[8/25/2010 SteppersUSA Daily News]
Mistakes Are Learning Opportunities
By Markie Bee
National Chicago Style Steppers Day
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Sometimes the days of the week all run together I loose track of what day of the week it is. I don't know if it's a result of age or that I am that busy. I did something that I normally don't do yesterday… I shot photos outside during the daylight and talk about a challenge… Normally I shoot photos inside at night in the dark a completely different world. It's so easy to make mistakes in the broad daylight; just dealing with too much light is a real challenge for somebody who shoots with their lens wide open most of the time.
Of course I'm not going to bore you with all the camera details, settings, and other stuff but needless to say the majority of the hundred shots or so I took didn't turn out very well. It was a learning experience… Just being outside in the daylight is a challenge for me when I took the day because I think it was probably the nicest day of the summer so far, not too much humidity, a little overcast, but not as hot as it has been.
The shoot was out by Lake Michigan and I did manage to get a few of the shots that I wanted most importantly I managed to get the shots I needed. Fortunately I'm a master at Photoshop and can fix most of the problems I created with incorrect camera settings. I never realized how much of a blue cast the lake can put on a subject. Most of my motion shots were a bit blurry but I managed to get a couple which is all I needed.

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The client liked the photos and that's what's important. Actually the story itself isn't that important. What is important was the fact that I tried something different and I may have failed 88 times but I kept trying. Very few people manage to get Chicago style stepping right the first time or the second time or the third time and so on.
The count is there for you to learn what is called "muscle memory" so you can relate the beat, and rhythm of the song to your movements. It's a great learning tool to get you started (just like when you learn to point and shoot with a camera). Yes, you make a photograph... that's very true but until you learn composition in photography the photos most probably won't be memorable.
Mimicking what other people do is part of the learning process expanding our repertoire to include much more than we originally learn. I know if I get it right one time there is a payday in it for me (as a photographer) just like if you get a particular move correct your payday will come what you're able to do that move again and again. Once you start adding your own flavor to the dance only at that point and can you say "I own that move".
Although many people would say you need to be able to technically explain what you do but I don't believe that's necessarily true. Just being able to execute the move should be good enough. After all you're dancing and perhaps at some point choreographing your own dance for yourself. Leave the technical stuff to the instructors who are supposed to know that technical stuff (most of them don't either anyway). Just enjoy the good feeling you get from the mastery of that move and keep dancing.
If you have the right outlook every time you get on the dance floor can be a learning experience. It may take 88 failures to get to that one success... but isn't it worth it?
WLSC News Of The Day
A letter to the contestants is posted on the WLSContest.Com site (it's on the contestants page) by Pete Frazier. If you're in the contest, it's important information.
Also don't forget to answer the poll about the contest this week.  (poll below)

When asked if there will be a 2011 National Chicago Style Steppers Day Event, The short answer is yes it will be an annual event held on the weekend of the second Saturday in August. Overall, the event was a smashing success in that we managed to pull the whole thing off. Once we've had some time to digest and machinate what happened over the weekend we will have a teleconference (probably after the WLSC) to discuss what went right and what went wrong and to entertain ideas for next year.

The J.E.P. Productions Hotter than July steppers contest is now on sale and can be ordered online here. Or Right Here!

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