FILL IN THE BLANKS

Every time I see a child taking his first steps or saying his first word, I cannot help but wonder what it was like when I was the same age, reaching those same milestones.

Ours is a privileged generation, but I daresay that it gets even better because whereas we had the good fortune of having our "baby" pictures taken with the occassional polaroid or the instant film cameras, our children and wards have the privilege of parents and guardians with access to a rich array of more sophisticated, yet user-friendly devices.
   

We could never blame our parents for not having so-many childhood pictures or videos of us, but I daresay it would be inexcusable if those growing up under our watch have to experience any 'gaps' in their developmental showreel.

It is about time you grabbed a camera and started filling in those blanks. We only get to live once, after all.

Photography by Dr Seth
Model : S. A.

DISCOVER YOUR NICHE

Have you ever been conflicted about who you are, or what you're meant to be doing?
It is an age-long belief that everyone is good at something.
We all were created to fulfill one purpose or the other.
For Archimedes of Syracuse, it was solving mathematical nightmares and inventing cool stuff, & for Bach, it was composing great music.
I had quite a struggle discovering what mine was (maybe I still am), but to overcome the incessant conflict that comes with not knowing, I came to terms with the fact that it must have to do with what keeps me up mostly at night, and what fills my mind the moment I'm awake.
I love capturing images, and it doesn't just end there. I love arranging them and nurturing them till I've given them the ultimate expression. But that's me. You've got to find out what your niche is and explore it. I still watch film-making tutorials every opportunity I get. I never get bored learning about this subject ever!!!

Over the years, I came up with a few characteristics that I believe  define a film-maker.

1. You see a potential plot in every occurrence around you.
2. When you watch TV, you're thinking camera angles, depth of field, audio quality, color grading, and "who on earth is this director?!!!"
3. When you'rε at an event, your eyes are darting between the  crane and the projector screen, and you flinch each time a shot seems "off".
4. You don't mind traveling miles on your own tab to shoot a great subject.
5.Each time you make a few extra bucks, you're thinking what lens or light to buy next.
6. You're always willing to do more than what you're paid for because for you, it's an expression of your art, & not just a job.
7. You spend hours everyday learning what you can from the pros.
8. When you log into your ebay or amazon account, your 1st search is for some camera or lens or accessory.
9. Your ebay/amazon watch folder and shopping basket is filled with film-making equipment.
10. When there is a natural/man-made disaster, the 1st thing that hits your mind is, "oh! why did I not pack my camera this time". (BE CAREFUL WITH THIS LAST ONE).

So, there it is. BUT, I'm not you, & neither are you me. It's up to you to find out what you're most likely to excel in.
I can assure you though, that the road to self-discovery is an interesting one. Have a safe trip.

YEA, SOME HOBBY...

Someone once said, "there's nothing like making a living off your hobby". I totally agree with that.
For me however, I haven't thought of photography or film-making as merely a hobby in a long time (that was a lifetime ago).
Now, it's work, work,.....and more work, with this or that tutorial to learn or some deadline to make.
All the same, fact still remains that I absolutely love capturing images, and whether I make a few bucks or not doing what I love doing, I am adding value to myself some way or the other.
C'mon, let's go shoot some hobby.

 Night shots without strobes taken on my Canon 550d with a 18mm-35mm f/4.0-5.6 lens.

VIDEOS BY DR SETH ON VIMEO

Here is the link to my vimeo channel.......  http://vimeo.com/user5738514/videos

Comments and contributions are always welcome

SHOOTING THE PRODUCT

It was just like any other day, and as was my usual practice, I decided to log on to ebay to do some "window shopping".
I'd been toying with the idea of buying a used studio photography background kit with a set of soft boxes so I could step up my portrait photography lighting skills. However, on this day, no one seemed to be selling, but just as I was going to log out, an object caught my eye. It was a portable kit for product photography. Wow! It was in my shopping basket in a jiffy, & I couldn't wait to have it delivered already.
During the week-long wait, I researched all I could on product photography. I knew I'd just found me a new "baby".
This type of photography wasn't so popular back in Nigeria, and that's quite understandable because we did most of our shopping on our feet.
In this part of the world where lots of buying and selling take place online, it's easy to guess just how important a role product photography plays in the retail business.

As it turned out, I didn't have to wait out the whole week, thank God! On the 4th day, my delivery came through, and immmediately I was on my knees setting it up. That took a little over 3minutes and in another minute, I'd whipped up my camera and tripod, and set them up for action.
Putting to use all I'd learnt about lighting and composition, I ended up with some interesting shots of everything that was in sight at the moment.

Here are some of the interesting shots; 

You can be sure  I'll be taking this one all the way in my characteristic manner, and you can bet I'm  looking forward to my next product photography project.