Simple observation; The making of a photograph

Against the Sky

Photographs are all around us just waiting to be made. We need not travel to exotic locations to create art (although sometimes it is a nice diversion!), we just need to open our minds (more so than our eyes) to see what is around us. I preach to my students that if they find nice light they will find nice photographs. It is not about where you go but how you see that makes a great image. I have made many photographs in my own backyard.

This image can illustrate this point. On a late autumn morning, these dry grasses going to seed blowing on the hillside were not much to get excited about. However, after watching them for a few minutes, decided that they needed photographed, or really I felt the need to photograph them. As I viewed them against the hillside, they became lost in confusion, but by changing my angle of vision, dropping low and shooting from the opposite side I was able to isolate them against the hazy blue sky. The blue complimented the yellows of the dry grass, the angles provided by the soft wind and the soft light compliments of light overcast skies created a simple, yet interesting composition. It is all about your viewpoint.