It's not easy.

Being a photographer is not easy business like some people think.

I am inclined to believe people who are not interested in the dynamics of photography,.... other than, say, looking at a beautiful photograph, ...think taking the picture itself is easy and they could probably do it if they wanted too. I mean, they see a photo of a beautiful mountain with an outstanding skyscape surrounding the mountain, and think "pheh! easy"...

I came across such a person recently in a gallery we were walking through. We were standing side by side looking at a photo of a Sand Cave in New Mexico. The red sand was shining, and a beam of light cascaded from the roof of the cave, sand glitter sparkled in the sunshine, the photographer clearly used a Fisheye lens to capture the greatness of the scene. She causally said " this is gorgeous! but what makes it so special? I could do this if I was standing in this spot". I stood there but didn't say anything about her remark. As we moved from photo to photo, she was exclaiming with enthusiasm about each image, clearly enjoying each shot for it's beauty. But I could also hear her sigh under her breath, and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing, that she could take that shot if she were the one taking that exact image.

At the end of the gallery, the manager came over and asked if we enjoyed the gallery, if we had any questions, and so forth. The woman next to me, as if to prove my observation of her, said, " Why are these photo's so expensive?, I've seen the same type of photo's on-line and I can get them inexpensively or even free" The manger was gracious and didn't flinch, I had to wonder if she was used to this line of query. The manager went on to explain the photographer's impressive resume, the work that goes into each image on the wall, framing and such, and that his work is quite sought after. The woman nodded, and smiled easily. The manger asked this woman if she was a photographer, and if she was interested in the workshops this gallery provides. The woman answered that she only had a Sony point and shoot camera, and that no she wasn't interested in the workshop, she didn't think she had a good enough camera. Then she thanked the manager, and had to leave. It was lunch time.

So, when a person looks at a beautiful photograph,....a work of art the photographer intended to make other people ohhh and ahhh over,....and think they can do the same thing, I wish they would just try.

Like, go to that sand cave in New Mexico, get up at the right time in the morning, chase the light as it's called, trek into the cave and find the right, tight, spot, decide on the correct lens, the right composition, the angle, the right aperture and shutter speed, then take about 3 or 4 dozen shots to get that exact final shot. Meanwhile hoping the light doesn't shift while getting the shot.

Yep, it's that easy to get that shot up on a Gallery wall, and have a person with a P&S say she could do the same thing if she were standing in the same spot. not.

I am interested in the photo workshops this Gallery offers, I would love to know the secrets of getting the most amazing images. I have a blast with photography, I love that it's come into my life. At this point, I have a decent enough camera, but there is so much more to it, so much to learn and do with that camera. I for one, know it's not easy.

It makes for a lousy next day

Some days are harder than others. I mean, you know the days, when you wake up after dreaming about something tragic in your life. It's far beyond the spider nightmare, the falling nightmare, the running naked through the mall nightmare.

It's a memory that creeps into your head when you have no force to push it out, and there it is, in your dream. It could be a deceased person or pet, that meant a lot to you. A car accident that changed your life. Some kind of abuse you endured. A child's illness that was horrific, you wondered if that child would make it. The list goes on, you know the dream, we all have them.

It's all there in your head, no matter what you've done to get past it. No matter how long ago it was in your life from today. It happened, you were there, no one, nothing, stopped it from happening. So you wake up crying, or wincing, or sweating, or cramped up, or get up and gently sit beside your child and give them a kiss on the forehead. Crawling back into bed, you swear your dreams will be better for the rest of the night, and then you just don't sleep until the wee hours of the morning, and end up sleeping hard.

It makes for a lousy next day.

I had one of those such dreams recently. I dreamt about the Car crash I was in at age 24, that changed my life forever. Prior to the crash, I had just found my love for exercise, I was in the best shape of my life, and life was very positive. I had everything going for me, a great job, a place of my own, a new kitten, taking college courses and was having a blast just dating in the 20 something world. Then some guy, doing whatever he was doing in his big pick-up truck, slammed into still traffic injuring 5 people in one instant. I don't even remember the actual accident really. I remember though, the aftermath, a whole bunch of people coming up to my car, checking to see if I was OK. The police coming up, asking questions, and the EMT's checking for any outstanding injuries, and seeing one of the drivers all bloody in the face, and being taken away in the ambulance. Then the Ray of Light after that. My Father, My Dad, My Daddy, driving northbound on Highway 101, saw me standing by the side of the road. Somehow he was beside me in mere minutes, even in the heavy traffic.

I don't remember the rest of that day, except my dad took me back his house and put me to bed. I slept. And woke up the next morning with whiplash and a messed up back.

My exercising, the level I was at, diminished. I lost out on a lot of work because of the doctor appointments. My outlook and fun times went from happy! to eh, and my college studies suffered. I wonder how the lives of the other victims panned out? I'll never know. All because that guy wasn't paying attention.

I wonder if those other people dream about the accident too, actually I'm pretty sure they do.