Ian Kahler

My life seems to be a roller coaster… except most roller coasters go up a steady incline before they drop like a stone… I seem to go up as fast as I go down.
I decided to challenge myself today… really challenge myself.
And I have set myself three goals.
One is self portraits… no not just stupid grinning whacky self portraits… but something that shows who I really am in a sense that it is the side of me that I dont like to explore.
The intense and dark side of myself.
And in so doing…. I have to take a really critical and somewhat scientific approach to how I am going to “illuminate” myself… as in what kind of lighting I intend to use.
Not only that but I intemnd to do this the old fashioned way.
By that I mean USE science rather than rely on a remote device to trigger the camera… and auto focus in semi auto mode.
I am going to go totally manual… including manual focus, and I am going to actually measure and set up the tripod so that when I sit in front on the camera, I will actually be within the clear zone as I call it. that area of clarity as dictated by the depth of field according to whatever lens I use.
I have access to a calculator that will accurately calculate the DOF according to lens, subject distance and camera and so on.
That will be project number one.
Project two… which is actually a subordinate project of project one will be to accurately record, numerically, and with diagrams, the data involved such as settings on the camera and flash; distance and position of flash etc.
This will help me understand how to be creative with subjects other than myself.
Sure I could use volunteers… use auto focus and TTL flash, but I have found that with my flash on manual as well, I have a much greater degree of creativity and control.

Project three… will be to FIND those volunteers… once I have acheived comfortabilty and knowledge from the first two projects.

I dont expect to achieve results, accomplish a working knowledge overnite. This will be a comprehensive study that will challenge me to teh extent that I wont have time or inclination to get depressed or frustrated.
So that being said I am finally getting excited about my life again.