world photography day 2011

Today is World Photography Day. I probably wouldn't have known if I didn't have twitter, but all my photo friends are excitedly tweeting about it. Not to mention, there's a photo contest going on today to win an awesome camera bag. I'll admit that Scarlett and Stephen gave me an extra incentive to write this post. ;)


Lately I've been shooting less and working on being more precise with my photography. While agonizing about settings will make me a better photographer in the long run, it takes away some of the passion from the day-to-day. I carry my camera with me everywhere but I don't take nearly as many pictures as I used to.
Today, I decided to take a step backwards and reevaluate what made me love photography so much in the first place: it provides me with the opportunity to share the way I see the world with other people. That's why I'm glued to my camera all the time; that's why I blog. Sometimes, I swear that's what I live for.
As I was contemplating what I wanted to photograph, my house was filled with a strange quality of light. I looked out the window and then ran to get the camera. The colors of the sky after a stormy day in South Florida are unreal. With the exception of a slight boost in contrast and a touch of sharpening (because I don't let my camera do that for me), this is straight out of camera. I shot in program mode so Kaylee (my 50D) picked the settings. I couldn't be bothered to fidget with my camera; I just wanted to marvel at the sunset. This is what photography is to me and it's what I should be celebrating today.