Anatomy of a Photo

 

Today’s post is a little behind the scenes look at my thought process. Most of the time it is done subconsciously. I move the camera or myself around, perhaps zooming in or out, until things start to ‘click’. Sometimes I’m taking shots during this process, but often I work just by looking through the viewfinder and only begin to photograph when I’ve zeroed in on the composition.

In this example, I did take several photos as I was working on the scene. Although certain elements had my attention, I didn’t quite know what to do with them. So I photographed as I went along, looking at the results in the LCD. Here’s what I was thinking about:

 

Some flowers in a holder look beautiful as I stand in front of this small alcove just outside a cathedral in Oaxaca, Mexico. There are some textures and colors that look good together, but I’m not sure how much of what I’m seeing is really photo-worthy. I take the first picture.

 

Soon enough, I think that the focus should be on the flowers. I’m a big proponent of the ‘fill the frame’ philosophy, so that’s what I do and take the second shot.

 

I realize, though, that I’m missing out on some of the other elements that lend interest. I decide that the flowers can remain the ’star’ of the shot, but more of the scene can be shown. The other things in the scene will support the main subject, not detract from it. I switch to a vertical orientation and take a third shot.

 

Better. Now I’ve got the flowers standing out. They’re bright and the green really pops against the more subtle colors of the wood and wall. I also like the scroll shapes of the metal stand and how that complements the curves of the petals and leaves. Things are reasonably well balanced. I’ve given the frame of the glass cabinet some ‘breathing room’ on the right edge of the picture and put the bouquet in a nice ‘rule of thirds’ position. I’m pretty satisfied with the result. I don’t like the leaf extending out of the frame, but if I try to include it, the rest of the composition suffers. 

I keep what I have, but I return to the church on another day to find the lilies have been changed. Now the leaves lean inward toward the center of the frame. I recompose for a horizontal shot. This now my favorite.

A little color correction and sharpening and it’s done. As I said, this process usually goes on a lot more intuitively and without the deliberate step-by-step fashion I’ve described here. But when I stop to break it down, this is a very accurate portrayal of the decisions I’m making moment to moment.

Fortunately, as we get better as photographers, a lot of the esthetic and compositional choices we’re making all the time get shifted to ‘auto’ and we don’t have to slow to a crawl getting the elements in a scene to make sense. This comes with time and a lot of shooting, though. And it’s important to remember to not let the process run away from you either. Be deliberate about your choices and know why you’re doing what you’re doing and in time the camera really does become an extension of your eye and brain. 

 

Diversity at Arches

There is something that I’m always on guard against whenever I’m spending a little time in one location. I don’t want to come home with most (or all) of the photos looking the same. It sounds impossible, since the idea is to move around and see and photograph different subjects, but strange things can happen. It’s easier than you might think to get complacent and stop looking for the better angle, different light or to take the first shot and leave it at that. It makes photography ‘easier’, but the quality of the images suffers. Before you know it, a ’sameness’ begins to permeate the pictures. The result can be a group of images that has a few standouts, but taken as a whole doesn’t exhibit much in the way of ‘visual diversity’. 

I’ve included a few photos taken at Arches National Park showing what I mean. Whether or not each one is an award winner isn’t the point. I’m after a variety of perspectives, giving me a richer group of images to choose from, no matter if I’m putting them in a slide show, making an online album, or printing them as a series.

 

This would be considered a ‘classic’ shot of Balanced Rock. Here, standing upright where everyone else stands, and taking the photo gets a pretty good result.

 

As part of my ‘diversity training’ I decided to forgo the popular shot of Delicate Arch and with a little rock-hopping found this distant view across a deep canyon. Again, it’s not going to be the calendar shot, but it’s a unique perspective that’s rarely seen. The scale of the photo makes it interesting-tiny people (see them?), big arch-big arch, bigger landscape.

 

Another unconventional view combines some dead trees with an imposing rock cliff-face. The trees provide twisted, organic shapes and texture contrasted with the solid, unchanging rock wall. I made it purposefully graphic and flat to accentuate the strength of the rock and the severity of the climate.

 

Finally, it’s good to look down sometimes. These cracked rocks tell part of the story of Arches and the Southwest. Taken alone, it’s an intimate shot that has a certain interest, but as part of my total take from my Arches visit, it helps tell a bigger tale and gives me a broader set of images to work with in the future and a more complete memory of a great part of the world as well.

That’s it-four shots that hopefully illustrate the value of moving around for a different perspective, trying a camera, or compositional technique and looking closer for yet another way of seeing the subject.

Images of Turkey

Today’s post is of a few images taken in Turkey at the end of 2004. It was cold and somewhat bleak at times, but there was still color to be found and interesting ruins and city scenes to photograph.

In Istanbul the Blue Mosque was open and I took the opportunity to visit. A quiet, chilly day. 

 

On the sidewalk vendors were selling snacks like this cart offering bagel-like rolls. 

 

This guy was selling apple tea in the large expanse of walkways and gardens between the two enormous mosques.

 

Olympos, on the southern coast of Turkey is a backpacker center with lots of ‘tree house’ style lodging in the summertime. In winter, though, the digs were basic wooden cabins with minimal heating. A day-long walk was necessary to get to the famous ‘Fires of Olympos’ issuing from the ground on a wooded hillside. The fires are caused by underground gases escaping from deep within the earth. They ignite when they come in contact with the oxygen in the air. In ancient times the flames were reportedly much higher and were used as navigation aids by sailors passing by this part of the coast.

 

In Dalyan, Lycian kings cut tombs out of the rock face. A short boat ride across the local river and a brief walk gets you to the ruins just outside of the town. I passed through a toll booth with no one there to take my money and then scrambled up the hillside to get up close to the rock-cut tombs.

 

The off-season is a good time to travel, but you trade no crowds for inclement weather and a lot of closed businesses like this cafe in Kas. Although I couldn’t get anything to eat, these colorful tables and carved doors were made up for lack of food-for awhile.

Adventures in Jordan

As my world tour of 2004-05 continued I found myself in Jordan in February. At my modest hotel in Amman I enlisted the services of ‘Jimmy’. He was to be my driver for the time I was in Jordan. He would take me anywhere I wanted in the country, and we negotiated the fee for each outing. Having my own private driver was invaluable, and I recommend it whenever possible. It may cost a little more than public transport, but it’s less than tours on which you cannot wander off or linger longer than is allowed. Jimmy also gave me incredible insights into what life is like for a typical Jordanian, and he had a great sense of humor, a warm heart and a intense love of his country. All in all, a great traveling companion.

Jimmy drove me from Amman to Petra and then came back and picked me up two days later. I stayed in town and visited this world-famous site twice while I was there. This is the Treasury, which you come upon dramatically as you walk through the narrow siq, or passage through the rock cliffs.

 

The walk to the Treasury as well as up to another impressive site, the Monastery, takes you past smaller tombs and caves. I was amazed at how the wind (and water?) could erode this statue over the centuries. You can make out the feet, but the upper half is completely gone. The sense of time passing in Petra is tangible and one of characteristics of the site I found compelling.

 

Another eroded facade. Probably the entrance to a tomb. The Roman influence is evident.

 

Shobak, built about AD 1115, is one of several crusader castles along the so-called King’s Highways which was used by pilgrims and merchants in ancient times.

 

East of Amman, toward the Iraqi border, are a series of structures known collectively as the Desert Castles. They are forts, sultans’ palaces and caravanserai built in the 7th and 8th centuries. One of the best preserved is Qusayr Amra. Frescoes and mosaics await the visitor inside.

 

I remember Jimmy fondly. He was a hard-working family man who put in long hours, mostly as a taxi driver fighting the traffic in Amman. By the time my stay in Jordan was over, he had taken me west to the Dead Sea, south to Petra and east almost to Iraq. When he knew I was moving on he invited me to dinner at his house and I met his wife and children. I felt bad when I couldn’t finish all of the feast they had set for me. I hope to see him again.

The High Road to Taos

You can take the highway between Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico or you can take a much more scenic series of secondary roads, known collectively as the High Road, that will take you to some of the most interesting pueblos and missions in the state. As you gain elevation crossing the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the roads pass through several small Hispanic communities with old adobe missions.

 

One of the more famous missions is the exquisite Santuario de Chimayo, about 25 miles from Santa Fe. I arrived in the morning before the tour busses. The light was clear and the church grounds were quiet.

 

The town of Las Trampas claims the historic San Jose de Garcia church. Built in 1776, it is a photographer’s ‘must see’.

 

Continuing toward Taos, the tiny San Juan de Los Lagos, on the left side of the road in Talpa, is easy to miss. 

 

The best is left for last. Ranchos de Taos has the beautiful San Francisco de Asis (see Taos post). 

The High Road can be done easily in less than a day. I would advise starting out in the morning for the best light and less traffic. There are more stops along the way than I’ve shown here, so make sure the camera is charged up and you have enough flash cards because there is beauty and visual interest everywhere you look.

Sri Lanka

Today’s post contains a couple of images from Sri Lanka. It’s a beautiful island dangling off the end of the Indian sub-continent. A week-long trip through the cities of the interior, plus some more time spent on the fantastic beaches yielded quite a few photos and many more memories.

 

An elephant an it’s mahout walk toward the river for a daily bath.

 

Visiting the mountaintop fortress of Sigiriya requires a long uphill hike along a twisting, paved path interrupted by cage-enclosed ladders. Not too strenuous, but slow-going. The views from the top are well worth the effort.

 

About half-way up you come to some painted murals protected by the overhanging rock. Beautiful maidens move gracefully in the dim light.

 

On the beach near Negombo shrimp fishermen haul in their boat.

 

The cave temple of Dambulla holds several statues, including this reclining Buddha.

Monument Valley

Today’s selection is from a trip through the Southwest USA in June of 2006 (see other southwest posts). I camped overnight at the Monument Valley campground after a day of driving through the park. It was extremely windy and for much of the day the fine dust in the air obscured distant views and washed much of the blue out of the sky. Because of this, most of the better shots came at the end of the day when the setting sun gave the rocks their red glow and I was treated to a painterly sunset.

 

The iconic view of the Mittens with the pillow rocks in the foreground.

 

The drive through the park gives the visitor plenty of opportunities pull off the road and frame up different views.

 

The time of day wasn’t optimum, and the haze wasn’t ideal, but the interesting rock shapes and beautiful desert colors kept me shooting.

 

You can get one of the best views in the park right from the visitor’s center. I set up early, and by the time I made this shot I had been joined by about 8 other photographers and tourists. Everyone had fun getting great images of the Mittens beneath a pastel sky.

 

Shortly after the shot above, I turned around and faced the other direction for a series of final shots looking west toward the sunset and Mitchell Butte.

San Francisco de Asis

I visited this iconic landmark in 2006. I got a motel room close by and was able to wander around the church for most of two days, shooting for several hours each day. The San Francisco de Asis (Saint Francis of Assisi) church has been painted and photographed by masters such as Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keeffe. The shops and houses and surrounding courtyard are also rich photographic subjects. Here’s a small selection to give you an idea of what this beautiful church and it’s surroundings look like. I’ve arranged the images in a loose chronological order from mid-afternoon to after sunset.

 

I got lucky with some dramatic clouds that mildly threatened rain but didn’t deliver. A soft breeze lifted the backlit cloth draped around the cross. 

 

A house nearby gave me the opportunity to practice a little basic composition. Form, color and line are all players in this shot of an adobe wall.

 

The shadow side of the church had a window with some lilies placed in a shadowy corner. The other sunlit side of the church brought a lot of light through from the other side. I played with the arrangement of the flowers, the reflection of the tan wall behind me and the vivid yellows and greens from the inside of the church. The grid of the window panes helped keep the whole thing under control.

 

I waited for a small cloud to drift into place as I was working with the strong vertical lines of the rear exterior of the church. I like images with a few, but strong elements.

 

A small shop next to the church was closed for lunch, but I was able to photograph this wall of crosses-a loose grouping of objects unified by the wall on which they all hang.

 

As the sun was going down this bench in the church’s front courtyard caught some rays. The burnished gold on the wood worked well with the blue door in the background.

 

As it got darker the small lamps turned on automatically. A tiny cresent moon appeared (made even smaller by my wide-angle lens) and I lined them up along a loose diagonal.

 

With the light almost gone the adobe walls of the church were reduced to their elemental beauty. 

More from Oaxaca

I’m still editing and working on the images from the trip to Mexico earlier this year. It takes a while to see the possibilities in some photos. Even after working on them, I’ll sometimes return to adjust something I’ve done, while other images that I’ve passed over eventually get my attention and become my new favorites. I think that’s an argument for shooting a lot of pictures-what seems insignificant at the time can turn into something great as your perception changes over time.

 

Here is the back side of a banner hung over the entrance archway of a small church. The small flower caught my eye, hanging against the blue, cloud-filled sky.

 

Some simple color and geometry found while walking around the town.

 

This stairway was in a church convent in the town of Ocotlan, south of Oaxaca. The subtle colors and the texture of the steps and wall were gently illuminated by the soft light coming from a nearby window.

 

Also in Ocotlan, the harsh midday sun made shooting outside a bit difficult. Wandering around the edge of the central square, the bright light lit up these arches. I waited for someone to walk into the frame to add a little movement.

 

This old building looked as though it had been marked for an urban renewal project. There was evidence of work going on inside the large corner structure. Outside, though, the old walls and decayed doorways made great subjects. 

Lake Natoma Project

Today I’m showing a couple of photographs from my ongoing project that consists of images of nearby Lake Natoma (actually a wider, slower section of the American River). This is a wooded, nature area with a bike trail that edges the river. It affords numerous photo opportunities for graphic combinations of water, sky and trees. As always, the best times are in the morning and at sunset. It’s a great place to push the boundaries a little bit and sort of re-define nature photography. I’m prepared, though, to accept some misses along with the hits.

 

Last light on the trees and grasses on a bluff overlooking the river.

 

Trees reflected in a pond. The rocks are leftover ‘tailings’ from dredging and mining. I’m trying to reduce the scene to a few elements, combined in an unusual way.

 

These dry plants have a somewhat ’skeletal’ look. A limited color palate accentuates the textures.

 

Another shot late in the day. I like the light and shadow working through the trees. I understand what the romantic landscape painters were inspired by.

 

Warm afternoon sunlight on a stand of oaks.