photography – Richard Schulz

Scope creep.

Projects of any nature tend to evolve.

continuous or uncontrolled growth in a project’s scope, generally experienced after the project begins.

The definition above explains scope creep. I found out about this while working as a freelancer. The first client I worked with needed a website for his real estate business. After a few months the requests started to become a bit more ridiculous. Add this, change that. If you hear someone say “I want it like Windows” you know you’re in for a rough ride.

Scope creep to boost creativity.

I sat down and thought about the good VS the bad of scope creep. This morning as I was having my coffee I checked myself and wondered: Why write about the bad, focus on the good.

Think of scope creep as breaking boundaries. It takes us outside of the creative constraints. A different route. Letting creativity run wild…is never a bad thing. This is where new ideas come from. Whatever comes into your mind re. your photos / photo project, write it down. Make notes. Let inspiration take over.

I was working through the images of my Apartments project and thought about single windows within the photos. These are often windows which stand out – your eyes drawn to them immediately. And what if I edited them in a 1:1 ratio?

Here is an example of how a single window stands out from the rest. Curtains wide open in the evening. Most of the other windows in the photo have their curtains drawn. Perhaps a free spirit knowing you can’t see into the windows on the 3rd floor (2nd floor).

Same thing in this image. A complete opposite of what is going on around it.

The small details in this crop are interesting. Slivers of light coming in through some of the curtains which haven’t been closed completely. Two windows down you can see burglar bars in front of the windows. In the very foreground you can see thing horizontal lines – electrified fences on top of the wall running around the complex.

Limits on creativity.

This might seem like blasphemy. I mean creativity should run rampant right? Strike while the iron is hot and just keep going until it starts getting cold.

Yes & No.

Yes because creativity doesn’t always strike when we want it to. No because I think straying to far from your original idea might bring in variations which you didn’t anticipate. More effort into your art for less results. (but maybe art and creating shouldn’t be about results?)

When you set out on exploring the extent of a project look at your original idea. Does the new direction help or hinder your efforts? Can the new direction stand on its own, perhaps a new project?

Questions of this nature is important.

tl;dr

Boundaries are important but they shouldn’t constrict creativity. It is down to the individual to decide how far they venture into the unknown of creativity. If you’re currently working on a project, how do you stop scope creep from distracting you?

Thanks for reading : )

A few more photos of apartments.

Of late I don’t take a lot of photos for my ‘Apartments’ project. Between work and writing I think I am probably mismanaging my time. Looking through the collection of images I have at the moment it goes back a year or two, perhaps more.

It’s only a recent addition to the project where I aim to capture some cars passing by which gives some beautiful light trails in front of this complex.

I’m sharing a few images from October. I’ve taken more than 30 images – I know, not a lot but I’m focusing on getting some better images. Also, cars don’t follow my routine in terms of when they pass by. September was a bit better, I think more than 40 and then the winter months (June – August) was the best.

I started this after I had already taken many photos of these apartments. It was only after thinking about the images of the place at night when “do a project” popped into my mind.

The next step here is to start putting together some of the existing photos and looking at a sequence that makes sense and talks about the subject. Ideas around a zine for this is up there. Writing about the images is another idea.

Since I enjoy writing & photography I keep leaning towards this type of thinking for the project. I’ve found a printing company and as time goes on I can also do a few prints of the photos. I think it will be a nice touch and a tangible way to show the efforts of my work.

Thanks for reading : )

Something technical.

Long exposure photography is something which has grabbed my attention over the last few months.

With my Canon 1300D it’s simple. You set the shutter speed to 30″ or BULB, choose small aperture and find a subject. Lovely night shots with light trails if you’re lucky enough to have a car pass by.

I also have a Fujifilm XE-2 and it takes great photos.

But for some reason I couldn’t get the shutter to stay open for longer than 1 second. I thought to myself it must be damaged / broken. I bought the camera as used and it has been with me for more than five years.

But tonight I wanted to shoot long exposure with the Fuji. Come hell or high water. So into the internet I waded and thought to myself – why not ask chatGPT?

It gave me a few suggestions and I tried some of them and then this came up:

When your X-E2 shows SS 1”, it’s set to a 1-second shutter speed, not Bulb mode.
Even though you might have turned the dial toward “B,” the camera isn’t actually in Bulb yet — it’s just sitting on the one-second mark.

Here’s how to fix it and get true Bulb mode

Check your shutter speed dial
- Turn the shutter-speed dial past 1″ (the one-second mark) to “B.”
- It should clearly display “B” on top of the dial, not “1″”.
Confirm on your screen
- The LCD or EVF should now display “BULB” (not “SS 1″”).
- Now the camera will keep the shutter open for as long as you hold the button (up to 60 minutes).
Make sure the camera is in Manual (M) mode
- If the mode dial is in A or another auto mode, Bulb won’t activate properly.
- Turn it to M.
If you’re still limited to 1″, check these:
- Electronic shutter: Bulb only works with the mechanical shutter.
  Go to MENU → Shooting Settings → Shutter Type → MS (Mechanical Shutter).
- Drive mode: Make sure you’re in single shot (S), not continuous or bracket.
  Bulb won’t engage in burst modes.
Optional — remote or timer
- If you have a remote release, you can press once to open and once to close (no need to hold).
- Otherwise, you’ll have to hold the shutter button the entire time in Bulb.

Point 4, sub point 1.

After I switched back to ‘mechanical shutter’ in the options I found my problem of a 1″ SS was solved. I now have the option to shoot in BULB mode. I just need a remote to connect to the camera – to keep the shutter open in BULB mode requires me to hold down the shutter button which causes some shake in the camera, based on what I see in the images.

A blurry image of an apartment complex taken at night. — Apartment complex, Fujifilm XE-2

tl;dr

If you have any thoughts on this, and experience with shooting long exposures on your Fuji I’d like to hear about them – leave a comment or drop a comment on Substack.

Thanks for reading : )

PS – some additional reading on shutters for the X series

Electronic and mechanical shutters.

Zoom blur.

It has been a few weeks since I took photos of the apartment complex I chose for a photo project. I’ve been eager to get back into the swing of things and a public holiday gave me the perfect opportunity.

While taking photos I thought about the zoom blur technique. At this point I’m already busy with long exposure photography so why not try this. What could I lose?

I’m using an 18-55mm kit lens on my Canon. As you’ll see in the image above the light to the left shows some shakiness as the rotation of the zoom isn’t as smooth as I hoped it would be. The result however is still really good looking.

While I was busy with the a car drove past and you can see it’s light trails going past.

I leave you with another two images from the night, both long exposure but without the zoom blur effect.

Long exposure photograph of an apartment complex. — Long exposure with light trails.

Thanks for reading : )

A simple life.

An overcast sky as backdrop against a telecoms tower. — A windy morning.

I sat at a coffee shop earlier this morning.

People walking past, people inside talking about a variety of things. When I find myself in these positions I tend to be very contemplative about life. I’m not the extroverted type personality who will ask people to be quiet. And in this instance I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

It is a public space after all.

So with my easy cappuccino a third of the way finished I thought to myself: how do I drown out this noise? And as these rabbit holes tend to work the more I thought the deeper I went.

How do I tie this in with photography?

I read through a post on Zen Habits. The title From Chaos to Calm: My Journey to a Simple Life.

As a photographer it is easy (sometimes necessary) to take a lot of photos. But if we focused on quality VS quantity how would it benefit our photography?
Is it important to capture literally everything we see?
Capture, edit, post. An endless cycle if we get caught up in the social media current. What if we learned to breathe around our photos? Let them sit and work on getting them shared at a later stage.
If you didn’t capture an image your really wanted is your whole day a failure? Focus on being content with the work you do.
Savor life just as it is. I enjoy this point because I struggle with comparison. Other’s have better areas for street photography thus my photos aren’t good. If I don’t have ___ subscribers it’s not worth writing. These types of things rob us of enjoyment. We hate on others and in the process neglect our own work. You might not have the same circumstance as another writer / photographer but you can make the best of your surroundings.

tl;dr

I still go through these motions today. Disliking my photography & writing because of external motivations.

It’s a natural inclination to compare. It’s how we strive forward and push ourselves to become a better version. But if it starts to make us negative and perceive others’ as “lucky” I think there lies a problem with our thinking.

If you’re reading this on a Sunday I hope it’s a good one for you.

Thanks for reading : )

A day off.

Today was one of those great days for me.

A break in routine. A change up of the familiar. I had a day off from work. Initially I wanted to stay in bed. Catch up on as much sleep as possible (which we know isn’t possible). Get up late, spend the day drinking coffee and doing this I usually don’t have the option to do.

After some consideration and the fact that I needed a haircut I decided to head into town. But with a minor set of changes to my standard routine.

Slept until 7:50am. Usually up at 4:40am.
Cycled into town at a leisurely pace. Usually I speed in while dodging people in their steel cages with wheels.

After getting a haircut I went for a cup of coffee. As I left the barbershop I found this cool doormat in front of the business. The owner is from Algeria if I’m not mistaken and has a really chilled vibe to him.

A doormat with the words Hello You Lovely People printed on it. — Hello You Lovely People.

While having my coffee I spent some time scribbling and people watching. Looking at people going about their day-to-day is something I enjoy. As someone who is reserved and not too ‘extroverted’ this helps me understand people.

I have written this elsewhere but if you need to brush up your people skills, want to understand people better or just want to marvel at humanity then go into retail. You will learn quite a lot about yourself as well.

Here are some of the scribbles I made while drinking my coffee.

“The hustle of a coffeeshop. People in and out going about their day. Ambient music in the background designed to make you spend more. This is a far cry from the barbershop where I just spent about 13 minutes. Quiet. Just the noise of the electric trimmer turning me into a presentable human being.”

While I sat down there was a mother and young son having breakfast. He kept taking food from her plate and when he caught my eye I waved to him. He got shy fairly quickly and ducked under the table much to his mother’s delight. After finishing their breakfast they had the remained of the breakfast packed into a doggy bag and left the shop.

“turn
short
splashes
into
longer
pieces”

The piece above is more focused on my writing. Take the short pieces I write and expand them into things which have a bit more meaning. Write more descriptively and write more personally.

As I finish this post the clock says almost 2 pm. It’s been a relaxing day and I hope to take much of these ideas into the weekend as I try to get my writing back on track.

As always, thanks for reading : )

A view from the back seat.

I haven’t had the energy to write for a while.

There has been a slow decline in my “urge” to write. I don’t want to completely stop writing. I do get a measure of satisfaction from it. The scratching and scribbling in notebooks and on blank pieces of paper. Those still happen but as I return to these moments in history I find less and less things of interest.

I don’t know whether it is a type of burnout. Perhaps. I’ve been writing on Substack for more than two years. Then eight months ago I get a website. I’ve had it for a while but didn’t do much with it.

Looking back it’s been a rough year for me when it comes to my mental state. Lost my mother. Lost one of my best friends. Been in a job for a year which I have to do (money and all that). All these things feel as if they are tying my down. They aren’t all I focus on but when it gets quiet and my mind has a second to recover or stand still they are the main antagonists in my story.

A light blue house. In the foreground a sign indicating the two names of the streets. — The pale blue house.

I guess I’m stuck.

Writers’ block. Photographers’ block. How ever I want to phrase it I am at the juncture. The one where I know what I have to do (write and take photos) but I’m not motivated enough to do it. I’m thinking “why?” quite a lot when it comes to my photography and writing these days. Not because I want to stop doing it because it does give me some fulfillment. But does it provide enough? And once I get “enough” will that be enough?

Writing for an audience probably does this. Suddenly you don’t know what the audience wants. You’re uncertain if your writing is still valid or relevant. Like when your photos don’t hit the spots on social media.

I think I’m just uncertain at this point in time. About many things. I’ve put to rest the idea of living of my writing & photography. I haven’t ever considered this is idea to be plausible but at very least I thought “~~I might sell a photo or two~~“. For writing: the bar for entry is pretty much gone but making money from it, a lot more difficult than some hustle bro would like you to believe.

Two traffic signs in the foreground. In the background an orange building. — Turn ahead.

Am I a little bit jealous of those making money from their hobbies? Fuck, it’s difficult to say. The people I follow seem to be doing alright – I might be a little bit jealous. Mostly of the ability to do more of the things which I enjoy while I feel stuck in first gear. It’s almost like Facebook all over again. The highlight reels which turned so many sad people into really depressed people.

To Let. A blurry image of a sign in a shop window. — To Let.

tl;dr

Writing & photography is taking a bit of a back seat in my life at the moment. I’m still here, I’m still on Substack. I’m still taking photos but just not for public consumption. Hopefully I’ll be back to my old self in no time.

Thanks for reading : )

Being frustrated with the status quo.

A close up photo of a cup of coffee. — Afternoon coffee.

I recently moved my desk into a different room and as I type this the winter sun is right on my face. It’s a nice distraction and it helps to warm up the chilly afternoon. Sundays are mostly spent on distraction. YouTube videos, reading Substacks and browsing the internet.

This calms me down and gets me ready for the week ahead.

During the past few weeks the thoughts of taking my photography professional [or at least semi professional] has been on my mind a lot. I’d like to get into food photography. Today as I sat with a steaming bowl of instant noodles and a cup of coffee the urge to take photos of my food made me reconsider. You know the feeling when you get swept up in something? Rush to find a tripod, switching from the kit lens to a 50 mm with an extension tube. The sun light just perfect. No need for the external flash.

It’s the feeling we get when doing something we enjoy. So much we become distracted from everything else around us. For a few minutes or hour or however long we aren’t focused on the present. The problems. The difficulty.

I’m not under any illusions around this. Finding clients, taking photos under different circumstances and for money isn’t a ‘fun’ thing. It wouldn’t be how I normally take photos.

My biggest reason for doing this would be to effect some change in my life. At the moment things are fairly static. I have a routine set up which is strangling my creative side. Not enough creative outlet. Hence the urge to do something creative with my photography. Is this the only creative thing I could do? No. But it is also in part the idea of looking for a challenge. Can I do this? Is it possible for me to go out, find a client, take photos for them.

I’m looking for growth in my photography. Not the static, stagnant photos I capture on my way to work. I’m curious to see how my skills will match up in a ‘real world’ situation.

We’ve all found ourselves at a point like this. The urge to do something different. Being frustrated with the status quo in our lives.

I leave you with two more photos: the first one is a close up of the bowl of noodles which re-awakened this existential crisis and the second is another of the apartment complex which I photograph as part of an ongoing photo project.

A close up photo of a bowl of instant noodles. — Noodles.

A set of apartments in an apartment complex. A light trail runs in front of the buildings. — A motorcycle going by.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your Sunday : )

Distractions.

It’s easy to get distracted.

In this world where we have access to tons of information and stimulation how can we not get distracted? YouTube, Instagram. You don’t even need to jump into social media to get distracted. Browse Wikipedia and you’ll see what I mean.

There is nothing wrong with distractions if you take them in small doses. Working for a few hours and then getting distracted for a few minutes. A distraction can help you to reset. The few moments away from the screen or the code / the project / the paperwork.

Like everything in life, distraction without balance is not a good thing. If you’re consistently distracted at work you don’t do the job required from you. If you’re consistently distracted while writing the work tends to suffer. Same for photos.

Battling distractions are difficult.

If we’re not invested in something it is easier to become distracted. Don’t feel like going out – watch Netflix. Don’t feel like writing? Do some ‘research’ and end up scrolling endlessly. Look for something on YouTube on how to beat distraction.

Battling distraction is difficult because it is uncomfortable. It becomes a comfortable zone where we come home after work and instead of reading or doing something constructive we open YouTube, IG or whatever gets your dopamine flowing.

Do this for a few weeks in a row and you have a full blown addiction. It becomes your routine. A new routine dedicated to keep you from doing something you enjoy.

The key part of distraction is to keep a handle on it. Find something which isn’t a distraction which will take your attention away from the important things. If you’re a writer, get distracted by other people’s writing. Subscribe to a newsletter and spend some time on reading the thoughts of people.

I’m not advocating you fill your time with only photography. Or writing.

Sometimes a distraction needs to be nothing. No noise. No music. You and some peace and quiet. Away from the millions of bits of information out there trying to sell you something. Trying to push you to feed an algorithm. Trying to get yourself filled up with dopamine only to crash down a few hours later.

tl;dr

Sometimes, we need distraction.

Long day at work. Tough week at school. Things not going your way. Whatever the reason may be. Perhaps your craft has gotten the best of you. Writer’s block. Photographer’s block.

Here distractions can be good. A few minutes stepping away from the keyboard or the pen & paper. Setting down the camera for a day or two. Let the images on your memory card (or film) rest. Let them breathe.

Then start again with renewed vigor.

Thanks for reading : )

To monetize or not to monetize.

Instant noodles, curry flavor, topped with chili flakes. — Instant noodles and chili flakes.

Professional.

engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.

Professional photographer.

Over the past month, I’ve been considering the idea of moving from hobby photographer to professional photographer. Initially I’d only do this on a Sunday. You know, do it on the side. Part time. My train of thoughts were mostly along the lines of: Keep doing it until it can pay my rent. Then quit my day job and pursue it full time.

As I thought about this more and more I started wondering – is this a wise decision? Once I start doing this it will become a job. Suddenly the pressure to take photos isn’t only me telling myself to do it – now I have a paying client. Or two. I’m on the clock, have to finish this before this time tomorrow or don’t get paid.

Gone are the carefree times when I went out with my camera because I wanted to. Not because I have to. Gone are the walking slowly into to town and capturing misty mornings. Suddenly your hobby, which you enjoyed, is a job you hate. Or at very least dislike.

Vegetable soup with cauliflower, baby marrows, pumpkin and instant noodles. — Something for the winter evenings.

I think this is where it gets tricky.

If you’re eager to escape the rat race, or just move into a different direction, life as a professional photographer might not be as fun as you think. Once you accept money, it’s not friendly anymore. You create expectations. You tell people “I am good enough at this”. You sell yourself. You sell your work. Perhaps you start to corrupt the thing you enjoyed in the beginning.

This happened to me once before.

In another life I worked in IT. Hardware. Fixed printers, did a little bit of network related stuff, set up emails. Basic stuff. I wasn’t really happy with this. It was mundane. It was repetitive. Some months I had to wait for my salary.

Go into software development. It will be fun they said.

At first I was really excited. I would often think about how a teacher in school failed to teach me about programming yet I taught myself how to program within a few months. At first I did it as a hobby. Then I thought why not find some clients? Easy money. This turned into a full time job for a few years.

Today, even after being gently nudged by friends, I don’t want to see a line of code. I don’t hate it but it doesn’t give me the same amount of joy as it did when I only messed around with it.

It’s not the same anymore.

Chuck, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes on a bed of rice, — Dinner.

I think it will be exactly the same if I started taking money for photography. It will be great for a few months. Then the suck will start. Being told by people who have no idea about my craft how to do it. But I can’t tell them to get buggered because then I might not get more work. And if I don’t get more work I start to worry.

I’d end up in the same position I find myself in now. Not enjoying what I’m doing. With one major difference – now I destroyed the thing which helped me escape these bad times. What will the next stop be?

I recently read two newsletters which capture my thoughts much better. If you’re in two minds about whether you should / should not monetize your hobby give these a read. At very least you’ll walk away with a different perspective.

The first one is by Ali ‘O Keefe and you can find it here. If you’re not familiar with the concept of shit sandwich you will be after this. The next piece is by Razlyn Lysaught and you’ll find it here.

tl;dr

Doing a job which doesn’t fit into the idea of normal seems like a fun thing. You take lots of photos. Shoot with models. Travel to cool places. But it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it will suck. Sometimes you’ll have to eat some shit. Perhaps the same type you’d hope to escape when you embarked on this new journey.

If you’re on this journey I hope you don’t start hating your hobby. I’m still on the fence about taking money for photography. After reading two pieces above my thinking is different. Full time photography isn’t something I’d enjoy. I need to do something different. I get distracted easily. I want the photos I take to reflect something other than “I hate this gig”. I might do it for free, perhaps take a coffee as payment. But I want photography to be part of my journey. Just not as a full time paid up photographer.

Thanks for reading : )