Week 6

Motivation and 5 ways to get closer in 15 minutes.

It's that thing that keeps up going, it's the fire that burns under our feet and pushes us forward. For some of it's it's easy to find, it's as simple as the first two-seconds of a solid rock song or it's that five minute conversation with a stranger that makes the world a brighter place and turns the daunting future into something tamer.

But for everyone, there are moments where motivation is just out of reach. Motivation to finish that assignment, to do that thing your mom asked you to do, to clean your kitchen, to write that short story, to get ahead in that class, to use that calendar you started keeping three months ago and they completely forgot about. We all feel the drudge of lacking motivation at one time or another especially when dealing with our own hobbies.

I can't really speak for the plane enthusiast or the cheese afficianados out there in the world but I can speak for the artists who are waiting for that sign to come up. The sign that says “yes, today is the day you create that masterpiece you think about in that stupid history class. Today is that day and tomorrow is the day you revel in having finished that thing today.”

Well, today probably isn't the day you do that and if you're waiting around for that bolt of motivation and inspiration to strike you blind you'll die before you ever have the chance to make it live. However, this is the sign that you should be doing something else.

In fact, here are five things that you could be photographing in the next fifteen minutes. (I'm not holding you to anything though because I don't know where you live and I also don't know what your weather is like and I don't want to make you do something dangerous).

1. Look at that window. There is definitely a tree out there and it definitely has branches and maybe some leaves. Either way, that's a damn unique tree and it would make for some good practice with editing. In fact there's a stranger just standing by it. Maybe that stranger will let me photograph them.
2. If you're still looking at that window, look at the way the light is falling in. Isn't it interesting the way it casts shadows? Now you should wonder what happens if you put a glass in the middle of it? What about some water in that glass? What if you dropped food coloring in that glass and tried to get pictures of it?
3. Walk down a street you haven't walked down in a long time. Photograph everything. Maybe you like two pictures and maybe you don't like any but at least you're trying.
4. You're the kind of person that probably has a houseplant. Take pictures of your houseplant because it's not going to be around forever. In fact, take 200 photos of that houseplant and make every single one a little different than the last. Create a photo album that will reassure people your only friends photosynthesize.
5. Set down your camera and look at what others are creating. Poke around on Flickr, on Tumblr, anywhere really. Immerse yourself in the creations of others and somewhere in it you'll find motivation to add to the piles of self-expression.

I'm just gonna share some of my photos from this week that inspired the post. Just went out and took some portraits of my friend Giuliana in the fading glow of fall just outside of my apartment building.

Navigating Photo Editing Apps and Software

If you're a causal editor of photos there are several free resources available from the uncomplicated to the nearly-as-complex-as-photoshop-but-still-free options. And, in 2014, editing apps range in the thousands for casual users and professionals alike.

The list begins with the renowned Instagram and on any given day it probably ends with some panorama making app that you haven't heard of and probably won't (at least not for a while). It's a tough and expansive field to navigate as phone photography is on the rise right along with camera tech and social media all which make finding the perfect app nearly impossible.

But, there are two simple things to consider when app shopping:

1. What are you editing? Pictures from your phone? RAW files your DSLR? Maybe photocopies from the office scanner?
2. And on what device are you editing? Your hone? A tablet? A desktop computer?

These are important to consider before you pick an editing tool because there are advantages and disadvantages to each. But don't be afraid of editing photos. Here's the difference one minutes and a curve set make:

I can't cover everything in a single blog post but  can redirect you to a handful of lists that I always refer to. I'm also a pretty limited user because I rarely edit photos away from my laptop, I don't own a tablet, and I almost never use my phone for photography but I'm hoping to use next weeks post to change that or see if it can be changed.

Here is a list of 15, this one for photographers, and this one from the Creative Bloq.

For now, here are the top three editing apps I use and a little why

• PicMonkey - Similiar to what Picnik was in 2010, this is still what I prefer for quick editing. It has a convenient uploader. It has some filters but it still maintains itself as the powerful editing tool it was back in 2010 when it was still called Picnik and when everyone used the “Cowboy” font on their facebook profile pictures.
• Instagram – I like instagram a lot for digital photography because it's quick, easy, and social. Filters can be applied without a second thought, they can be adjusted, and the photo can be posted, tagged, and shared all within the span of minutes. It made phone photography into what it is today and it continues to enhance and expand alongside it.
• GIMP – This GNU Manipulation program is what ever causal photographer who won't invest in photoshop needs. It's Open Source Software, it's consistently updated and the open licenses is constantly being refined and improved for maximum efficiency. It allows the editor to work with layers and masks and it grants pretty full control of a photo and I use it daily and have been for well over five years now and I don't have any real complaints, as a casual photographer, about the program. 

Don't let feel intimidated by photo editing because with a few minutes of research you'll find an app that applies to every level of skill beginning at zero and continuing well into the professional level.