Why Have So Many Missed Opportunities?

I am in a fortunate position to be semi-retired, and to live in a city (Edmonton, Alberta) where there are so many great opportunities for getting great shots. It was not much more than a couple of years ago that I got serious about photography, and I thought my interest was going to die on the vine with the purchase of a DSLR. It just didn't seem that there were enough types of photos and angles and new places to take pictures of. Even the wildlife seemed boring, but in the years since, I have completely changed my mind. Edmonton is a rapidly growing city, and there are constantly new buildings and bridges and other major construction projects going on. This for me has been a great opportunity because I can take a photo of the shell of a building and then go back a few short weeks later and track the building's progress towards reaching for the sky. I have developed a fascination with our new "Stantec Tower" which is now our tallest building, and in fact now the tallest building West of Toronto. One day I will visit the observation deck of this building, but at the moment I am happy to frame the great behemoth and its sister tower with other fantastic buildings in Edmonton, such as our Legislature building and grounds. One of the amazing things about this building is how it is teaching me perspective, because when you are close to it the building seems roughly higher than the many towers around it, but when you venture out a little the building seems twice as high as any other tower.

Where the opportunities really come in is when I combine my hobby of going for extremely long walks, 10km (6 miles) or more each day and when I remember and have a memory card ready and a charge in the battery, I try to take along my DSLR. Otherwise, I take the best pictures I can with my iPhone 10S, then use the excellent new editing software built into the phone to perfect it later, then I am able to load it directly onto Facebook. The simple fact that my phone is always with me lets me get so many shots I would miss. The other thing I really like is that if I take a shot I really like with my phone and wished I could have done better, I will charge up, load up and saddle up with my DSLR and go to the same spot the same time the next day if weather permits and the learning process from doing that is huge.

I am starting to get a following on Facebook, and now most people that know me on occasion hire me for simple but often well-paid jobs. The money is not a huge issue, but I have had ongoing work for up to $50 Canadian per hour, and have entered and won contests. I think I have yet to win much with my iPhone photos, but if one searches, there are many contests online that seek only camera phone pictures. Entering all the contests you can is a great way to hone your skills, and a great chance to win equipment and/or travel.

The question will often come up whether to use add-on lenses, filters or what kind of phone has the best camera. A lot of research can be done, but the fact is that the best camera is one that you use. I sometimes wish I had an Android phone because often you can swap micro-SD cards and have less space worries for photos. There is also a small number of android phones that offer incredible image quality though at a cost of a longer per-shot processing time. Though constrained by budget, I was going to buy one of these high MP phones and use it only as a camera. I decided the problem of keeping two phones charged and on my person would ruin the whole point of having a camera cell phone, though it may mean being able to get those photos that need to record more MP without having to return with my DSLR the next day.

For the moment though, the truth is that my iPhone is almost always in my pocket and has the ability to take on some images you will never see twice. Many times I have been up and at large at dawn and witnessed an indescribable beauty in the color of the clouds that just seems to glow in a way that cameras were invented to capture.

Now, along with the convenience of cell phone cameras, there is a question of cost. Many people buy a simple digital camera and are soon unsatisfied with its performance say in low light or high zoom shots. So they go out and spend more and more and never seem to have enough equipment until one day they give up and then find the equipment they have is nearly worthless because all new models have come out. Using a smartphone for long enough to learn what makes a quality picture can help avoid disasters such as this. Get a phone with a quality camera. Subscribe to or read photo magazines and books at the library. Take an interest in architecture, in nature, even in insects. There are so many great things to take photos of. Developing the habit of going for long walks is also a great way to find more opportunities. Above all, keep your eyes and ears open, always be ready to see a new way of capturing an image.