Good Eye

When someone tells me I have a "good eye", I want to cringe, smack them (figuratively) or something. I don't know what that means to them, outside of that they like my photos, but I tell you what it means to me:

• It means it negates 20-30 years of taking photos and reducing time & effort, study, attention to detail and hours of manipulation & adjustments into one fell swoop of "you have a good eye".

• It negates years of practice and taking thousands of photos to know what works and what doesn't

• It negates working out all the frustrations of not knowing why something hasn't "worked" and figuring out why it hasn't.

• It negates years of working manual controls and understanding how they work and how to adjust and set them for different lighting situations and for creative effect.

• It negates the 5 hours, ten hours in manipulation that it took me to make that photo perfect

• It negates all the cropping and burning and dodging and color and filter adjustments

• It negates all the study I have done, first in a darkrooom and now for Photoshop, to learn how to make photos as perfect as they can be and correct all errors.

• It negates all the reading, studying and exploring photography I have done, to learn about photography, via books, galleries, exhibits to find out who are the greats, why they are great, what they have done to make them great and, finally, what is current in the world of photography.

• It negates my creative capacity and abilities and the time I have put in to develop my own artistic vision.

• Finally, it reduces years of study to an instant of catch as catch can - lucky me, I just happened upon a good photo and was quick enough to snap it.

No, no, no, no, no.

Jill Flyer is a professional photographer, who just recently had an exhibit (along with Luis M. McCormick) at the Ex Convento del Carmen museum in Guadalajara. She and Luis are partners in Galeria Quattro, #9 Colon in Ajijic (just a half block down from the main plaza) and they provide a multitude of photographic services: Wedding and Portrait photography, photography for Quinzeañeros celebrations and photography for advertising and websites. She is also represented by Galeria Internacional in Puerto Vallarta.

If you want to see some of my photos and photo services, check out my "Galeria" on my new blog at

www.jillflyer.com. I can also be found on www.mexploration.net for photo workshop/tours here in Mexico. And, follow me on Twitter too @ www.twitter.com/jillflyer.