I spent last night having dinner with Vincent Versace and we talked about photography, inspiration, and being able to ‘see’ an image before hitting the button on my D200. I found myself wanting to leave the table and get my camera and hold it, much like when I get my sneakers and place them in my car, certain that I am going to finally hit the gym.

Now, I didn’t hit the gym, or get the camera – but not for a lack of trying, mind you. My experience with Vincent did make me think about a couple of things as a person using multiple products to get my point across:

You need to excersise: I’m not really talking about sit-ups here, but rather – you need to go out and get yourself an assignment. Not too long ago, I went out to go shooting in Ybor City with a couple of friends. As I was driving there, I was thinking to myself, “Is there anything that is going to be worth shooting?” In the end I thought that it would be best to just focus on checking the place out; getting out there and finding the shot. I did come away with one – I call it luck. But what was most important was the exercise.

Now, if you are looking for a great mental exercise – look no further than John Paul Caponigro’s website. John Paul’s an incredibly talented artist (I personally like Lux XII) , and his website offers samples, as well as assignments that you can take in order to get your creative juices flowing. Definitely go check him out.

You need to get a workflow setup to save you from yourself: This nugget of truth came crashing against my head as I started using Lightroom. I was going out and shooting everything. And as I shot, I cataloged everything. Then I listened to Scott as he made the point: “What are you going to do with your 2 star images?”

I hadn’t really thought that far ahead – I was too busy shooting and saving. That made me go out and finish up Scott’s Lightroom Book, and Matt’s Lightroom Basic Training. I figured that the better I understood the workflow of an application, the more I could focus on getting the best images because the program would become second nature to me. Now, my shooting projects are not 200 pics but 30, I have more space on my computer, and I’m doing my creative sit-ups every day.

As for the real sit-ups? I’ll get you a good reason for why very soon. Have a great day everyone!