Slowing Down

Good Evening,

So today we are going to slow down a bit. In this day and age getting things done quickly has become the norm. 10 frames per second, faster focusing, live view. Sometimes it is better to slow down and think about what we are taking a picture of. Contemplate the image we want to create or capture, scan the frame to see if there are any elements that are not wanted, and see if the elements that are there serve a purpose. Would a different angle provide a better image? Would better lighting? Would waiting for people to clear the frame help or would waiting for a person to walk into the frame make the image stand out?

Back in the days of film every image cost money, it took time to process and get back. People would take their time with their pictures because of these things. With digital we have a tendency to take lots of images without a thought or care then delete the ones we don't like.

One way that we can slow down is by using a tripod. It takes a little time to set up so we don't have a choice but to slow down there. Once it is set up it is in most of our natures to not want to put it away until we have the picture that we want that is close to perfect for us. Now we don't need a tripod to slow down it is just a helpful tool. Buy the sturdiest tripod that one can afford. A good one can last years possibly even decades. Grab a camera, take your time, go out and shoot.

~Scott

Revisiting Photographed Locations

Good Morning,

If one has been photographing a while they probably have an old haunt that they enjoy photographing. Some of us do not though feeling that it has already been photographed. Different times of the year can yield greatly varied results, even a different time of day can, or a different mind set even. 

Below is the same location. One shot during a rain and the other shot the day after one, granted the rains were nearly a year apart. The two images have a completely different feel to them. Same camera, lens, tripod, and focal length. They were taken probably 6 feet or so from each other too. 

This was a calm pool taken the day after a rain in Red Rock Canyon National Conservatory. I found this spot while I went hiking with my daughters and it was empty. I knew I had to come back after a rain and photograph it.

After taking the calm picture and how full the pool was I wanted to come back during a rain and see it with flowing water.

So those places that capture us should be looked at again and imagined in different times of day or year, with different weather, etc. The results might be ho hum or they might be spectacular. So grab a camera , revisit locales, and go out and shoot.

Can wait to see what is produced.

~Scott