The Sailboat

 My dad was a photographer of sorts. During WWII he carried an old Argus C3 and chronicled his adventures as his unit fought their way across Leyte and then again across Okinawa. I spent many hours while growing up scanning through the stack of war photos he managed to keep through the years. Only a handful are still in my possession with others being held by another family member. Wish I still had them all. Some years later while he was a high school journalism teacher he had access to a 35mm film camera...not sure what kind it was...but using it from time to time he chronicled a very few moments of my life growing up. One of the most memorable was the day he took me and a few of my friends to a small nearby lake so we could sail the wooden sailboat models we made in shop class. I still remember that day. At the time I wasn't aware he was taking photos. I'm sure glad he did.

The year was 1964, and time has faded the names of those friends in my mind, but not so of other events.  At the time we lived in Delano, California, for just a year, but it was an eventful year...sort of a coming of age year you might say. Learned a lot in shop class that year, simple but important skills really...how to cut a straight edge, how to use a jack plain, wood gouge, drill, sander, varnish...all those skills every young man should have. Our project for that semester was to build a model sailboat. And when they were finished, we possessed a work of art...well...to me it was.

I'll never forget that day at the lake. Seems it was slightly overcast with a light breeze that caused the palm trees to sway. It was perfect to catch the sails of the boats to propel them across the narrow arm that was just wide enough to let the boats get up a good head of speed, but narrow and shallow enough so we could run to the other side or wade out into the water to coral them should they start to drift too far in the wrong direction. 

We tried to set up races between the four boats. Most of the time the boats just drifted off in whatever directions the breeze inclined to take them and so it was pretty much impossible to declare a winner. Actually, we all were winners that day as we were able to forget about the challenges of being almost or at best barely teenagers and just have fun sailing something we made with our own hands.

I was this skinny 12 year old with an era style crewcut. Just 12 years old, but having already experienced some of the most dramatic events in history. A few months before in November of 1963, when we lived in New Mexico, an assassin's bullet struck down President Kennedy in Dallas, then the assassin himself was struck down live on television. Young minds should not have to see such things, but we did, and those wavy black and white television images were imprinted deep within our memories. They were difficult events to absorb, even more difficult to forget and move on, but they were none the less a part of that generation's history, memories that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it. 

When my dad snapped these few photographs at the lake, little did he realize that he was capturing a renewing of sorts. The kind of renewing only a young boy coming of age can experience. Thoughts of that terrible day a few months before were shoved aside exchanged for adventures and visions of sailing on the high seas, of dreaming of new possibilities and probably what should be instead of dwelling on something...well...something a young boy should not have to dwell on. There were no counselors in schools to talk to the students about what happened back then, at least I don't recall ever receiving any kind of counseling. That was left to parents and to the kids themselves to sort through such things. Even though several months removed, building those sailboats was a kind of default therapeutic counseling and probably the best kind too. Those few months after the President was killed, when we were shown how to construct those sailboats in shop class, well, it served to divert our young minds toward something that was far less encumbering and more positive.

On those occasions I rediscover these few photos, I see in the expressions of us boys, a joyful focus, one that took us away from a terrible past event to point us toward a stronger growth of character that only comes from something as simple as sailing a homemade boat across a small arm of water. 

When I bring these photo's close...for a few moments, I am taken back to once again become 12 years old, remembering what it was like to experience such a day. I still remember that sailboat for it helped me to move away from difficult memories and to develop an imaginative mindset towards amazing true life adventures.

When the Lighting is Tough - Take Two

 Sometimes nature plays games with us as far as the light goes. No one has of yet developed a camera that can take two different exposures at the same time to capture two extremely different levels of light. Oh, yeah, you could use graduated neutral density filters and such to even out exposures. Sometimes that works when the lighting is only a stop or so different across the top or bottom half of an image. But when the light range gets up there where the top half of the image is a great deal brighter than the bottom half, well, the best way to make the capture is to take two shots then blend them in postprocessing.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. The top half of this photo required a rather strong exposure to prevent over exposing it as the sky was quite bright. However, the bottom half was in shadow with barely enough light to illuminate it. What I did was to take two photo's with the camera on a tripod, one exposure for the top half not caring what the bottom looked like, which was black in this case, then another photo exposing for the bottom half which washed out the top portion.

In post processing, I simply opened both images and overlaid the second image with the first one. Using the eraser tool toned down to something like 50% opacity, I erased the overexposed dark bottom half which exposed the layer underneath, then merged the two layers. A little tweaking of the overall image, and, well you see the results.

When the lighting is tough, well, take two!

I Want to Tell A Story

In the world of writing there are seven basic story archetypes:  

Overcoming

Rags To Riches

The Quest

Voyage

Comedy

Tragedy

Rebirth

Every successful written story will follow a format that uses one of these formulas. A photograph also tells a story, although, the visual photo story often is far more complex and more difficult to define and create because of the wide variety of visual opportunities. Factor in the photographers personal preferences and the numbers increase even more. But, not surprisingly, a visual story will often fit within one of the seven basic story archetypes. 

Discovering how to accomplish this comes with not only experience but a basic understanding of story telling techniques. If I could always define how this is done...well, I probably could write my own ticket as a photographer. As this has not happened yet speaks loudly, however, when I look back on some of my best photographs, I can often see how they begin to fit inside one of these story types. 

Interpretation of the visual signals is, of course, very subjective and open to the individuals personal experiences. Most of the time, visualizing the story within a photograph just happens, sort of subconsciously. You just know it and see it without really thinking about it. I suppose that is what separates a so-so photo from a good photo...and a good photo from a great photo. Images with powerful visual stories simply jump out at you like a slap in the face "wham!, demanding renewed and closer attention. A weak photo just sits there mumbling to itself and the viewer quickly loses interest and moves on.

Compositional techniques contribute to the overall impact, along with the use of color or Black and White, angles, lens selection, timing, and of course the big one, the effective use of light. Composition is what builds the structure of a photograph, Light is what builds the story. What narrates the story is the effective application of both. I'm going out on a limb here to take a chance, but I'd like to use a few of my favorite images and break them down to define what I perceive the story they have to tell.

Let's look at the image from above. I've used this image as an example on numerous occasions and for good reason; it's probably one of my top two or three favorite photo's of all time. Of the seven story archetypes, several could apply. Maybe The Quest might fit, or possibly Voyage, but when I really think about it, I believe Rebirth is probably the best fit. Certainly elements from all three apply, but simply from the visual story being told, Rebirth is by far the most logical fit simply because of the nature of the photo. Taken at first light on an October day, the first beam of light that illuminated the cluster of trees extending into the field, tells the story of a new day beginning. A single white faced cow standing in the highlighted area near the bottom left is facing the morning with stoic fortitude and the light fog drifting across and amongst the trees adds a element of mystery and uncertainty about the day. What is unique about this image is how darkness helps to define the light. Without the darkness, it's just another average photo of a Kentucky field. With it, the illuminated areas take on a greater importance and serves to pull the reader into the story.

Another one of my favorite photo's is this one taken on Shanty Hollow Lake just before sunrise. I do believe Voyage is the obvious choice of archetype although elements of The Quest can be seen. There is something compelling about this photo. Compositionally, it retains a powerful symmetry. The tops of the ridgeline are purposely cropped from view, yet allowed to flow as a reflection on the mirrored surface of the lake. Fog floating on silent currents of air drift low across the water and the soon to rise sun can just be identified by the reflective glow of clouds just above and behind the hidden horizon. The photo at once strikes a sense of adventure toward some unknown rendezvous, rekindling emotions from a distant past not unlike what Lewis and Clark must have felt during their Voyage of Discovery. Along with the adventure theme, there resides a layer of calmness, a serenity of purpose where the viewer hopefully becomes captured within the larger story that emanates from within their own dreams.

Black and white is a favorite format of mine as it removes the distraction of color and focuses almost entirely on story through composition, shape and form. This image of the gravel road leading to a farmhouse strikes at the heart of what story telling in a photograph is all about. The graphic use of leading lines and dramatic light draws the eye inward into the story. In this photo, I would interject another archetype theme: Coming Home. To me it is one of the great story lines of all time. Coming home and what it takes to get there. It could be tragic circumstances, it could be rebirth, it could be a voyage or a quest. The viewer gazing at this image might interject all of them based on their own experiences. The fence posts, the highlights across the tall grasses along the edge of the road, the farmhouse nestled amongst the trees, the dark texture of the overcast sky all contribute to the story. One can almost hear the crunching of the gravel underfoot as you walk down the road and feel the brisk nature of the wind as it shoves the clouds along. There is an element of anticipation, maybe even dread knowing just how close home is, yet it is somehow still far away. How long has it been? Continue? Turnaround? What to expect, only time will tell.

People convey a multitude of story telling opportunities within a photograph. Combine them with dramatic light and weather conditions, they will often provide some of the most compelling of visual stories. In the photo on the left, a homeless man strikes a reflective pose as he contemplates his situation. Rain had fallen, dark rolling clouds were boiling low across the sky, and street lights cast a reflective glare across the compound, all aiding the story of lost dreams, lost hopes. Taken from a lower perspective, the use a small aperture created the star-like reflective glow around the street lights. In a way, that starry glare casts a kind of hopeful atmosphere amongst the gloom of the situation. Sitting with a forward lean, he retains an element of contemplative defiance, a proudness of self where in spite of his circumstances, he knows he has value and is not yet beaten. This is a powerful image of the plight of a single person facing uncertain circumstances, yet someone who still clings to a deeper understanding of who he is and who he can become.

Often when I begin a walk with my camera, I look for a story to tell. Most of the time the story remains hidden but is almost always there, somewhere. As a photographer, I want to use my instincts and personal experiences to dig out and find that story, and use my skill as a visual artist to capture it in a compelling and truthful way. It's not easy and it takes a keen sense of purpose and drive to first discover it, flesh it out, then develop it into a simple form that actually makes sense. I say to myself, "I want to tell a story.." then ask myself one question, "Where is it?"

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