace.  Mr. White sums it up this way: "every human being has a song." Born in North Carolina, White was among the first Black photographers employed by American newpapers. He also won a Pulitzer Prize for consistently excellent work on a variety of subjects”, including his masterpieces of life in Chicago. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_H._White_%28photojournalist%29) Interviewed after being fired by the Chicago Sun Times, White noted: "It was as if they pushed a button and deleted a whole culture of photojournalism." He added: “Now is a time for me to refurbish. All my life, I’ve been trying to figure out ‘God’s syllabus." The layoff story went national and of course was shared on Facebook. The Chicago Sun-Times fired 29 photographers last May 31. At the time, the company said it would rely on wire services and free-lancers and train its repo...