I never intended to actually use the photos. More than likely, I thought I would browse them, glean a few storying pointers, and file them away. And that is what I did.

To further develop the story, I would want people. I was able to follow the string into gutters and wrapped around spirit houses, mixed among the already busy power lines and webbed in trees, but to really make the story interesting, I want to know who put them there, why they put them there, how much time and money it cost, and maybe how many people were involved…because this stuff was everywhere I went in an hour long walk!

Honestly, knowing I was not going to process the photos any more than browsing through them freed me to shoot and experiment. I do not want to waste time on the photos, because it was not the photos which were important, but the opportunity to follow a story. I learned some technical pointers (maybe for another blog post) and, as I have already said, what ingredients I would need to tell this story more fully.

It was a fun, learning project.

I have been thinking a lot about why I shoot. It could be the frequent reminders from my wonderful wife to keep my priorities in check (Wouldn’t it be horrible to have a wife who adored photography and did not ever question my over zealous investment of time in it?). That helps, but I do not think that is it. It is a long progression of thought, beginning a decade or so ago, and now leading me down this interesting new path.

When I was traipsing around the Chinese countryside with my all-manual film camera and my 50mm lens, I remember some of my thinking toward my photography: I wanted to capture the things I saw that nobody else saw. I did not want fancy lenses to add some effect. I simply wanted a lens that captured what I saw.

When I moved to digital in late 2003, I think I lost sight a little bit. Not until early 2007 did the juices really get flowing again. I have developing my approach a little, but my thoughts now are clearly decended from my film days in the Chinese countryside.

The other day, though, while reading an e-mail (posted online) between the Strobist and the dude at Momenta Workshops (which I have already talked about), something really began to dawn on me. As the Momenta dude explained their approach to teaching young documentarians, I kept hearing him talking about me. A desire to capture that “decisive moment”. A love of telling stories. A passion for the stories around me, which will go untold if I do not tell them.

So, if you have been reading the past few weeks, you have heard me talking about telling stories through photos and not just taking one super shot here and one pretty picture there. It has led me to a decision, though.

As a photographer, I need to learn more and more about telling stories, yes, with photos, but certainly not limited to photos alone. This blog will reflect that focus. Up till now, the only theme to the blog would be the random thoughts from my head that might be useful to other photographers out there. That is not very focused, obviously.

I have probably also been riding a horse a bit too big for me. In other words, accidentally talking as if I knew anything. It is way to easy to slowly create an online alter ego, to begin thinking of ourselves as pro photographers, when really we are two-bit amateurs. To quote Chief Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood) in A Perfect World: “I don’t know nothin’…not one damn thing.” Spoken like a truly experienced pro.

So, I am starting over. I am an amateur photographer. I want to explore the art of telling a story through my photography. And I figure some of what I learn might be of benefit to others out there, so I will share excerpts of my adventure in learning here. It helps to think out loud sometimes; I cannot count the number of times I have realized something as I wrote it here in the blog. So, it is a creative outlet and tool in my learning process, and you are welcome to come along for the ride to learn along with me.

Well, I just read a great (mock) Rembrandt interview over at the Strobist. That is right, Rembrandt, in the not-so-flesh, is going on record to help us understand how he controls light to achieve his desired results. Warning: the Strobist is all about off-camera flash photography, so if that is not your thing, it might be too photo-techy. Of course, if photography and lighting ARE your thing, you might hurt yourself laughing! A work of genius! Laugh and learn.That Strobist entry really made me think more about how much photographers have to learn from the masters of painted art. So many lessons about lighting and composition are there for the gleaning. It is too easy to look at a painting, take it in on the surface, and never think about the details: the light, the colors, much less how those lessons could be applied to or accomplished in photography.

So, here’s to visual inspiration! It’s not just from movies, Flickr, or commercials. Let us pay attention to the established masters of visual art.