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Health & Fitness

Homebody: A Photoblog of Kings Park (And Close By). #5: My Favorite Mistakes

     What’s your take on failure?  Are you afraid of it?  Does it make you curl up in a little ball and wither away?  Or does it energize and challenge you, motivating you to charge ahead and prevail?

      Last post I spoke about HDR images.  I discovered this technique a few years ago and became fascinated by it.  I read up on it, downloaded the necessary HDR software (Photomatix) as a free trial, and bravely set out making HDR images.  I loved the results.  What I did not realize until later was that just about all of my early images were mistakes.  I was a failure!

     Personally, I was greatly amused by this.  I loved these images. But how great would they be if I was doing the technique right?  LOL!  I guess you can figure out this only motivated me to really learn how to do the technique right.  Even though I learned to do the technique “correctly,” I still love my mistakes.

     Posted here is one of my favorite mistakes (thanks Sheryl Crow).  An HDR image of a popular Kings Park establishment that, literally, stands out like a beacon on Main Street.   Can you guess the name of the place?

     Everything is wrong about it as an HDR image.  Shot with a point-and-shoot camera; resulting in a JPEG image file with the sRGB color profile; shot handheld instead of with a tripod; the three source images are only ½ stop apart instead of the correct 2 stops apart.  Technically, it’s a disaster.  I still love it.

     Kings Park Photo Club.   Our new photo club meets the third Thursday of every month at the Kings Park Library at 7 PM.   Our next meeting is June 20, 2013.  Find out about HDR images, sRGB, and other interesting photo ideas.   We are planning member presentations on photo topics and also photo outings in Long Island and to New York City.

     Photo Tip: “It Worked For Me:”
I hope I did not get all “heavy” on you by talking about mistakes and failures.  After all, photography should be about fun.  Experiment, play, and have fun!  It still works for me.  Your images only have to please an audience of one:  You.  If others like them, that’s great.  If they don’t like them, that’s OK too.

     Thanks for reading.  Any suggestions for discussion topics, please post them in the comments.

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