Visualizing

Some photography books talk about seeing the shot in your head before you ever push the shutter button, and perhaps before you even pick up the camera and head out. That by being more selective about what you want, you will limit the number of shots you take, and increase your percentage of keepers.

My agreement is along the lines that if you want to shoot sunsets, or birds/animals feeding, or something in front of a starry sky, you have to go out at the right time of day. It's true that the more specifically you can define what you want, the better you can plan to try to get it.

However, I mostly disagree with this, for my style of shooting, such as it is. Unless someone is paying you to get a specific shot, and you are on a deadline, mission oriented, and determined to deliver, you will close yourself off to all the other possible shots out there. So many of the shots I love were completely unexpected.

I love going out when the light is nice, and being open to discovering something beautiful and photogenic. Maybe it's something small, like a hollowed out stump, or big like a sweeping vista, or the bear that nobody knew was there, or some particular quality of light and weather that turns something ordinary into something extraordinary. Hopefully I've got the right lens on the camera, or time to change lenses.

One of the rules about taking more interesting photographs is to stand in front of more interesting things. Which is true, and great advice. But I like looking for ways of making the ordinary look interesting. Great light. An unusual context or juxtaposition. Playing with scale. Something that makes people stop and say they've never seen it like this, and I don't mean by using software to make it lurid or unrealistic.

As I was making my coffee this morning, I was watching the light. Poor Curtis was baffled as I was in and out several times to take photos around the house, then I was off to Fish Creek. Mostly I was thinking about the community association newsletter cover. The deadline was coming up and they were hoping for a winter shot with nice colour. That can be tough. These are the first ones I came up with, just around the house. They were not chosen. Yes the light was that lovely.

I didn't even send this one in, though it was the one I tried to be really specific about what I wanted. I could see the shot in my head, the community welcome sign, the snow in the streetlights, the light trails of passing cars or maybe even a bus or (gasp!) an emergency vehicle with the flashing lights going. I even went out in the snow, set up, and took about 100 shots. Unfortunately, when I got home I realized it was compositionally wrong for the cover, and no amount of cropping would make it right. Oh well. But I'm still happy I got the shot I visualized.

Curtis, of course, is always photogenic.

Deadwood of the Day
I thought maybe seeing some green after all the white would be nice.