So now that I've got you wondering, I'll give you a little bit of background. The other day... I guess it was four or five days ago... I spotted what may yet end up my best landscape photo. I say "may yet" because I still haven't succeeded in getting exactly the shot that I want. I made trip after trip there in the evening trying and hoping to get a photo of this scene at the wonderful "Golden Hour" that we photographers love. On the first attempt, I was about 15 minutes too late. As I got close to my destination, I could tell that the light there was already gone, and so was that night's chance for the desired shot. I naturally planned on trying the next day, but guess what? The next two days were cloudy, and the scene just didn't pack the punch I had in mind.
The next attempt I was able to make, the lighting was PERFECT at my home, and I made haste to my desired scene....... Only to see that clouds were obscuring the sun and diffusing my beautiful light. Naturally disappointed, I returned to my home empty-handed and camera unshot. Was I ever going to succeed in getting this photo? The next day, the skies remained clear, and as the Golden Hour approached, I watched the light get better and better... Do you know how hard it is to stay patient when you're trying to wait for something you really want??? And then... finally, it was time to head for my location. I watched the sun steadily drop closer and closer to the horizon as I drove, and I prayed that the lighting would hold up........... And when I was able to see things and set up to compose my photo... the house was aimed exactly WRONG to catch the light I was praying for. I started to drive away, determined that I would return at dawn to catch what I hoped would finally give me the scene I wanted, and then I noticed the old cemetary. And when I turned around and came back... I saw something else....
It wasn't what I was intending to shoot, but I saw it, was open to the possibility, and look what I came home with. Sadly, I had to work quickly, and didn't have time to compose it properly... but it's not bad, really. And I can still go back and get it again, this time maybe with a more clear idea in mind. And who knows what I'll be able to do with it.
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| "Into the Light" |
I can hear you wondering out there... "What about the cemetary? Did you shoot it?" Well, yes, I did... when I looked at it, I had a couple of visions in mind... and I think Ansel Adams might have been proud of my efforts. He approached his scenes with a vision in mind, shot his photographs, and then worked his magic in the darkroom. He had the option of cross-processing in different chemicals to produce different effects, or he could simply use the techniques that we photographers call "dodge," and "burn." The other things Ansel Adams, and all the other great landscape photographers, had in abundance, was patience and persistence. They keep coming back to a scene time and again in the hopes of getting that great lighting that will take a scene from simply interesting to FANTASTIC. And they'll wait for that moment, knowing that it's coming, in which they can put their creativity to use. Speaking of creativity... the two pictures to the right... were taken about two minutes apart.
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| "Old Pioneer Cemetary" |
So what would Ansel Adams have thought of this Digital Age of photography? Would he have been a die-hard film purist? Or would he have stepped up and embraced the freedom of expression that digital photography and photo manipulation gives us? I don't know about you, Gentle Reader... but I think he would been a Digital advocate.
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