It's Only Wednesday...

... But I feel like writing something for my blog! So here's a random thought...

I've often wondered why I am so drawn to the two things that I enjoy doing most... playing guitar and taking photos. Well, I think it's because they are both forms of expression and creativity. One is audio and the other is visual. But they both require creativity if you want to be good at them.

Some people might not know that I have perfect pitch. Well, I do. I've had that since I was very young. Back then, my brother and I would "test" each other by laying on the floor, reaching up to the piano keyboard and playing a note and then asking each other, "What note is this?" Then we'd stand up and look to see if we were right.

Because of this "ear training" we both got really good at identifying notes simply by hearing them. To this day, if you asked me to sing any note, I can do that for you. I can string up a guitar and then tune it without the help of a guitar tuner and be within a few cents of the actual pitch. I can also play along to any song on the radio without even having heard it before. That just amazes people, but to me, it's just a natural thing. It's from years of practice, I suppose.

As for photography, it's the perfect compliment to my interest in music and audio. I can create nice looking images by just pointing my camera at something. It doesn't require me to be able to do something as difficult as being an artist who must paint something to create an image. I get instant gratification by just letting the camera capture an image. But it still requires expertise in knowing things like composition, lighting, balance, etc. It is definitely an artform, but different than the skills a traditional painter must be able to do.

I also wonder why I like things that are technically oriented. I'm one of those guys that will read instruction manuals from my cameras and audio equipment. It's not like I don't know what most of the controls will do when I see them on the equipment. I can figure it out pretty quickly. But I still read the manuals because I like knowing every detail of what I can do with those controls.

I think I like things that are technically oriented because I like being in control. To know every capability of my equipment gives me that control. I don't like being lost when using my equipment. It's important to me to know what every button and knob does. I want to be able to control every aspect of the sound or of the image I create by knowing what options are available to me through my equipment.

Some may think that's not necessary. But to me, it is. For instance, when I create an image with my camera, often I don't just mindlessly shoot away. As I'm taking the photo, I'm often thinking to myself, "What can I do that will really make this image pop?" Sometimes it requires me to change to a different lens to get a different perspective. Other times, it requires me to change exposure settings to create a certain mood. That's control. And it requires knowledge of your equipment and also the ability to "see it" in your mind before you even click the shutter release on the camera.

I think great music and great images are created by a feeling that the artist gets even before it is created. The end result is the creation of a song or of a photograph made because of it.