Exposure

About a month ago I decided I needed to expand upon my skill set. At 26 years old I have achieved one of my life goals - to become a charter captain.  Check. Now it feels like the perfect time to start a new life goal - become a photographer.  Before college I actually wanted to pursue a degree in photo journalism. With some guidance and practical thinking I graduated with honors and a degree in business instead.  Great degree and experience, but now it's time to pursue what I originally wanted in the first place.  So, I signed up for my first photography class at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island.

Eric's tennis feet

Last night was my first class and the topic of discussion was exposure.  For the first assignment I chose to focus on feet.
                Weird subject? Absolutely.
But when you think about it, a person's feet can tell you a lot about that person.  What they do, where they go, and how they take care of themselves. It also gave me a creative outlet for this seemingly simplistic topic.

Cousin Carol's pilates stance

At first I was getting a bit frustrated with setting my exposure settings: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. What do these numbers mean? How can I get the lighting just right?                 Is there a special formula to make it easier?

No. I have come to learn from this exercise that it is all about problem solving. You don't have to be the most technical photographer to get the perfect shot. We forget that composition is more important and that you will get the right "formula" if you keep experimenting.  Although people have told me I have "the eye", I have doubted myself. As a perfectionist, I want great results yesterday. I expect myself to be good at something right away.

"I got my toes in the sand"...

I came to realize last night after class that exposure is how we learn new skills. I didn't become a charter captain after only obtaining my captain's license...I spent 6 summers in the BVI improving my skills, learning lessons the hard way, and exposing myself to new situations. And this can be true with anything else in life - I became a good swimmer after 8 practices a day and then some for 10 years and a college graduate after 4.5 years of exposure to lectures, travel abroad, and hard work. In the words of Lisa Freeman, "It's a marathon, not a sprint".

Exposure. This is how I'm going to be a great photographer one day.