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Robin Reid | all galleries >> A Collection of Galleries with Humor and Whimsy >> Reflections of Self > May 24: Everyday life or Art?
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24-MAY-2005 Robin Reid

May 24: Everyday life or Art?

Rancho Bernardo, CA


One of the dynamic tensions I experience doing my daily PaD is how much effort should I put into getting a good image that has real artistic value, or how much should I focus on my ‘real’ life and capture the daily toil and drudgery.

Sometimes I can’t make up my mind. What do you try to do each day? Art or a daily event?

Canon EOS 20D ,Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
1/40s f/9.0 at 17.0mm iso400 with Flash hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time24-May-2005 14:16:40
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS 20D
Flash UsedYes
Focal Length17 mm
Exposure Time1/40 sec
Aperturef/9
ISO Equivalent400
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programmanual (4)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Greg Harp17-May-2007 16:13
Fabulous work. :)
Coleen Perilloux Landry17-May-2007 02:16
I love this shot, especially in the kitchen. You are toooo much.
Buz Kiefer16-May-2007 17:22
Love the little photo on the table. Clever man. :^)
don nieman28-May-2005 12:44
But I don't wrestle with some conflict concerning it! Maybe you should see a consultant!:)
don nieman28-May-2005 12:42
I was going to go with this big long answer, but when it came down to actually responding to the question, I'd have to say Art.
scott clarke27-May-2005 15:07
The first time I did this in 1998 it was a nightmare. This time I hope to have fun. But very hard to get ideas. Your a genius! But man you sure don't look the part. Regards Robin. I should clarify, you don't look the part of a guy who would take the time to pump this stuff out.
virginiacoastline26-May-2005 21:44
I'd like to be artistic . . but I come off as autisitic (sorry . . bad joke) and I really don't give myself the time to put together somethign artsy so I stick to daily drivel =]
Cliff26-May-2005 15:32
These days with the advent of digital - I spray my environment with enough shots, that when I get half decent photo I take a bow and say 'Well that's art!' LOL
Thought provoking PaD - done in such a fun way Robin!
laine8226-May-2005 08:40
Okay... Happy Birthday to you & your twin :>)!!
CJ Burianek25-May-2005 13:13
Great detail and photoshop work. Esp. like the matching photo on the table. Excellent job!
For my own PAD, I have been trying to take a break from everything of at least 30 min and walk around and play with the camara taking shots just to see what works/what doesn't. A means to develope my skills as a Photographer. The PAD makes it so I'm less likely to slack off ;) And when people like what I've done it certainly is ecouraging..
Larry Ahern25-May-2005 09:12
Me, I shoot about 17,000 pieces of crap a day and salvage one that is not too horrible then process the hell out of it, post it, and fret all day that I posted one of the pieces of crap :)

I want a clone to do my dishes.
Guest 25-May-2005 06:11
Great work here. I like the little photoframe at the right down corner.
About your question I guess it depends on my mood, because sometimes I just shoot for shooting, and some other I shoot when I see a potential photography. To be or not to be?
JeremyGood25-May-2005 05:15
I focus on not getting my wife too upset by spending too much time on PaD every day.
Dan Chusid25-May-2005 04:52
I strive to avoid the mundane. You only live everyday once, so I go for the gusto and attempt to either challenge the viewer or present something that will provoke more than a casual glance and click of the webpage. Not always possible in our world of multi-tasking and attention deficit.
Gary Winters25-May-2005 04:34
How hard would it be to take out that guy in the blue shirt? He's blocking my view into the kitchen! (grin)
Robin Reid25-May-2005 04:19
Based on snootdog's feedback I have tightened the crop and removed a couple of offending artifacts.
Gayle P. Clement25-May-2005 04:15
I take photos of something that please me, something that catches my eye. Sometimes I look for that "something" while I'm trying to learn a new skill. I do put a lot of time into this. My camera goes everywhere I go and gets pulled out at lots of weird times.
Robin Reid25-May-2005 03:33
Again @snootydog... the piece in the kitchen window was layered under the rest of the scene and I just erased the parts that allow me (in the hat) to be in front. Part of the angle problem is the ceiling is not level (don't ask ..grin.)
Robin Reid25-May-2005 03:31
And @Gary ...it took me a minute to see what 'clock' you were aking about. That blue thing hanging down in the window IS a piece of ART! LOL
Robin Reid25-May-2005 03:26
I'm appreciating all the comments and reflections. Keep em coming.
And @snootydog.. you are right the lines are askew ... great example of rushing a shot w/o working on that little detail. The thing on my arm? ;=) Its gone now... thanks.
R.
jypsee25-May-2005 02:16
My everyday life IS art...
Karen Leaf25-May-2005 02:09
Both?
For me it's 95% learning. The other 5% trying to implement the lesson.
Di25-May-2005 02:09
I don't have an answer for you either, my friend, but I sure do enjoy watching you work it out!
Karen Leaf25-May-2005 02:04
I just fell off the chair reading Herb's!
Herb 25-May-2005 00:57
This is challenge for me, because there is no way to answer this in two words or less.LOL
I try to take photos that show the beauty of the world around me or something of interest to the PaD community.
Pepe Zyman24-May-2005 23:36
upps!
...some use the PAD ...
Pepe Zyman24-May-2005 23:35
Each person has a different goal. Some use you the PAD a diary, some as a mean to improve their photographic skills and some do both.
If I had to post a picture of my daily life, I will end up with a gallery full of business meetings and endless hours on the phone!
On my PAD, I post a picture every day but I just don’t have time to take pictures every day.
I always carry my camera but the best photos (for me) are the ones I plan.
Whenever I have time (usually during weekends or after work) I usually have in mind what I want to shoot; Take the necessary gear and go for it!
Wm. Bates24-May-2005 23:31
Great shot/shots and a good thought. I just try to take and post something that I'm not embarrassed to have the world see. I gave up on artistic value a long time ago because everybody's idea of what is artistic is so different. I just try to take something I like. I'll let others worry if it has artistic value.

Bill
Gary Winters24-May-2005 23:24
Can't answer for you, but I started PaD primarily as a way to learn more about photography. It was how I learned to play piano years ago -- practicing every day. I try to get the best image I can each day, artistic or not. After all, I want to learn to take good photos to fit different situations -- sometimes, to simply document an event, a family gathering, or whatever, and sometimes, to re-create the beauty in the world around me on "film." Then there's the sure joy of photography and post-processing. So I guess for me, the discipline of PaD gets me to practice my scales, learn some Bach, and improvise like Thelonius Monk might -- if he was a visual artist rather than a musician.

All that said, I don't much care for pictures of my "daily toil and drudgery," as you called it. It's not referred to as toil and drudgery without reason!
Guest 24-May-2005 23:17
That's an excellent question! With my work and travel schedule, I try to just grab the best shots I can given the time constraints, and if they work out to be artistic in some way, then great. Usually, though, it's a chronicle of my travels, activities, etc. Which isn't particularly artistic, but it is "practice, practice, practice" in at least some form. We still learn every day by doing.

Plus, I'm not particularly artistic by nature. I consider myself creative, but not artistic. One of my many handicaps.
Gary Blanchette24-May-2005 23:16
I seriously think that you should just put the camera down and do your share of the chores. Is that a blurred clock reading 5:50?
Guest 24-May-2005 22:58
This is fantastic! So who is the guy doing the dishes?
snootydog24-May-2005 22:38
Or both... I think when I was most active here it was important for me to post an image that I was proud of (although some days I fell way short of THAT goal) but also to chronical my meanderings. I often had to remind myself that I originally started doing this for myself, not for a pad audience. That often changed what I posted and why. I like this one Robin but visually something is askew and it is hurting my eyes. I think your pano photo somehow doesn't have the same perspective as the rest of the shot, is that possible? And what is on your right elbow? I love the touch of having the framed photo of you shooting the pano photo. You have an escheresque photographic sensibility which I endlessly enjoy.
Coleen Perilloux Landry24-May-2005 22:35
Too funny! You really spend a lot of time gathering your PaD.