Rocky Mountain Daydream
Joseph Shoemaker - DJI Mini Pro 3
Hello, Heros
Welcome to another week another, you guessed it, side quest.
Two months ago, I started up a quote list on my notes app, and every compelling quote i've heard since then i've written it down. Looking back on it now its a pretty neat and fufilling thing to keep track of over my life, but one quote relating to art recently stuck out with me that I think you will appreciate:
"Art is not the possession of the few who are recognized writers, painters, musicians; it is the authentic expression of any and all individuality" -John Dewey
SIDE QUEST
So gearing up for my trip to Japan, I've recently reorganized all of my SSDs for the third or fourth time. I can't keep track of how many times because I think my head just might fall off. So for the sanity of all of us, let's just leave it at 3 times.
This involved copious amounts of copying and pasting over and over again. Almost meditative in a sense, really. But the sweet, sweet victory of having everything even more organized than before just can't be beat.
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Once all of my photos and videos were organized, I realized something:
I've been a terrible companion to anyone I've ever hung out with.
Mainly because I'm so horrifically bad at sending photos to everyone after a hangout or trip. The systems I’ve used in the past to store photos have been improved upon over the past 10-fold, but now it's too late to send them to everyone because the event was years ago.
Imagine getting a text from a friend you haven't seen in years with 20 photos and the caption "remember the time we went drinking at Como Tap at 8:00 p.m., January 20th, 2022? HERE ARE ALL THE PHOTOS YOU'RE FINALLY WELCOME."
Anyways, I'm getting carried away here. The point is: I have tons of photos over years of just snapping away with my phone and taking really nice photographs with my different cameras.
This paired nicely with the fact that my local neighborhood magazine recently reached out to me, asking if I would be interested in having my photography published every month. Of course, I said yes, with my brand-new, neatly organized photo library.
So, another side quest complete ✅. I've been submitting photographs for the past few months now, and they have been turning out fantastic on print. I'm also hoping to send some photographs after Japan, which should be another 100gb. great.
EXP share
Getting started in photography is easy. It's like cooking; anyone can cook!
What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great.
-Auguste Gusteau
But obviously, gear is going to make a difference, but in my opinion, it's not the gear that makes a great photo - it's how you use particular gear to capture a particular style, or in other words, a particular aesthetic.
Start by just trying to capture an aesthetic when you are taking photographs. Want to highlight architecture? Go to a city or a place near fancy architecture and just focus on that aesthetic. Want to focus on sunsets? Experiment with different sunset photos on different days. Also, going on photography apps such as Instagram and VSCO helps conjure inspiration for you.
Finally, there are some simple tips that will enhance your photographs, such as the rule of thirds and color theory. But like anything, it will take time and a lot of trial and error. Just keep practicing!
Embrace Entropyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Song:
Back Pocket - Vulfpeck
Thanks for reading DO MORE SIDE QUESTS! I’ll see you in the next one.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for the newsletter, I’m all ears! Seriously, I want your feedback. Send your thoughts to [email protected]—let me know what you want to see and how I can make this better.
Cheers,
Joseph Shoemaker | Jet Blizzard
