Washed Ashore
I began photographing this log that had washed ashore as an example of an assignment I give some of my classes. I have the students find a subject and make at least 30 completely different images of hat subject. I want them to look at different angles and lighting. High, low, left, right, front lighting, back lighting, early morning, afternoon, etc. After about 20 images I really started having fun looking for new angles. I ended up with about 50 shots to pick from. I had close-ups of the water dripping from the decayed wood near the base, images of the 10 foot log that is hidden on the backside of this end, shots from eye level that show this in its true size (it is actually less than 3 feet tall), wide shots that de-emphasize the log and many other options.
This is a great exercise in vision. It helps develop vision in the beginner as well as keep the seasoned pro sharp. Any time I start feeling a little flat in my work, this exercise helps to get me out of the rut. It is even more effective when you do this exercise with another photographer and then critique each others images. Learning to see and developing your personal vision is vital to becoming a successful photographer. There is so much technical stuff in photography that we can easily get caught up in that we forget to let our feelings and instinct get involved in the process. If we can’t get to that point-letting feelings into our image making, then our photos will be lifeless. I really saw that happen in the series of photos that led up to this one. I was at first thinking about getting 30 images that I was thinking too hard. After about 20 shots I began to just go with the flow, whatever I felt I shot. That is when the “good stuff” began happening. I was no longer thinking about the technical things, they were taking care of themselves (comes from many rears of shooting!). I was having fun composing in the viewfinder, watching the waves and timing them as I waited at beach level to shoot another shot, moving around the log and looking from different directions, watching how the clouds moved and framed the log as I moved positions,…
This is what photography is all about. Having fun and sharing my vision of the world with others.
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