I’m excited to announce that I wil be starting a new series of free live…
I recently spent 5 days with my wife and son at Buck Pond campground in the Adirondacks, 12 miles north of Lake Saranac. It is a pristine location with a remote feeling of wilderness and great views of surrounding mountains and forests. Sunrises were fantastic every morning with lots of ethereal fog and warm light, a combination I find challenging to photograph, but so expressive when I can capture it just right.
My first instinct with “Morning Light” was to get as close to the water as possible, but I found the foreground lacking in interest, and decided to look for something else that would lead the viewer into the image. Stepping back and lower, I noticed all of the wonderful detail on the tall grass lining the lake, and the rest was just a matter of finding the right balance between the two.
“Wind Blown Tree” was made from my canoe as I waited for the light to break through a heavy cloud cover. I’ve practiced working from my canoe and kayak quite a bit, and I’ve developed some techniques to keep the camera as steady as possible. Even so, I usually will switch to ISO 200 for that extra stop of exposure, and use some noise reduction in post-processing. Again, it’s the unique perspective and opportunity I’m after, and I have no problem adding some noise if a sharp image depends on it. I found the tree fascinating, and used it to frame the entire image.
On land this time working with a tripod, “Twilight” is the kind of image that seems easy to photograph, yet I struggled with balance and symmetry…more water, or more land, do I split the image in half or look for a way to use the rule of thirds…in the end I put the camera down, took a deep breath, and enjoyed a calming moment with a lake all to myself.
As always, your feedback is valued and appreciated…
Robert,
As always I am very impressed by your work. These three images are really nice. Your composition, use of all elements available, and technically are right where they should be. Great reflections, cloud detail, and really for me very peaceful, calming images.
Dick – I’m glad you like them, your judgement is always valued. Thanks for stopping in…Robert
Robert,
The pics are really nice; my fav is the Buck Pond. But what I enjoyed most from this post is the funny take on the undecisiveness of having to take the last pic…. ;-D
Thanks for your positive feedback. I guess that reflects how I feel about my photography in relation what is really important for me – enjoying life and nature, and never taking for granted how insignificant photographs would be if not for the moments that inspire us to try and capture them in the first place. RR
I liked Morning Light, Buck Pond. The perspective made it seem like completely different substances in nature came out of the water to the same degree-huge rocky mountains and wispy blades of grass-and required the observer to think about what they had in common.
Thanks Steve – appreciate the feedback…I’m always learning to appreciate subtlety in nature, and how to frame them in a compelling way for the viewer – a skill I’m just starting to learn!