A Slight Discouragement

I am always in the mood to continue on my journey to become the photographer I want to be in the future. On tuesday, I was much enthusiatic about photography and decided i could work some of my magic after volleyball practice.

I stopped before I left my practice grounds to catch this. I saw something in the sky that I was very beautiful and powerful. I took this picture only to turnaround to an impatient friend. I always thought, but am definetely sure now that photography, atleast in my case, is best done alone ( for some quiet time). "What are you doing?" my friend yelled at me. I proceeded to tell her my dream. I did not get the response I was wishing for, the "Good Luck" or "Cool Dream" response. I got the " Really? I don't get it, anyone can take a picture and call it photography". You know the " My niece (whose is five) can take a camera and come out with the same quality" response.

That sent me into a spiral of thought. First I felt the heart ache that one only gets when they are told they are trying to master art that just about anyone can do. All this time I've been thinking there are techniques, methods and styles. Oh, what a fool I am. Thats when i realized her response did not attack me. It attacked all the great photos and the photographers who captured them. It denied them of their right to a talent.You can give credit to a grown man named Lil' Wayne for his very generic music but not to the man who took the picture of IWO JIMA.

When I see a picture that in my opinion is great, it evokes emotion from me. Emotion that a Lil' Wayne could never pull out of me. A great photo is of something you can look at with your eyes and retain the memory of forever but never can or will see it the way it is potrayed in the photo. The lens of a camera does see things in a different light but only a great photographer can look at something through their eyes and see it through the light of the lens.

All these thoughts rushed to my head as I took this shot and waited for the bus. Not the greatest photo I thought. No emotion was being brought out of me. Am I the Lil' Wayne of photography? How am I supposed to be become a photographer when I can not put into my photos hat attracts me to others?

2/4/08 A.K.A My 1st Blog

On tuesday i was granted the use of a camera by Steve L. of Stoked. I had told him of my dream of becoming an action sports photojournalist and having recieved a Canon Powershot from Catherine of Zoo York ( Former Photographer) he gave it to me.

Catherine gave me my first crash course in action sports photography. Catherine gave a group of kids involved in stoked (including myself) and took us to the very first Red Bull sponsored Manny Mania in NYC to photograph some very popular and very talented skateboarders. It is an experience that now drives me.

Hearing that it was something wanted to continue doing professionally someday, she told me to get my hands on a camera and just take pictures. It is the best way to learn. Stoked made that happen.

Today was a sort of gloomy, a day in which i new this beautiful city could bless with some awesome sights. Sights I would love to photograph. Thats what i attempted to do. I learned some cool things about the powershot i was given, things such as how the camera absored light. Today was all about light. Seeing thi particular photo I can't believe that I took it. It just gives me a lot more drive to keep it going.

If you are reading this blog and liked the pictures featured please go to my myspace (www.myspace.com/cobainrip). You will find more of my photos in albums entitled My day at manny mania pro skate jam, A Nice Day at Tompkins Park, kool pics i took as a Photographer , and building portfolio .

I am now working on moving these photos onto blogspot. Also I referenced Stoked earlier. Stoked is a non-profit organization that was started by Steve Larosiliere and Sal Masekela. It is a unique mentoring program that provides a child with a mentor and the opportunity to take part in action sports. . So Far Stoked kids go skateboarding in spring, Surfing in summer and Snowboarding in winter. You can read more about this great organization at

http://www.stokedmentoring.org/. Please visit this site. Stoked has brought about many positive things in my life.