The Most Obnoxiously Long Blog Post Ever Written

My photographer of the week is Martin Stavars, a photographer from Poland who travels around the world. His work mostly consists of landscapes, both urban and natural. Almost all of his photographs are black and white. He believes that the most important aspect of a photograph or in taking a photograph, is the lighting. He sees photographs as an interpretation of light. Much patience is needed for his work, he says, because he spends a lot of time waiting around in large cities for a time when either none or not many people are around. I think the reason why I have always been drawn to his images, is because of the amazing contrast that they possess. Nearly every photograph of his has a very wide range of tones, from the lightest white to the darkest black. His photography gives me a sense of serenity, no matter how chaotic or busy the location is. It has always been fascinating to me how he can take the busiest places, and make them seem so peaceful.

My Ten Rules When Taking Photos:

1. Don't over think the composition.
2. No random trees/branches invading important negative space.
3. Depth of field- think about what kind you want.
4. Camera shake is unacceptable.
5. Take multiple versions of every photo.
6. Observe everything in the frame, and make sure it all works.
7. Don't over-use macro. Sometimes it is successful, sometimes it is cheesy.
8. Always try to use 200 ISO or smaller, when possible. (Too much of a perfectionist for noise)
9. Have I seen this photo before? If so, forget it.
10. Notice and pay close attention to the little things.

The Photo(s) That I Desire, but Fear.
I feel like mine is a bit cliche, but oh well, I'm just trying to be honest. I have always wanted to find a homeless colony and take photos of it. My best friend's fencing club (Richmond Fencing Club) has an area in the woods behind it where tons of homeless people live, and I've always wanted to take photos. I am terrified, however, of agitating the people who live there or feeling too awkward to actually take the photos. Generally, I'm still pretty afraid to take photos of strangers, and the fact that I would be singled out in a homeless colony just exaggerates that fear. I've always had these ideas of photos of the homeless, in their own environment (how ironic is that?), but I have always been too scared to actually do it.