Concord Leaf
I remember while in school years ago, Ruth Bernhard chewing a bunch of us students out for traveling a distance to make our photographs. She referred back to her famous teapot image and told how she picked the teapot up off of the street, all beat up and smashed. She took it to the studio and created a masterpiece. She then told us that we should be able to make images in our own backyards.
I pulled in the driveway one evening and saw the new grape leaves on our vines right next to the driveway. The evening light was skimming across them and seemed to highlight just this one leaf. It was beautiful. Ruth’s words flowed through my mind. I grabbed my camera and began shooting, and this is what I came up with.
The light was nice, highlighting the texture, however the color in the background seemed to get in the way of the image. I have often told my students that if anything in the frame does not help the image, then get rid of it! So I eliminated the color in the background. All I see now is the new life that comes every Spring to the vines. Eliminate and simplify, two concepts that if mastered will surely help create a more powerful image.
Recent Comments