Pixels are Free

I went to a seminar a coule of years back that was being hosted by one of my all time favorite photographers (John Shaw) and while there he made a simple statement that I repeat all the time… “Pixels are Free”…. You know what? He’s right. Not too long ago I was really into film photography. It was expensive. Each roll of slide film cost about $8.00 for 36 exposures of Fuji Velvia 50. Additionally, it cost about $8.00 to have it processed. That is $16.00 for 36 exposures. You had to be certain about what you were photographing each time you pressed the shutter button. Then, the digital revolution and the advent of pixels showed up. The concept of taking shots that were nearly guaranteed to be good (or safe) was gone. However, the idea of trying new things was foreign because of the previous mindset of cost. In order to help myself break this old mindset I got in the habit of repeating the phrase over and over… Especially when I would find myself standing in the same spot taking the same photographs I did last time. Get out there and try crazy stuff!!!!! Set the camera for a long exposure, wind up the strap, push the shutter button, release the camera, watch it twirl and see what happens.... After all, “PIXELS ARE FREE”