I wrote the following in a comment for one of my images this morning - I re-read it, and thought I should post it here. I think anyone who visits No Traces knows that all sorts of tools are used to create images - I don't think I've ever met a camera I didn't like (okay, well - once I had a Lubitel - but I've since found that I just didn't know what I wass doing with the dang thing - and now a much more talented photographer is making wonderful images with it)...

The point is this - find the tools you work with best - and stick with them. Learn them - master them - know their nuances - know their strengths - and exploit them as best you can. Don't let anyone tell you what's best for you - you need to find that out for yourself - and it will take time and practice. Stick with it -- if you sense something is working for you, work it harder - wring out more... If something isn't working -- and you find yourself thinking, "but the whole world is going this way" - I might suggest you take a different turn - grab something else from the toolbox -- until you find something your comfortable with.

I say all of this because I'm lucky enough to have a site where more than a few people visit each day. I get more than a few emails each day - lots of them asking for specifics behind a particular image. That's all fine - I've done it myself - I still do - it's in our nature to ask HOW?. That being said, too many times I read emails from people who simply want someone to give them a magical recipe: take one digital slr, add this lens, this remote, this tripod, and expose for this amount of time - and voila!!! you get the cool image you were after!. Nope -- doesn't work that way. If it did, I think we'd have maybe two camera makers at most - and all the walls in the world would be covered with incredibly boring photos.

I can be - and am - very opinionated about what images I like - and don't like. I may even change my opinion from moment to moment - and I've done that. I'm also very opinionated about the tools we as photographers use. My opinion? Whatever works for you! - Simple, eh? Maybe - for some -- and maybe not so simple for most of us.

At any rate -- these are my thoughts this morning -- as I ponder a short leave from No Traces - to recharge my batteries -- to catch up on things -- to think about my next milestone...

Have a wonderful day -- think about what's important to you as a photographer - don't get sucked up in the vortex of all the hype -- stay focused on your work -- and learn to use the tools you've chosen for your craft -- and learn them well...

Here is the comment I left on the image titled, "Just Over the Edge":

As you know, I've taken a lot of night shots using my digital cameras. I mostly use digital because I get instant feedback - and I needed to learn more about light - and what happens over a longer period of time -- certainly longer than 10 or 20 or even 30 seconds. Most of my exposures are well over 120 seconds - and in some cases 12-25 minutes. Light does wonderful things over time - versus say over a fraction of a second....

Now - I have my arms around what I'm doing - I understand what happens to light when clouds move in -- I've experienced all sorts of cloud coverage -- and moon angles -- and winds -- and reflections -- and other things I'm probably not mentioning here. I've not mastered all the elements - just have come to know them... I still have lots to learn, for sure...

My point is this - digital is nice - but I prefer the qualities and results I get from various films. I've spent an equal amount of time with a few specific films taking lots of photos in daylight - and learning how to process them to bring out the best qualities. I feel pretty satisfied with knowing which films to use - for which situations - and which developers to use -- and processing times, etc --- all to create an image I'm satisfied with.

So - I find myself at an interesting point - I've traveled a long way - and learned a lot - and now find that the world around me is changing rapidly -- from analog to digital -- from film to sensors... Still, my real love is with film - and as of yet, I've found no real easy method for achieving in the digital world the results I now get when using film.

I'm determined to push on. My favorite cameras all use film to record images. My favorite image making process requires various films and chemicals. My favorite results over 30+ years are all from film. Pure joy in imaging, for me, comes from working with film.

I say all this because this particular image sort of represents my waypoint - my milestone - to continue on the path - and as a reminder that I still have much to learn in the analog world - and a reminder that light is analog in nature - not digital.

I'm planning a few new night projects -- all with film. I'm sure to fail - I'm sure to come home with nothing to show for my efforts - nothing tangible - but plenty of new found experiences -- and perhaps a few steps closer to making images I've always dreamed about...

Stay tuned -- should be a fun spring and summer....