For me, the practice of photography often leads to more questions about subject matter and why I am drawn to some more than others. Certainly the ‘”voice” or vision that we all have is a large part of that, and it is something I have been thinking about for quite some time now. This happens after a while, when you’ve made all types of images, and decide you want to get something more out of all the time you invest in your work.
Light is magic to me. It speaks to me in ways that nothing else in my life has. So many ways to interpret it, and composition is so vital to conveying some type of message or meaning, Whether I’ve done that with “Fog and Light” is up to the viewer, but I do know that during the very short amount of time I had to capture this fleeting moment, I knew of nothing else, except for the light, my breathing, and my appreciation for being where I was. Ironically it is the same mountain I climb 2-3 times a week, and I have to admit it gets rather dull at times. But there is always something to learn from the ordinary in our lives, and often it is right in front of us. We just have to learn to see it.
This is one exposure, no HDR or filters. I exposed for the vegetation by turning the camera away from the light and setting my exposure, then recomposing back towards the light. This keeps the shadows from getting too dark, and of course blows out the light rays around the tree . A little highlight recovery and fill light in Lightroom evens everything out, and gives me the interpretation I was after.
Robert:
Thought of you last night driving home late from a Town Board meeting with the crisp air after the storm, fog coming up on the fields and roads, and wanting to get out early and shoot. Unfortunately, an early appointment with the periodontist followed by the dentist was in my plans, not shooting. I envy the opportunities you get. Got to make better use of my time. I love your use of backlighting.
I notice variations of the backlit, into the sun image appearing from time to time in your work. It is interesting that you feel drawn to such images. Perhaps you are quite literally bringing light to the world through photography. My father made a number of images of interest with backlit subjects, sun rays, sun reflected from water and windows in unusual ways and other effects with light, specifically sunlight. He was somewhat known for this, but I feel he will become more so as we bring out more of the work. It is great that you are developing a bit your own tradition of this kind of photography. There are definitely people out there who love it, including myself. The photograph above is a beauty. I admire the way you used only one exposure.