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Florida, Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm F2.8D, blue sky, clouds, philosophy, sky in Photo Story
Florida, Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm F2.8D, blue sky, clouds, philosophy, sky in Photo Story Entries in philosophy (44)
Entrance in the Clouds
Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 1:22PM Jason Collin 
An entrance to a cloud kingdom - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200thI have written before about how photographing clouds is always good. To end this week I wanted to share this cloud gateway image to fuel your imagination for what may lay beyond the clouds. This is how I often think myself. No matter how stormy the surroundings may be, there remains at least a small portion that is bright and hopeful. As long as that small part still exists, so does hope, and therefore so does life.
Have a Photography Philosophy Part 1 - make photos for yourself
Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 2:41PM Jason Collin 
One of my all-time favorite personal photos, man contemplating Tokyo - Nikon D80 Nikkor 50mm @ f/8 ISO 400 1/250th (notice early in my DSLR photography learning I used settings I would definitely not today!)Earlier today I came up with an idea for a new photography tip series entitled, "Having a Photography Philosophy," as there are intangible things that going into photography beyond mastering exposure and even composition. One of my personal photography philosophies has always been, even from the very start of getting more seriously into photography, was to first and foremost make photographs for myself. It also may surprise you that I even carry this philosophy into shoots I do for clients. The way I see it, clients have browsed my portfolios. Therefore, they must like what they have seen to have hired me. Thus, if I make shots that appeal to me, as I have always done in the past, then the photos I make for the client now will appeal to them as well. Of course not every shoot allows for such creative freedom, but when I make portraits for clients or photograph cars for clients, I make shots I think look cool. I want the final shots to also be ones I like. This philosophy balanced with client input I believe creates very successful final images.
In my personal shooting I entirely shoot for myself first and foremost. I go out to make shots that I like. If someone else happens to like them, that is great, but not necessarily important to me. After all, if you do not even like the photos you are making, how can you ever expect anyone else to like them either?
The photo in this post is one of my all-time personal favorites. If I could only choose one photo to remind me of what my life was like in Tokyo, it would probably be this one. I walked by this very spot almost every day, and like the man pictured, never ceased to stop and stare at all the action, all the craziness, all the life before me. It was also one of the very first, if not the first shot I ever took with my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens that I bought in Bic Camera just to frame left. So as you can see, this photo cannot possibly have the same amount of meaning to anyone else, which is why it is important to make photographs for yourself.
Abstract tunnel gate photograph
Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 3:31PM Jason Collin 
A regular building gate made into a mystical tunnel with photography knowledge - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm @ f/3.2 ISO 200 1/125thSometimes I like to make photos that offer an impression or a feeling or a dream, rather than producing as realistic a representation of a subject as possible. The above shot features a metal gate half-opened leading to an open air hallway through a building. I thought if I focused on the gate using my 50mm lens at a large aperture, the bokeh that composition and settings would produce would make for a very abstract "light at the end of the tunnel" kind of shot. If I had made this shot look as it did to my eyes, it would have been pretty boring. Instead, using a few simple photography shooting skills, a more interesting shot was produced that will make any viewer stop and wonder what is in the light at the end of this tunnel?
tagged 50mm, Nikkor 50mm 1.8D, abstract, bokeh, day dreaming, philosophy, tunnel in Photo Story
50mm, Nikkor 50mm 1.8D, abstract, bokeh, day dreaming, philosophy, tunnel in Photo Story Fire Escape black & white in St. Petersburg Florida
Friday, November 16, 2012 at 2:18PM Jason Collin 
Signs of the city, fire escapes -- Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 1/100th ISO 200Fire escapes clinging to the sides of buildings both tall and short always remind me of city life for some reason, in particular New York City. As the above shot was made right here in St. Petersburg, Florida, fire escapes are not exclusively found in big cities. I have never actually even been on a fire escape, but when I see them I always imagine making a narrow escape from a sticky situation, or covertly gaining access to a rooftop.
Abstract Bokeh Photography Philosophy - freely focused
Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 9:01PM Jason Collin 
I offer no meaning for the photograph above. I can tell you it is of an ordinary scene, seen from another dimensional reality. It all depends on how you focus. How do you focus? How does it make you see reality?