Morning On Kellogg
I’m Jim Denham and I’m a photographer. There, I said it. They say that admission is the first step in the process, right, so I’m admitting it. I’m a photographer. There was quite a time of denial several months ago where if someone asked if I was a photographer, words like “not really” or “sort of” were spouted, but the denial phase has come and gone and yielded to the acceptance phase.
OK, I’m not in any 12 step program for fixing my photography addiction, but I probably should be. It is an addiction. And the addiction is not just focused (pardon the pun) on any one type of photography – it’s all kinds. Family, events, street, action, HDR, macro…I have even shot one wedding, and I LOVED it! That’s right, you know that’s a sign!
So what got me here? I blame my kid. He gets blamed for everything else that happens so why not this, too? Well, it’s actually legit and is likely the same cause as others who have gotten into this wonderful art. We have a kid and we want to document his life, so we go out and buy a point and shoot camera. Then he starts walking/running and that camera doesn’t perform well enough anymore, so we need to get one with more reach so we don’t have to keep up with him. The new one comes with a class on how to take better pictures, and that’s the beginning of the end.
The addiction didn’t really take place, though, until I first saw an HDR image from Trey Ratcliff. The internet is such an enabler! I HAD to learn how to do that, and the guy shared his entire workflow online. For free! And it could be done with just about any camera, so there I went. That lead to a DSLR, then someone asked if I would take pictures of their family, then another, then a wedding. I was hooked.
The thing about photography that has hooked me is the unleashing of the creative side of my brain. It still struggles to come out, but this form of art has allowed me to explore a part of me that had not been tapped before. That could be the main reason I LOVE HDR – it allows me to bend reality a bit and take some creative freedoms with it. But there’s not much about photography that I don’t like. Gear, magazines, online training, etc.
Mama’s Eyes
OK, so you get the picture (another pun unintended), Jim Denham loves photography. So what’s this Behind My Eyes all about? The title idea was inspired by the first two lines from Ordinary, a song by Train on the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack. “Whose eyes are mine behind, I don’t recognize anything that I see.” I loved the idea that eyes are merely lenses we stand behind and look through, but what’s behind them and how it processes what the eye sends to it is what we really see!
So, the title Behind My Eyes refers to how that stuff behind my eyes and between my ears processes photographic information. In other words, what I think, feel, see, etc. as it relates to photography. News, gear, websites, tips, pictures, whatever, if it relates to this great art and triggers my interest, I’ll write about it, and share my opinions based on my experiences and beliefs.
But the idea here is not to give information, it’s to share information. I’m still relatively new to this industry and I’ve learned a great deal, but there’s still so much more out there to process (and there always will be). So that’s where you come in. I’ll share a post, idea, product, etc., then you let what’s behind your eyes process it, and possibly trigger a comment sharing your experiences, ideas, etc. If it all works out, maybe we both learn something. That would be awesome!
I can’t thank Trevor enough for giving me this opportunity to connect with the Current Photographer readers and contributors. This site, its contributors and its readers are a great resource to the photography community and I hope my contribution helps to maintain that!
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Landscape and fine art photographer based in Lexington, Tennessee – that’s right, Tennessee! Love of long exposures, black and white and film photography. Social networking junkie and love geeking out about everything photography! Husband to Laura and father to Sam. Well, there’s Doc the dog too!
Congratulation Jim – looking forward to many excellent articles and insights!
Erik Kerstenbeck
Kerstenbeck Photographic Art
Great read Jim, and we all knew you were a photographer, just what level, was more the question. But in seeing all the images you’ve shared over the last year, your eye has a gift to capture a mood more than a moment. I’d say, if I were blind, I could feel the color coming off of your photo’s. Great work, and know that we’re all proud of you.