For amateurs: Your 2011 in review.

<p>In 2011 I continued to shoot more with P&S (LX5 / DP1s) than DSLR (Nikon D200) by a margin of better than 2:1. That's disappointing as the resulting IQ is so much better with DSLR than P&S for my kind of photography (landscape, primarily). I'm hoping 2012 brings a true bridge camera to my arsenal that is convenient to have on hand all the time.</p>

<p>In 2011 I tried to work on composition and PP skills. I've seen some progress. It was another all JPG year and I wonder if I'm hurting my work by not jumping into the RAW pool? I continue to enjoy the occasional HDR and find Photomatix Pro a great tool.</p>

<p>Like all amateurs, I wish I had more time to shoot, in more locations I enjoy and at times when the light is better than just OK. There's no assurance that 2012 will be any better, but I can hope.</p>

<p>Other than that holy grail bridge camera, I am looking forward to doing more macro and portrait work in 2012 and would like to learn about stacked focus tecnniques. The good news is that I have no camera lust other than that would-be bridge camera. I've finally outgrown the the ongoing quest for more and better gear. I'm keeping my D200 and the few lenses I have for the duration!</p>

<p>More than anything, I'm looking forward to another year of taking photos for the pure joy of it.</p>

<p>I'm wondering how some of you other amateurs grade your 2011 and what you're looking ahead to in 2012?</p>

<p>I've got plenty of love for you pros, too, if you'd care to reply.</p>

<p>Cheers to all.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I find, as an amateur, I have more time to shoot for myself, even if I shoot far fewer photos. When I was a working photographer I rarely got to shoot an image for myself. I am setting a couple of goals for 2012 and doing some planning. I find photography much more enjoyable when I'm both the client and the photographer.</p>

<p>2011 was very much an experimental year for me with not a lot of productive results. I need to progress.</p>

<p>Right now I'm using 3 main cameras for different purposes.</p>

<p>Nikon V1 for travel, weight and inconspicuous moments. The damn thing is silent with very decent image quality.</p>

<p>My aging D200 (which btw is a superb ISO 100 camera) does a lot of my more serious stuff.</p>

<p>And I still love B&W film. My totally rat, brassed, dented Nikon FE might be my favorite camera of all. Use it mostly with Tmax films.</p>

<p> I want to do a project in 2012. There's a nearby route that goes through aging farms and communities. I'd like to put together a folio of said road. A Rt. 66 kind of theme but hopefully with an artistic twist.</p>

<p>For 2012 I plan to sell some un-used, un-needed gear. It's kind of hard selling your gear, because even if you didn't use it much, you tend to remember all the time you spent researching the product. I have a Sellers account on ebay which I haven't used, so maybe now might be a good time to use it.</p>

<p>My images have become more still, quieter, with a Zen-like flavor. ( Michael, love the image posted of the drop on the branch). I found a great book and workshop called 'contemplative photography' by Michael Woods and have been practicing to my great delight. And I've found that my work seems to resonate with more people than did, say, beautifully crafted landscapes, etc. But the real value in all this new work is that I'm learning how to let being behind the camera take me to that space that meditation does. It can work, when everything is right, the same way a mantra has for me in the past and truly let me suspend time for a bit and really be present. I feel it's let me improve my 'seeing' for the first time in a long time. And it's a joy to be moving in a new direction.</p>

<p>I consider my 2011 a success. My keeper rate has increased. I have taken pictures that I have had printed up to 24x36 and my girlfriend, the only critic that matters to me, is thrilled with them to put up on the walls at home and at her office. I'm very satisfied that I don't have to put them up just for me at my office. My decisions on equipment purchases have been made by identifying a need and researching the best options prior to purchase. In 2011 I also got my girlfriend interested in getting behind the camera and producing great images, with no arguing.<br>

For 2012 I want to scale back some of the equipment I have, sell off a few items I rarely use (outgrown?) and continue my learning to make the most out of what I have. Hopefully in 2012 my girlfriends interest in photography will not wain, and I will be able to not push it on her, just keep it comfortable.</p>

<p>Not to bad of a year. I shot only 35mm film all year long except for my trip to Kauai and I took the D200 for that. Switching from C41 B/W back to color in the last few months. The D200 has been packed away and it is doing well in that regard since my trip to Hawaii.<br>

Looking forward to another year with my F100 and I was going to experiment with some Kodak Gold film due to it's higher grain images. So for 2012 my plan is to shoot Gold 400 and of course the Kodak Pro film. In 2011 my single photo type purchase was my Plustek film scanner. It is really nice. Well I do spend money on film, printing, framing and such. </p>

 

<p>2011 was a year of some turmoil for us, with an unexpected time of unemployment and job-seeking. Photography was a wonderful distraction, and I took about 20% more shots than in the previous year. A couple of themes emerged that I'm still working on, and I learned a lot about what I'd like to focus on (pun intended) in the next year or two. On the very positive side, I finished a decade-long project of scanning, naming and sorting all of my father's pictures, as well as my own, and with some photos from previous generations back into the 1880's creating a 5-generation family photo history that has been distributed to my family members. So I'm considering 2011 a photography success on many fronts.</p>

<p>Not trying to steer my own non-gear post back toward gear but it's very heartening to read that a few others are still using and enjoying their D200. It really is a fine camera...</p>

<p>2011 actually turned into a pretty good year for me, photographically. Went to Yosemite in February and after 4 days of snowing and miserable weather, the sun came out and the Yosemite Valley floor lit up like I've never seen before. Went to Monterey in June and that turned out better than I expected. Went to Yosemite again in fall, and although we were there before the autumn color, that turned out pretty good also. Wow, I was 3 for 3 on trips. I also re-discovered the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. What a great place with its orchid houses, streams, jungle, and flora. Unfortunately, some extremely high winds in December managed to destroy hundreds of large mature trees and now the garden is going through the process of being replanted. I also think that the state of digital photo equipment is becoming technologically mature and amateurs can buy really high quality DSLR's and lenses at reasonable prices. I personally use a DX set of bodies and lenses and feel really comfortable with my equipment. That allows me to focus on getting the image, not stressing over equipment. </p>

<p>Richard S:</p>

<p>Like you, most of my stuff is only for the enjoyment of my girlfriend and me. She's not a very harsh critic which seems to please us both. We're working to get more of our photos up on the wall where they belong. That's been a fun project in itself.</p>

<p>Speaking of the Los Angeles Arboretum...</p><div></div>