Photographic Review: Vision is Better 2
Posted on: 2 Dec 2012
Written by: Ngaire Ackerley
“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!” – Goethe
When you’re lacking inspiration and there are no travel photography conferences around to attend then reading Vision is Better 2 is definitely a step in the right direction. That being said, this e-book is not just for photographers, David duChemin appeals to any creative person looking for inspiration, more time in their days or a better perspective on life. Okay so those are pretty big words to fill in one inexpensive e-book – but it’s worth looking into and it does have several sections also relating directly to photographers too. I haven’t been paid or get anything from writing this post, I have written it purely because I think this e-book really is an excellent read.
Inside this e-book is an array of blog posts that David has written about photography, life, work and creativity. There are so many inspiring sections that I know I will re-read in years to come, but below are a few short reviews on some of my favourite pieces from this e-book.
Begin
David inspires the reader of this section to just start something they’ve always wanted to do. He quotes Goethe by saying “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!” Like many creative people, I get hung up on ideas and planning and somehow never get around to doing certain personal creative projects because of other things. If you’re anything like me – then this post will give you the encouragement you need.
Filters and the Creative Process
Okay so this is a photography-based section, but I felt it was well worth including. David talks about his filters kit and how he uses these filters with light. So if you’re not quite sure about filters and want a bit of insight it’s informative and helpful.
Getting it done
In this part of the e-book David details how he manages to achieve so many tasks in a day. Many of which I swear by myself like ‘Make a checklist’ and ‘Prioritize’ as well as some I hadn’t really thought of before like ‘Find the Empty Spaces’ in terms of periods of your day that you could fit small tasks into. These may sound obvious, but it amazing how few people actually use these various techniques in their daily lives and complain about not having enough time. I know I would struggle to do everything he suggests, but I can see how beneficial each one is towards achieving tasks in your daily life and finding time to do the things that really matter to you.
Life is Short
This post really put a lump in my throat and its pretty amazing when a book can do that. Its hard hitting and inspiring and not directly photography-based. It makes you realise that you only have one life; you should make those dreams come true while you still have a chance, because one day that chance will disappear forever.
Don’t Break the Rules
Back onto a photography post this one helps you see the reasons you photograph in a particular way. When it comes to our education, whether that is design, photography or something else where we’re taught rules and what out tutors and professors prefer, even when we start work we fall into what our employers prefer in terms of what we do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but what David’s writing makes a point about is that we really need to have reasons for why we follow that rule or preference, rather than just thinking it is what someone told us that we should do.
Buy the Tickets
This is an interesting section where David compares prices of equipment to that of travel tickets. This post reminded me a bit about the one I wrote before I left for Africa in 2011, about my how to prepare a photographic travel kit when you’re on a bit of a budget – feel free to check out Preparing the Photographic Travel Kit. David’s post definitely puts technology/gear vs. actual need into perspective. And with that I’ll leave you with one final quote from David duChemin:
“Forget the shiny stuff, it gets tarnished fast. Put your camera into the bag and book a flight instead. Go make memories and photographs. Live. Buy the tickets.”
« Back to Blog
