I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: August 2023
Since moving to Toronto almost 10 years ago, I have continually been trying to deepen my relationship with photography.
My first career as a photojournalist allowed my both the time and ever-changing situations to expand my craft. It was always an appreciated challenge to illustrate life as it happened a fraction of a second at a time.
As my career shifted, I began to spend more time with my words than I did with in the darkroom.
Then, there was a period where I hardly picked up my camera.
About 15 years ago, I made an attempt to jump back into a pursuit has always been a major part of my life. Then, my move to Toronto provided plenty of new opportunities visually. Photography turned out to be a great way to explore my new home.
I purchased a new camera last summer and have seriously enjoyed each moment adjusting to the new technology contained in the device. I don’t think I’ve ever spent as much time studying a camera manual as I have over the past year; I never thought I had to. Photography, at its most rudimentary level, is the balance of light and time. Digital photography has disrupted that balance.
I know I must learn more if I want to keep up with, or get on top of, the reality of what is happening. It is as confusing as it is inspiring.
I bought a new lens last week, adding a greater dimension to the range of focal lengths I employ. In my newspaper days, I had a particular wide-angle lens that was one of my workhorse choices. I felt, recently, that that range has been missing from the toolkit I carry around with me.
A wide angle lens expands your perspective. The width and breath of the lens allows a greater swath of the landscape that surrounds you and provides a greater dimension if not a bigger moment.
It’s another way of looking at things.
I need that right now, inspiration to take me a little deeper, something to adjust my focus. How I spend my time is more about how choose to see what is before me.
08/07/2021 j.g.l.
Posted on August 6, 2023 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
“Most of what we see in the world holds
the potential to inspire astonishment if
looked at from a less jaded perspective.
Train yourself to see the awe behind the
obvious. Look at the world from this
vantage point as often as possible.”
-Rick Rubin
What inspires you, what you find awesome, will differ from the way others see it.
That alone is, or should be, enough inspiration to look beyond the obvious.
Be astonished with your point of view; it is not evident to everybody.
Inspiration is personal.
08/06/2023 j.g.l.
Posted on August 5, 2023 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
Life is like your laundry
hamper; a bit messy, soiled,
often unorganized and in
need of a good sorting out.
Even then, it doesn’t all
come out in the wash.
There’s still some work to do.
You know it takes a little
attention to detail to iron
out the wrinkles and have
everything looking, and
feeling good again.
© 2019 j.g. lewis
