Wanting Better by:Gord Barker

    

     Perhaps the most interesting aspect of my photographic journey is that I'm never completely sure of how things will turn out. I founded the Paris Photo Collective in 2019.  About a month ago, I walked away from it. 

       I don't feel any direct animosity towards the members of the group. I have always maintained that the group's direction and reason for existence should always be dictated by the group itself. Perhaps I've been wrong in that approach. Although I  offered up the position of administrator of the group on a regular basis, no one else seemed to want to take it on. So without a clear direction for the group to follow, it has stagnated. It really has become nothing more than a social club with a lackluster bi-weekly photo contest.

    Can we get past the smug sophomoric approach to photography which dictates that "I like my pictures and that's all that matters." I think that it's the second part of that statement that irritates the most. I mean, if you don't care how your images are perceived by others, why are you part of a photo group? 

  Perhaps even more irritating is the statement "I don't look at other people's pictures." Why? Are you afraid you might learn something? The acknowledgement of others' work as significant does not diminish the potential for one's own work to be considered valid or even great.

    Furthermore, whenever I have proposed any educational aspect to the meetings, perhaps bringing in a guest speaker or when I have offered to teach a little about basic camera controls, the ideas have been met with vehement opposition. It would appear that I headed up a group that had no interest in expanding their skills or knowledge base.

   I want to talk with photographers who want to expand their potential within this medium. I truly want to see their vision. I have been making photographs for over 57 years and I still want to learn more about the craft. Someday I hope to get good at it! 

    If I am to be a member of a photographic group, I want it to be a group that wants better!  That's all.

         ...more later

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First Blog Of 2026 By; Gord Barker

     Wow! We're almost at the end of January already. (It's January 29th as I'm writing this.) Earlier this year, I decided to return to my old schedule of publishing a blog post on the last Saturday of every month. The vacation from publishing at least once a month has been nice, but I really need to return to some form of creative discipline. It really is about getting the work, (photographic or written copy) out there. 

     

    The truth is that I'm the world's worst procrastinator. Without a hard deadline, self imposed or otherwise, I really don't get much done. That being said, here's the first blog post of the year, created during one of the coldest, snowiest winters we've had for a long time.

 

    It can be hard to make photographs outdoors in harsh winter conditions. If I'm not moving, I'm freezing and photography often involves waiting for just the right conditions,

lighting, action etc. to make a decent shot. Generally, you need bare hands to operate a camera. The thinnest of gloves will help, but still do not always successfully allow working camera controls.

 

    Winter can also be a terrible time to be the proud owner of a pro grade metal bodied camera. Metal at -25 degrees C. is no fun to handle and don't even think of working with analuminum tripod! Batteries, the elemental power source for all digital cameras, are not nearly as efficient at sub zero temperatures. I always have spares  and try to carry them in an inside coat pocket. 

    But, it can be fun to do cold weather street photography. People generally are not expecting to see someone out making photographs when the weather is chilly. 

  

     Then again, maybe this guy has the right idea. Just stay inside and play a good game of chess!

                                        ...more later