Eliminate Confused Seeing - Carry Your Theme All the Way Through the Image

Ansel Adams, one of America's greatest photographers, once provided some critical insight about one of his earlier photographs. He called it a product of "Confused Seeing". His critical insight focused on how the theme of the photograph was not clear...there were too many competing elements with one particular element providing a distraction to the overall impact of the image. Oddly enough, this is a common problem for all photographers, even experienced ones. Sometimes we get so caught up looking, we fail to spend time seeing what is there.

Composition is a workshop-required element of photography and a simple blog post such as this will never provide enough space to cover all of the intricacies of the subject. However we can take a look at the concept of carrying your theme all the way through you image.

First of all, one of the most important elements of a composition is to create a theme for the image. Simply put, the theme is what the image is about. As a photographer you are attempting to show the viewer why this moment was important to you. Capturing it then requires you concentrate the composition in such a way as to eliminate all of the distractions that might interfere with the viewer being able to interpret what you are presenting to them visually.

The photo above is a good example of how a theme is carried all the way through the image. There are no distractions, everything in the image is there for a reason, and everything falls into place. It is also a good example of simplicity. There are just three elements here, the sky, the background hill, and the water reflection. Even the colors compliment each other. It is no coincidence how simplicity and carrying a theme all the way through tend to define the subject.

The photograph on the right is a good example of "Confused Seeing". On the surface it carries an element of appeal. I saw something here that warranted a second look, however, the capture fell well short of what I wanted. There are so many competing elements it is difficult to focus in on what the theme is suppose to represent. Is it the tree(s)? Is it the rocks? Is it the Misty haze? Certainly it is not the light as it is flat and bland. Hard to tell on each of these points.

The difficult part is learning how to see. Simply looking at a scene, like I did with this one, is not enough. You must observe beyond that confused instinct and focus in what is truly important. Ask yourself, "What is capturing my attention? Where does my eye want to go"? More often than not if you can answer those two questions, you will be able to discover the best theme from that moment.  The trick then is to focus in and create a composition that captures that theme. You may have to move around, change lenses, change your angle or camera orientation. You might even have to wait on the light, or even come back another day when the conditions change. There are risks doing so, however most of the time your trained instincts will prove correct and with better light you will capture a more powerful image.

The photo below is a good example of how to focus in on a single element. It is just a part of a fallen tree limb that fell into a pond. My confused instincts wanted to capture the whole pond and the entire tree limb. Needless to say, the first attempts at doing so fell well short of expectations. Then I stopped for a moment and asked myself what stands out...where does my eye want to go? The answer was this photograph. I used a longer focal length lens to compress the image, to isolate the main subject and blur the background, but I used the continuity of the green background to help provide a soft contrast and frame the tree limb. The theme of the moment was carried all the way through and the basics of photography combined with focused seeing resulted in a nice photograph.

Eliminating Confused Seeing requires time and practice to perfect. It is one of those intangible elements of becoming a better photographer we all must learn how to apply through trial and error. Simply knowing about the concept helps, yet you must take the time to look beyond what your "Confused Instincts" tells you to do, to train yourself to utilize a more focused portion of seeing photographically.

Roughing It Easy - Taking a Photo Hike

Some years ago I watched several video's by Dewitt Jones, a former National Geographic photographer and motivational speaker. The one thing I most gained from his video's was when he said "Be willing to place yourself at that point of greatest potential". It was a concept that has served me well over the years as I took to heart his advice as I have attempted to place myself in a position where I can capture the best possible light. It has not always been easy and sometimes it was down right rough as the requirements to be in the best possible location at just the right time often required a physical hike and a great deal of mental effort. Regardless if the hike is across a parking lot, a pasture, or deep into the interior of a grand landscape, knowing how to rough it easy becomes an essential part of becoming an efficient photographer.

Taking a Photo Hike can offer a great deal of opportunity however, Photo Hiking like this takes on the same safety and comfort requirements as any kind of hike across country, you just have to also carry along your photo gear. Yet, as a photographer there are equipment requirements you must have in order to cover all the possible scenarios you might encounter. It would be impractical to carry all of your equipment as it would load you down so much you would actually lose time trying to keep up with it all. But, at the same time you want to carry enough gear to cover a wide range of possible scenarios. As a consequence it becomes a juggling act of what to bring and what to leave behind.

For me then, it becomes a matter of understanding the requirements of what I expect to encounter. If the mission is to capture a prairie sunrise, from experience I understand how I need three obvious things for sure. My camera, a wide angle lens, and a tripod. However, I also know I might encounter other opportunities while on site. For instance, one of my favorite locations to capture this kind of photograph requires I do some short hiking and thus requires I use some kind of equipment bag to carry my gear. Most times I will simply use my camera gear pack which holds way more than I need, but also adds a lot of extra weight. Sometimes I simply use a fanny pack because it is large enough for everything I need for that kind of shoot plus it retains the ability to carry a few extra luxury items. It also affords me the ability to toss in a cable release, graduated filters, and even a larger focal length lens...just in case...and a water bottle.

It may appear self evident, but by limiting the gear I tote along, I simplify the process and reduce the amount of the required physical effort. Then there are the times I plan on making a much more difficult and longer journey. Again, taking the prairie as an example, there is a rocky arroyo tucked away in a somewhat hidden location I will often hike into, but it is a mile or more from the access road. Hiking in there covers some rough terrain and because I will be in there for up to several hours, I need to cover all of the contingencies like the possibility of rain, hot weather, plus any of the unknown but potential photo opportunities. That also includes something to drink and an energy snack to get thru the day.

One such unexpected event occurred several years ago, one in which I was unprepared for what I encountered. I wanted to make that hike but it was hot and I did not want to lug around a heavy gear pack, so instead I packed my fanny pack with my camera and one lens, a 35mm to 105mm, and a water bottle. That was it. After the hike in, I sat under the shade of a cedar tree when I noticed two coyotes milling around about 200 yards across the arroyo. With them were two fluffed up and very new pups who looked like they were exploring their environment for the first time. I needed my long 500mm lens but because it was heavy I opted to leave it behind. The 105mm just did not have enough reach and proved inadequate for the job and as a consequence I missed a great opportunity to effectively capture a unique natural event.

During the year I will spend a good amount of time exploring the night sky and capturing the hidden beauty found there. It also requires at times a certain amount of mobility and thus a degree of planning. For this kind of shoot, not much is required as far as the basic equipment, a tripod, camera, and wide angle lens, plus a cable release. With just these simple tools you can capture some amazing night sky photographs.

However, I'm never long satisfied with the basics. I need to push the envelope and experiment and thus I built a barn door tracker device to track the night sky and thus allow for longer exposure times. This device is bulky and a bit cumbersome to operate. As a result I tend to use it mostly in my backyard, but I will on occasion tote it along to another location site. It does require I strap it down inside my vehicle to avoid it falling over, which it has done before. But, again with a little planning and understanding the requirements of the shoot, I have educated myself on how to simplify the process. The idea is to have a plan and outfit yourself for that plan. By limiting all the extras and focusing on just what I will need for that particular shoot, the shoot then becomes much more enjoyable and manageable. Also, by pushing the envelope you force yourself to learn more about what it is you are trying to do and how to accomplish the task. This alone helps you to know what to bring along and what to leave behind.

Shooting on location often requires the use of additional equipment like speed lights and stands along with a softbox or two and such. My equipment pack is quite large, too large really for routine use, but when you need to carry extra gear, it's very largeness is ideal. With it I can keep all of my camera gear in one convenient location and extract what I need when it is needed. The traditional camera bags tend to be somewhat cumbersome and too small to carry a lot of extra's, plus you might need more than one which makes keeping up with the stuff more difficult. It's all a matter of understanding what your purpose is along with the gear requirements to fulfill that purpose. By thinking through the process ahead of time you are more able to focus in on what you are trying to accomplish. As a result the effects are often encouraging.

Simplifying what you carry into the field is an important part of becoming an efficient photographer. Learning to adapt to changing environmental conditions is a process of experience. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we do not, but with each attempt you learn more and more about how to rough it easy.

The Simple Yet Elegant Black and White Landscape; An Element of Style

They can be quite complex in nature, very subtle in their beauty, and even bold and dynamic...Landscapes. Sometimes as a photographer I try to go beyond what is considered the norm, to push the boundaries to some degree, yet remain within the accepted confines of what makes a great landscape. To do so requires changing how to view the norm and look for pathways that lead toward something excitingly familiar, yet different.

Most of us have an idea of what the perfect landscape photograph should look like and with some justification, most of us are probably correct in that assessment because we do tend to follow conventional rules on building effective Landscapes. However, the simple yet elegant landscape fills the gap between creating something familiar, like always staying within and coloring inside the lines rule, and venturing beyond to explore another way by coloring outside the lines to break the rules. In both cases, the lines are still there, we just view and use them in a unique way not allowing a predetermined set of boundaries to define what we want to create...it becomes an Element of Style.

Landscapes by definition tend to be horizontal in configuration. It's only natural for one to be created that way, but a landscape can also be vertical. It just depends on what defines the most effective use of composition.  When thinking in terms of creating a simple yet elegant landscape photograph I will often reduce the image down to its simplest form...that would be black and white with a strong contrast ranging in tones from white, thru middle values, to completely black (remember the Zone System).

By doing so the visual competition created by the various natural colors is removed and the eye just sees the essence of what is there.

It takes a trained eye to look beyond the natural environment in which we view the world to grasp the concept of how a subject will look as a black and white image, but not just any black and white. On occasion rendering the image with a grainy finish or a ting of sepia can and will propel the image deeper into the realm of elegance. It comes with practice and experimentation along with some creative post processing...and sometimes just plain old luck.

The idea then is to leap beyond the cliche and capture your subject in such a way as to see it as something familiar yet unique, simple, yet elegant.

What you capture initially may not look anything at all like the finished product, yet it contains within it all the elements required to transform it into the work of art you want to create. In a black and white image, clutter is removed and the elegance of nature is revealed thus allowing us as an artist to discover another avenue of creative style. Style then, as in writing, defines the author, or in this case, the photographer.

Capturing Time and Place

All photographs capture some kind of subject matter. Things like people, locations, events, and even abstract art all are part of the general nature of photographs. But, what about Time and Place ? How do you capture those two elusive elements in a photograph?

Time and place require two main elements; something familiar and something new, both blended together to create a single instant frozen in time. Time and place work together. You rarely find one without the other. If you do, then the photograph misses something in its ability to connect to the viewer. Time and place are elements that bring life and structure to an image. They also add purpose, mystery, and closure in the sense the viewer wants to understand what is there and feel as though they know this place, this moment.

A capture of time and place creates the feeling of having been there, nostalgia you might call it, but simply put they inspire the viewer to remember moments from their past so they can project their feelings and emotions into the image. For instance, take the above photograph of the lightning strike. Most everyone has experienced such events. A capture such as this freezes a microsecond in time in such a way as to allow the viewer to ponder at length everything they can remember about experiencing weather events like this one. There is something familiar here, and there is something new because no two lightning events are the same. You can almost hear the clap of thunder and feel the electricity in the air. It is a specific moment of instance captured at a specific place...although with a bit of mystery surrounding it.

Another image that captures time and place well is the one above taken during the wheat harvest in Kentucky. Again something familiar to most everyone having probably witnessed such events either through video programs or films or possibly in person, yet with something new added...the angle of the lighting, the twists and turns of the wheat stubble rows, the dust flying in the background helping to separate the combine and tractor. Many of us have at one time or another stood next to a wheat stubble field. Places such as those harbor a distinctive aroma, sort of a dusty musty aroma. An image that captures time and place effectively can by its very nature trigger memories of aromas in nature. Time: A well-underway Wheat harvest - Place: Rolling Wheat field.

If you enjoy the outdoors and fishing in particular you will understand the time and place impact of the above image of the fellow fly fishing in a rustic looking creek. Time and place are relatively easy to identify here. Time is set with the fall colors reflection in the water, Place of course is on the creek. Most anyone who has gone fishing can readily identify with this image and again a small creek such as this one carries with it a fragrance unique to a location like that. You can practically hear the whirl of the fishing line, the subtle plop of the lure, and feel the strike of the fish. Combined with the remembrance of a wonderful day afield, we too often overlook Time and Place in our daily lives.

Time and place are not exclusive to what we see and experience here on this planet. They can also be projected into the starry night sky. Time, when invoked here, reflects events that happened a very long time ago...in this case thousands of years in the past as the image is simply a capture of the light that has taken that long to reach us because the distances are so great. Place of course is the Milky Way that spreads across the night sky most visible during a summer evening. How many of us growing up ever lay on blanket in the backyard and watched fireflies light up against the night sky, maybe even catching a glimpse of a shooting star meteor as it streaked across ebony flavor realm of the night. Yeah...me too. Even without the light gathering ability of the camera, on a clear summer evening away from the light pollution of the city, you can see with great clarity the arch of the Milky Way as it stretches across the sky. A time and a place most of us can remember.

Then there are the seasons...what better examples of time and place do we have to photograph.

Capturing Time and Place is certainly an element of photography most of us rarely think much about. In most cases it just happens, but, a photographer can purposely identify and capture these two elements to create a uniquely identifiable yet interestingly new vision of common moments. By doing so, we bring back to life special elements from the past to rekindle memories maybe lying dormant from long ago. A photograph provides a powerful description of the day to day events of our lives. During those times, Time and Place become embedded within our history, and it is remembering our history that makes the photographs worth saving.

The Offset Foreground vs A Centered Foreground

In almost any landscape photograph the foreground is just as important as the main visual background. A lot of photographers, including myself, will often neglect the foreground when shooting landscapes. Unfortunately, it is easy to forget about this important element as we tend to get caught up in the grandeur of what we are observing and overlook this often simple, yet vital part of what makes a landscape work.

Foregrounds can be subtle or prominent, and they can even be dominant especially when what is there is intended to become the main theme of the image. Take for instance this image of the bow of a canoe pointing toward a sunrise.

In this case the canoe, which is in the foreground, is the dominant subject with the background serving to provide the element of time and place. The placement of the canoe in the center of the image serves to create that sense of being there at the moment and points the viewer toward the rising sun. There is a sense of mystery along with a serene calmness. Without the placement of the canoe dead center and upfront in the dominant position, the image becomes ordinary.

Sometimes a more subtle approach works well like this black and white image of a late winter Kentucky landscape. On the left you find a weathered old stump in the foreground with the background fading off into the mist. That old stump serves to anchor the composition and provide an element of rustic charm to the image. Without the stump, the image would rapidly fall off the interest scale.  By placing it offset to one side, the stump also serves to balance the image with the darker clump of trees on the right. Also, the open side of the stump faces into the image, much like allowing room in the composition for an object like a person or critter to move into the scene...an effective framing or layering of the foreground, middle ground, and background.

Here's another example of a bold foreground blending well with the background. This image, taken on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, demonstrates again the importance of placement for the foreground, which is upfront and center.

Here the jagged, immovable texture of the rocky outcropping contrasts strongly with the softer, flowing element of the sky and prairie far behind in the background. Again it serves as a solid anchor for the composition and provides an ancient, enduring element against the ever changing texture of the sky. Without the foreground rocky outcropping this becomes just another photo of a field and sky.

One final example demonstrates how a long lens can contribute to the success of a photograph.

In this image of an ordinary Meadow Lark you see how the main subject is isolated against a soft foreground and background at the same time. Using a long 500mm lens and some selective cropping both elements were compressed into a natural looking blurred composition with the main subject remaining in sharp focus.

This provides a feeling of distance and isolation one where the Meadow Lark is viewed in its natural environment without the environment interfering with the focus element of the composition.

There is also a sense of a three dimensional depth to the image by including a soft foreground without any sharp elements interfering with the subject and the soft background provides a natural looking mat against and within which the Meadow Lark floats.

Effective use and placement of the foreground can provide that extra element a landscape image requires to create a composition that is not only pleasing but well balanced with a natural appeal. When shooting landscapes look for that extra piece of the puzzle that creates a strong appeal. It can be subtle, bold, offset, or upfront and centered. Which ever is used, experiment with all of them during the same shoot. One is sure to work.

Breaking Down a Photo - What Makes This Image Work?

Good lighting is essential to create good photographs. Without it, many images simply become snapshots. Although everyone employs their own perspective to a photograph, there are certain elements that come into play that helps to separate those simple snapshots from a well thought-out, complete photograph. Many times subtle elements like reflections, shadows, and angles are what separate ordinary from extraordinary images, and not everyone looks for those things even after the image is made. The key is to anticipate ahead of time and setup the shot so those subtle elements become a part of the composition.

It is often a matter experience and understanding how light bounces around and reflects off things that help us to quickly discern what will work. Sometimes you just get lucky, but most of the time great images are made with a little forethought.  So...let's take a look at the above image in closer detail.

First of all, notice the image is a Sepia toned black and white image. From the start of this photo shoot I anticipated using black and white simply from the nature of the character...a Cowboy with a rustic flavor. Black and white with sepia tone simply fits the theme more reliably than color does. It reduces the image to contrasts, shape, form, and of course character. Character profile images require you have a character to profile, and Davy here certainly proved to be a great genuine character.

Converting the image to black and white also required using the correct style of simulated film...in this case I used Silver Efex Pro 2 black and white conversion software to convert to black and white, and changed the image from a neutral BW into an Agfa APX 400 simulated BW film. This gave the image just the right combination of contrast and grain so it would retain a more rustic flavor. I also applied a subtle amount of Sepia tone to enhance that old time western appearance. The overall image then took on a completely new and more powerful look than the original color image offered.

The overall appearance of the image was then set after the conversion, but there is more to this image than the black and white process. The lighting here is displayed in two forms...bold and contrasty along with some subtle detail. It's the subtle details that made this image one my favorites from that shoot.

Take a closer look at this cutout image. Notice the subtle highlights that outline Davy's form...along the jaw line, the length of the arm, and a subtle reflection under the brim of the hat. These were created by placing a bare speed light low and behind the subject and pointing it toward the stall walls along the edge of the stable. It was powered down to provide just enough light to bounce off the wall and to cast that subtle reflective glow around Davy. This glow serves to separate him from the dark confines of the background and the reflected light from the stall walls help to provide depth to the image, otherwise the background would have been almost completely dark. 

Looking at the next image with the bolder light, you see a much more contrasty appearance. Although there was some ambient light bleeding in from the outside, it was not enough this deep into the stable to provide enough illumination. To augment this light, I setup a primary light, with a 31 inch octo-box softbox attached, about 10 to 12 feet away from Davy...at almost a 90 degree angle from his stance. 

From that distance, the octo-box provided a rather harsh direct light against him which simulated an opening with natural light flooding in. The light illuminating his left side is almost all coming from that single softbox light. Had it been set closer, say withing 3 feet or so, it would have wrapped around him generating a softer look...not what I wanted.

Now look closely at the background. Notice how it is very soft, blurred, yet with enough detail showing to provide that sense place for the image. Most of that light is coming from that single low down light described previously, but some natural ambient light also contributed.  Without it, the background becomes a dark mass with no place defining importance. With it, the background now becomes part of the composition. You instinctively know he is standing inside a horse stable as a result.

The camera in this case was set around 50 feet or so from the subject and a large zoom lens was used to compress the image. The background wall is at least 40 feet from Davy, but appears closer because of the lens compression. Using a long lens also helps to isolate the subject from the background so he becomes the center of attention.

All of this setup happened rather quickly...most of it instinctively, some of it just dumb luck, however, everything fell into place once the shutter was released. The major light set ups were purposely set to generate the lighting effects seen. The ambient light came in from behind and right of the subject and provided enough extra light to help with the overall composition effectiveness.

I really like this image for it captured the essence of what I wanted to accomplish...to capture an iconic image of an American Icon; The Cowboy.

A Short Video: The Cowboy Way

The Cowboy Way

The Cowboy is an American Iconic symbol. Few icons in history carry such powerful images of strength, character, romance, and rugged determination. So getting to photograph a cowboy is a true honor and privilege.

Cowboys of course historically tend to conjure images of the wild west, cattle drives, and horses, but cowboys are found today in virtually every state...including Kentucky.  That makes sense because Kentucky certainly has a long history and connection to horses and so the image of the cowboy is a natural fit.

Photographing the cowboy image presents some difficult yet interesting problems to solve like, how do you capture the icon without creating a cliche? Then again, maybe the cliche is exactly what you want to capture, sort of like when writing about a person from history, when fact contradicts legend, you print the legend. One such opportunity presented itself to me recently when I spent a few hours out at the Diamond H Equine Center just north of Bowling Green, Kentucky. There I met Jennifer and Davy Brothers who run the center.

Davy is a true to life working cowboy and the focus of this shoot was to capture that historical image. I also wanted to capture Davy's iconic appearance as a portrait style photograph and to capture the playful interaction between him and Jennifer.

 As most of the photography was captured inside the horse stables, I had to deal with extremes of lighting where in some places the light was almost nonexistent, and in other places there was a bright glaring light filtering in from the outside.

I used two off camera speed lights, one fitted with a 31 inch dome and the other left bare...both fired remotely from the camera. With these two simple lighting setups I was able to throw enough additional light onto my subjects and to provide some background fill light to allow for a natural looking exposure.

Combined with the outside ambient light that filtered into the stables, the effects were natural and effective. I also made some natural light images to help capture that sense of place and atmosphere.

On a rather warm and muggy day, Davy hauled some hay, mended a couple of fences, and worked with the horses presenting photo opportunities in a plain, honest, work-a-day cowboy manner.







It proved to be an interesting photo shoot and my subjects proved to be wonderful examples of a modern day historical iconic symbol.

Prairie Song - A Video by Keith Bridgman

Thunderstorms, tornado warnings, torrential rains and high winds, along with heavy overcast skies and poor to terrible lighting conditions hindered my ability to capture all of the video footage I desired to create this most difficult yet exciting video about the Tallgrass Prairie. In spite of all, I managed to get enough footage with enough new photographs combined with some archived photographs to create Prairie Song.

Please enjoy.


Keith

I Took A Hike One Day

Coming soon I will once again visit possibly my favorite place; Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. I plan on spending the better part of 5 full days there and weather permitting, I will also re-photograph this wonderful landscape. The following is a reprint from 2011 of a previous encounter in the prairie. Please enjoy again; I Took A Hike One Day

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Another story-like end of the day drifted toward its conclusion as I watched from the top of Coneflower Hill...one more episode counted among the countless end-of-the-day episodes one can discover on the prairie.  Why I was there finds its roots going back a good number of years, but simply stated, I was there because I took a hike one day.

Cone Flower Hill is not an official name...it's simply what I call this rounded knoll with a rocky outcropping on top that sits a quarter mile or more off the gravel road that meanders through the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  I found it a few years ago almost by accident while looking for a location to observe and photograph those amazing prairie sundowns.  It's not much of a hill really, but rises maybe something less than a hundred feet higher than the surrounding landscape.  Long flanks covered with thick prairie grass, cut by drainage and scarred by bison travel, characterize the climb to the top...a climb more difficult than it might seem at first.

Just north of the summit lies a large pond tucked into the recess of the rolling terrain.  Around it's perimeter grow acres of wildflowers including the Pale Purple Cone Flower...where the hill gets its name.  On the summit of the hill a rocky outcrop exposed to who knows how many years of weathering, provides a break on the smooth lines of the rolling hills.  It's a good place to just sit and feel the prairie wind in your face.

 It is one of the quietest places one can find, quiet in the sense there are few if any man-made noises that influence the atmosphere...just the dancing of the tall grasses and choreographed ballet of the cone flowers as they move in time with the whimsical undulations of the prairie wind. It is a natural musical of natures best assortment of players.

To the west the landscape changes as it breaks its rhythm from the slow rolls to rise abruptly toward mesa like outcroppings.  In all directions one is afforded an unobstructed view of this marvelous landscape broken only by distant indications of man's presence.

Why am I here...why do I return time and again?  I took a hike one day, and discovered a place for the heart that was mine alone...a place where ones inner strength is restored by the reflections of what once was...reflections of times past that remain unchanged.  I took a hike one day and rediscovered who I was.

Keith

Creating Photographs From the Heart

Still on my break from blogging but here is a re-post from 2013. It is about the connection a great photograph has with a great musical score. Please enjoy again, Creating Photographs From the Heart.

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A number of years had passed since I last watched that movie, but recently I sat through another viewing and remembered it being as entertaining and revealing as the first time. Some of you may have seen it...Mr. Holland's Opus...a story about a musician who temporarily falls back on his teaching degree until he can start composing his great American Symphony full time. He ends up teaching for 30 years and during that time is transformed and changes the lives of hundreds of students. One of those students was a young lady who struggled with learning how to play the clarinet...hard as she tried...she just could not grasp what it took to master that instrument. Then one day Mr. Holland asked her what she liked best about herself when she looked into a mirror...her answer was her bright red hair as it reminded her dad of the sunset. Mr. Holland then told her to play the sunset...and removed the sheet music that had become the crutch that held her back. Within moments, her playing was transformed into something that can only come from the heart.

Too often I fail to capture the photographs I feel in my heart...probably because I too rely too much on crutches that actually hold me back more than help. Oddly enough, I discovered almost by accident what makes a great photo...and it's probably not what you might think. The crutches we use result from too much worrying about the mechanics of the camera and not thinking enough about why we are there...what are we looking for...what is it inside of us we know is there...but struggle to give it meaning...to give it a voice.

You see, photography is so much like music, yet we too often fail to recognize it. Photograph the music in your heart...might be somewhat of an unorthodox way of approaching the craft...but thinking in those terms just might be the catalyst that propels your photography to a new level. Light is the mood generating notes of photography...but music becomes the melody of that light...and all photographic moments carry with it a silent musical score photographers can feel from within.

Each photographic moment carries with it a different melody...unique in strength and power. You know it when you see it...because you don't really see it visually...you experience it internally. A photographic moment that sings or fills the air with symphonic crescendo's...will in due course generate a photograph that carries a sense of orchestration...a place where the mood and atmosphere comes from.

Photography, if you stop and think about it, does closely parallel the mood generating effects of a great musical score. Tapping into that power and searching for light that is filled with a great performance...well...you'll know it when it happens...you just have to give the silent music from within a visual voice.

Keith

Camera's Do...Photographers Dream

Taking a break for the next several weeks from blogging, but I will repost older blogs to fill in the gap. Here's one from January 2014. It's a short article about the difference between simply taking pictures of things and using your imagination and vision to create amazing photographs.

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The sophistication built into cameras today is quite phenomenal when compared to what was available even just a few years ago. But cameras by themselves do not take photographs they simply do as they are told. It is the visual dreams of the photographer that creates the magic of a great photograph.

I’ve been asked a few times more often than not, questions focused around learning the technical aspects of how to use the camera. Understanding the technical elements is important, but it is not all important. As in most things, you can teach technique, but you cannot teach someone how to dream.

When I speak of visual dreams I am referencing how the photographer imagines the world. It is more emotional than technical. When photographer’s tap into what stirs their imagination and then applies that emotional connection to the world around them, their photographic artistry is magically influenced by those visions.

Seeing the world from an emotional point of view can alter your visual perspective about photography. If all you ever achieve is capturing images of things, then you tend to rely on the intrinsic values of the thing to create your photograph. But when you rely on visualizing the world based on what stirs your emotions, your photography elevates to a higher plane of understanding.

Mechanics can only take you so far, but creative dreams are endless. It is the photographer who taps into that creative desire, who allows himself to focus emotional energy, that will capture amazing images of ordinary things. If all we do is look at objects and photograph objects, we limit ourselves to settle for what that object represents. But when we look beyond the object and see it within the context of our desires to create something beautiful, then something beautiful happens.

The Simple Landscape

Simplicity in photography creates images that flow like a soft melody and sometimes simplicity itself becomes the defining elements within a landscape. Landscapes by their very nature can be as complex or simple as nature itself. There are times the scene is filled with an abundance of details all working together to create an amazing view. Yet, there are times when simplicity becomes the defining purpose of the image. Of the two, the simple landscape can often be the most difficult to find and capture.

Creating the Simple Landscape requires one important adjustment; Finding a location where all the clutter is naturally removed. This is not always easy to do and often requires that we employ creative compositional discovery techniques. In most cases it is a matter of seeing, looking beyond the ordinary to focus in on form along with the purest of light.

Light of course is always the main element in every great photograph, but without a great subject, light is simply light. Your job as a photographer is to combine the two into a creative form. For me, to create the Simple Landscape requires warm, low angle light. Late afternoon light when the shadows are long and the nature of the light takes on a natural glowing aura is the best time, but any time of day can be used and under certain circumstances even shooting in the middle of the day works well.

Look for those simple striking compositional elements where only a few pieces are present. Avoid overly complex situations with a lot of competing components. As in all landscapes, all of the components are elements that need to be there and anything that interferes with the story must be removed either by changing the angle, or changing your lens. In other words, focus in what is truly important.

Sunsets tend to be rather complex and just about every kind of sunset that has ever occurred has already been photographed millions of times. However, they are compelling and draw us to them by the nature of their beauty and no two of them are ever the same. One thing I like to do is when facing a sunset regardless of how powerful it might be, I always turn around and look the other direction because sometimes the most compelling images can be discovered that way.

The light from a sunset will often cast a soft warm glow across a landscape, and sometimes you discover a simple composition that diverts your attention away from the main source of the light and onto an element that becomes the photograph of the day. Add a little creative post processing magic and a simple scene becomes an amazing image.

Looking for the Simple Landscape is a challenging opportunity, but one that offers the potential for a striking and unique photograph. Give it a try and retrain your eye to look for the simple elements found in nature.

When Nature Wins

The past winter season has rekindled memories from seasons past. Many of my photography friends have ventured out to explore and capture amazing images and memories of various kinds of waterfowl found by the thousands harboring inside nearby wildlife refuges. Seeing their work along with their accounts of what they experienced brought back a memory from long ago...a memory with a profound impact. I have no photographs from that day, but have substituted a single photo that closely resembles what I saw. Hopefully, the written words alone will stir fabulous images within your mind as you read them. Please enjoy this look back on an amazing day..."When Nature Wins"


Never again would a sunrise simply be a sunrise.  It would be a unique moment of time and place forever bound and tested against that morning...forever etched as a defining principle of what an outdoor experience should be.


Reposted from December 2010 ********************************************************************************

When I stepped out of the warm cab of my truck and into the chill of that pre-dawn morning air, little did I suspect how this day would be unique.  The air was light and crisp and well beyond the point of being cold and I shivered as I looked toward the still dark sky across which spread the silvery haze of the Milky Way.  I was to meet an old friend here on the northwest side of Canton Lake, in Northwestern Oklahoma, for some late season goose hunting.

Forewarned of his late arrival, I set about performing the well rehearsed motions of suiting up getting ready for the day's hunt.  During previous outings we noticed a few hundred Canada Geese followed a predictable pattern each morning and afternoon.  If they continued using that same pattern we hoped to ambush one or two as they flew low over a spit of land that extended a couple hundred yards into the lake.  The cover was good there with a cluster of knurled willow trees on the point and copious amounts of tall grass around the perimeter.  The lake was low that season so the walk in was easy.

A thin layer of ice along the shallows crunched under foot as I trudged along the edge of the peninsula.  I carried no decoys, for we planned on remaining mobile and adapting to the movements of the geese when the opportunity presented itself.  I settled between the willow trees and leaned back into a comfortable position long before the first vestiges of daylight became apparent.  There was an uncommon calming silence that pervaded over the lake...no wind...no sound...no movement on the lake...only the soft rush of condensed breath set aglow by the starlit sky.

Time slowed under the canopy of that cold and dark morning.  I felt small and insignificant sitting there alone.  A slight sense of melancholy drifted over me born from a sleep deprived fatigue that hovered like a fog around my eyes. After several minutes passed, just above the horizon across the far side of the lake a faint glow became evident...a glow so pale as to be almost imperceptible...yet distinct and recognizable as the first sign of the approaching dawn.

Somewhere across the lake a group of mallards stirred and their chatter echoed across the silent waters.  Overhead a flight of hard to see ducks, I think Buffleheads, whistled by winging from my left to right and then circled behind me disappearing into the void.  More flights followed.  A group of Teal then Pintail and more mallards whipped by...their beating wings whistling as they ripped through the crisp morning air.  Unseen high overhead the haunting chattel of sandhill cranes added to the symphony that was now being orchestrated across the lake.

With each passing moment a new sound and activity of waterfowl was brought into the realm of that once still morning.  Slowly...as in unison with the stirrings of the wildlife on and around the lake, the glow over the horizon changed texture and intensity.

A layer of thin clouds drifted low on the horizon and began to glow with a deliberate shimmer celebrated with layers of pastel blues and pinks intermixed with streaks of orange and red.  The sunrise scene that was unfolding was perfectly imprinted on the mirrored surface of the lake.

A flight of hooded mergansers swooped in and sat down less than twenty yards in front of me.  Their distinctive profiles a silhouette against the ever growing intensity of the breaking dawn.  I was spell bound.  I leaned my shotgun against the willow tree...and simply watched.

The once star-studded sky began to lighten and one by one each of those bright points of light began to dim...blink one final time...and disappear.  By this time multitudes of waterfowl were stirring...darting in front of, behind, and all around me.  I couldn't believe what was unfolding.  It was like an image taken from an artists canvas...yet no words...no photograph...no imagination could capture the majesty of this morning.

 The combined effects of the sunrise...its reflection on the calm waters of the lake...the chaotic movements of countless waterfowl could not have been choreographed more splendidly than the spontaneous explosion of time and place presenting themselves across this...the best of nature's theaters.

Across the lake on the horizon, what began as a faint whimper of light had now progressed to a bold, new amber glow.  Jets of red and orange ripped through and danced across the low clouds.  The lake and sky were ablaze.  Thousands of ducks and geese flew here and there in a confused contrast against the unfolding serenity of that magnificent morning.

Unexpectedly...like when a conductor raises his baton...a momentary hush fell over the morning and all was very still. No ducks flying, no sounds, just a calm.  A moment later the sky filled with brilliant light as the sun thrust its burning globe above the horizon...the silence was instantly ripped apart when thousands of waterfowl exploded into flight...their squawks and chattering filled the silence...their motion across the blazing sky, their reflections moving across the lake added a staggering depth and perspective to the morning. It was the single most amazing sight I have ever witnessed.

At that moment I realized something unique was unfolding not only around me...but within me as well.  Never before had it become so evident.  From all the years of hunting and fishing...from all the priceless moments spent outdoors...a moment like this was the moment I was seeking.  To witness that incomprehensible complexity of nature played out within the indescribable simplicity of a magnificent sunrise...to truly understand for the first time how I was a part of God's creation given the privilege to witness and enjoy the splendid array of what life in him has to offer.  This was what it was all about. Far too many times the most important things in life had been lost in the vacuum of time and place. Never again would that happen.  Never again would a sunrise simply be a sunrise.  It would be a unique moment of time and place forever bound and tested against that morning...forever etched as a defining principle of what a relationship with God is all about. Few images can stir the soul like witnessing God's creative hand as it unfolds across his natural palette.  Every morning...every new dawn...is a unique creation there for the taking...there for all to share.  It is just a matter of being still long enough to experience it.

My partner eventually arrived. We stood together near those willow trees watching the last spectacular moments of what I had been privileged to observe from its beginning. I can still see him silhouetted against that blazing sunrise on that cold morning with smoke from his pipe hovering in the air around him. He looked over toward me and smiled with his characteristic grin exposing his smoke stained teeth, "Boy, Boy", is all he said. That is all he needed to say.

By that time the sun had fully risen the explosion of activity slowly subsided.  In spite of observing so many waterfowl, and maybe because of all the activity, and not without trying...we failed to bring home any game on that day...even so, it was a fitting end to a perfect, unforgettable day afield. Somehow it seemed appropriate that nature...so elegantly endowed...so perfectly displayed as was the intent of its creator...would win on this day.

Keith

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Epilogue:  This story brings back many wonderful memories from times past.  My friend Ralph who met me up there that day passed away many years ago. A World War II veteran, husband and father, he became a mentor to me in many ways. He never lectured, he simply showed by example what it meant to be an outdoorsman. His memory as well as countless memories spent afield with him and others have not been forgotten, just lain dormant thru time.  This one single morning may indeed have been the most spectacular single day afield we ever experienced.  That is why I chose to write it down because of the special nature of the event. Even though I miss those days and my friend, the memories we created by exploring nature at its best and the influence he contributed will always be with me.