Welcome back, lovely people! Have you thrown yourself wildly into the spirit of the PhotoBlitz yet? We imagine that you are snapping pics with all the gusto of a five-year-old on his first trip to Disneyland. If you aren't, you don't get to Level Up with all the other kids. Nope. So back you go to Level One and Level Two. Complete a few assignments, then re-join us here. No, the puppy dog eyes won't work on us. We've been Blitzing like you wouldn't believe all weekend and we won't take any lame excuses for your lack of enthusiasm and participation. What's that? Oh. Wow. Well, that is a good reason. Okaaaay, you can stay with us. (But you really need to do Levels One and Two.) Alright, everybody, on to the level you've been waiting for: The Standard Blitz.
Guess what? You've already seen a Standard Blitz. Surprised? Remember our excursion to Oak Glen a couple of weeks ago? That was a Standard. It's basically an extension of the Mini-Blitz. Only now you actually have time to shoot some serious pics. So if you've been wondering when you could start slinging the SLR, the answer is now. Grab whatever cameras you want. Take a couple. Take a monopod. Take a tripod. Take an iPod. Gas up the ride and pack a lunch. You'll be out for a while.
For the Standard, you'll go somewhere REALLY COOL for at least couple of hours. Maybe up to the mountains, or the beach. We're partial to natural settings, but if you're a hep cat who digs a more swingin' vibe, hit the downtown or an arts colony. Megatons of possibilities out there, just pick one you like. Wherever you go, make sure you've got the things you'll need for two or even three hours of adventure. Nothing worse than getting caught in the rain without your gear, needing coffee and not having cash, or hiking a mountain on a hot day and running out of snacks and water halfway through. (Yeah, we did that last one yesterday. You wouldn't believe the desperation that can overtake you when you're hungry and thirsty...) So, gear up!
What's your goal with the Standard Blitz? Five good pictures. Why five? Why not? It's the number that we strive to hit on these Blitzs. Always good to have a reasonable goal. If you've been frustrated with your pics so far and five seems like a lot, remember: you'll take more pics than you realize. It's easy to take anywhere from 100-200 shots on a digi-cam in a couple of hours. Ya. Really. The odds of getting five pics you like are good. So don't worry. You got this.
Now, how are you shooting at this point? You're looking at everything, but mainly, you're looking for surprises. Not just overall composition, but details: the way the clouds seem to be surrounding a mountaintop, how trees are reflected in a lake, the patterns on the sidewalk, or the intense colors in a neon sign. The other Blitzs were conditioning your ability to look and to see; the Standard is like a boot camp for your photo chops. Don't be afraid to walk around like a gawking tourist. Look up, down, all around. Get close, back up. Open your eyes. If you've been shooting regularly, you've learned that pics are all around you, all the time. They're just waiting for you to catch them. The Standard is your chance to do it.
True story: While Maestro Tim and yours truly were out on Mt. Rubidoux yesterday, we met Archie, a very cool guy who's been PhotoBlitzing for so long, he still calls it "PhotoGraphing". (How retro-awesome is that? He's so our hero!) When Tim said that you can't go wrong taking pics on Mt. Rubidoux, Archie said, "You can't go wrong anywhere." The man's a total Zen master. And he's absolutely right. So when you are trying to figure out where to take your pics, remember what Archie said, "You can't go wrong anywhere." Get on the road to Anywhere, everybody. It's all good.
Coming up: The Deluxe Blitz.
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