Well, his shoes at least. Last year, while Googling for interesting places to photograph in San Francisco, I discovered Thomas over @ ThomasHawk.com (read his guide to SF here). I have been following his quest to publish 1,000,000 photos ever since. Because of some strange cosmic event, Thomas was in town the same weekend the 1 Year Anniversary Google+ Photo Walk was happening. Not only did he organize a great event on Saturday, we were able to hang out and shoot all evening Friday. I really felt I owed him one for the San Francisco guide, so it was only fair I showed him around my stomping grounds. I shot a bit, but because I was more curious about his quest for a 1,000,000 (do the math, that is a huge number) photos I just watched and learned. I really believe you can learn something from everyone if you just take the time to listen. I watched for hours on Friday night as we made our way across town photographing old Neon signs along Colfax. I know Thomas is prolific, but it was a spectacle to behold. The dude is fluid! Composition, lens selection, you name it…just a series of fluid motions. Spending a few hours with him was inspiring. I walked away with the a new found creative freedom, and it’s a simple one. Take photos, lots of them! I have found that freedom with my iPhone, but not with the DSLR….at least not to his extent. That being said, the day of the photo walk, I grabbed my Nikons, 2 lenses, and went to town! I’ll share a few of those photos over the next two days. Until then, go out and be creative my friends!
Thomas is a super nice guy – it’s awesome that you got to shoot with him for so long. I’m sure you both learned a lot!
Totally cool guy, it was a fun learning experience.
Hey Justin, what a great photo. Super creative framing and it does tell a story. Very well done! I guess that’s a great lesson for all of us. Shoot like crazy. I’m sure most of us will never wear out our shutters before our cameras become obsolete so, why not shoot like crazy? Thomas does have a great eye and I imagine he does some very creative stuff in post.
Thanks Richard, yep…those are all great points…no way we will exceed our shutter counts.
Sounds like a heck of an experience! Cool!
Very creative! Had a great time. Wish I could have spent more time on the walk.
Wish you could have too.
Now that’s a walk I’m sorry I missed. Love the photo, Justin. You force me to look at new ways to shoot. I fell into a rut shooting weddings. It’s exciting to reignite the creative flame and explore the endless possibilities of our craft. Guys like you and Thomas are inspirations to anyone looking to raise the creative bar.
We missed you too Robert! It would have been great to have you along. Thanks for the kind words. You can learn something from everyone, that’s what great about creativity and art.