I'm feeling a little disheartened today. Dispirited. Maybe even a little disillusioned. (I'm sure it will be short lived. :) )

I'm miffed that our photographic industry, in only a decade, has shifted from 'Photography' to 'Photoshop'. How did it happen? How did we get here? Why is there a disproportionate emphasis on post, rather than capture?

Call me old school, but I still manually meter. Still carry a Sekonic light meter in my bag. Still spot meter. Still do all of the things that photographers don't seem to do anymore. I try to get it right in capture!

Today it's more about Photoshop. Post-production, rather than capture. Fixing things after the fact, rather than doing it correctly out of the gate. Sad. Really sad.

This balance isn't healthy. And will ultimately lead to an army of photographers who spend more time in front of their monitors, rather than in the field shooting.

I'm not anti-Photoshop. I love Photoshop. Photoshop is the greatest software ever invented for modern photographers. Absolutely. No question about it! And admittedly, my work looks better coming out of Photoshop than it did coming out of the camera. But Photoshop is still a tool. And was never designed to replicate the nuts and bolts of exposure, composition, cropping, filtration, lighting. My motto is and always will be...get it right in the camera. Then tweak (not overhaul) in Photoshop, as necessary. I know that sounds like a purist. And it probably is. But that's how I feel. And feel deeply about it!

My wish for our photographic industry is to return to the mechanics of capture. Learn how to shoot. Learn to properly expose and light. Learn to crop, compose, invent - all within the camera. Then, and only then, tweak and fine tune in Photoshop.

If you're just starting out, do me and yourself a favor. Learn photography first. And Photoshop second. Learn the mechanics of your camera, before your keyboard.

Auto exposure. Auto bracket. Program mode. Fix in post. Oh my. Again, how did we get here? More importantly, how do we get back?

But get back we must. And in a hurry. I believe this with all my soul. We must put photographic capture back on its pedestal. Celebrate it. Applaud it. Give it it's due respect. And please, please, please...separate it from Photoshop.

Photography and Photoshop are not twin sisters. They are not one and the same. They are not inseparable. Photography is a craft. Photoshop is a tool.

Don't follow me for Photoshop tips and tricks. You'll be sorely disappointed. Follow me if, like me, you have a vision to return to the craft of capture. If you want to take your photographic sensibilities to the next level. Join me in old school thinking. Let's glorify photography again. Get back to the basics. Prioritize our camera, our vision, our mechanics, our style. Be a part of this groundswell movement. Photography first! (Cool idea for a t-shirt design, anyone? :) )

I know this message won't resonate with many. Perhaps only a few. I don't know. That's not why i'm preaching it. I'm preaching it because I love our industry. And I want to preserve and promote it's science...for generations. I'm doing my small part. What about you? Again, photography first!