EMOTIONS 

You wouldn't think emotions have anything to do with photography, but they do. Have you ever looked at some of your images on your computer and said to yourself, "I don't remember those power lines being there!" The most painful comment is something like, "It looked better when I was there." 

We tend to shoot with our emotions, not our eyes. That's why it really "looked" better when we were there. We were emotionally engaged with the scene; so much so we didn't take the time to detach ourselves from our emotions to see if there was anything within those four corners that we didn't want there. We just didn't see the distraction.

Lesson? Stop. Take a deep breath, and make sure your image answers the question, "What made me stop?" Whatever your answer to that question is, try to translate that into something we call a photograph. 

The best photography is found where technical know-how and creative aesthetics meet. It's not enough to have a good understanding of camera dials, buttons, and menu items. It would be like an artist on canvas knowing about different brushes, paint application techniques, and color theory without understanding good composition. Artists on canvas can create their compositions; photographers need to find their compositions.

I am including a few images in this post. For all of them, I asked, "What made me stop?" But, instead of quickly taking a shot, I took a few seconds to ask myself how I could translate those feelings, sensations, or moods into a photograph. That's where the technical know-how comes in. My right brain (the aesthetics part) shakes hands with my left brain (the technical know-how part) and says, "I've got an idea, and this is what I need from you."

I overexposed this scene +1 2/3 stops to give more detail to the foreground. Otherwise, due to the fog over the lake, the image would have come out underexposed.

When I got to the top of this hill to look out at sunrise over the misty, foggy valley, I felt so serene. But, when I got my first shot, it didn't translate my feelings of peace and tranquility. It occurred to me to switch my WB (white balance) to Fluorescent. Yes, Fluorescent. And, voila! This image looks the way I felt that morning. The image below is how it looked before I switched to Fluorescent. 

             

I was leading a workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were coming out from under a canopy of trees, in the shade, when I saw this opening filled with golden sunlight. We were literally coming out of the darkness. I underexposed this image to turn the foreground trees into silhouettes, thus increasing the contrast between the darkness and "the light."   

I underexposed this scene by 1/3 stop to make sure it didn't come out too washed out in the early morning light (overexposed). I liked the faded La Sal Mountains in the distance and sunlit flora in the foreground.

When I got to the bottom of this waterfall, I felt a sense of peace, even though the fast-rushing water from the waterfall was fast, furious, and loud. If I had let my emotions get the best of me, I probably would have gotten a photo of "frozen" water gushing down and hitting these boulders. It would not have reflected my sense of peace. By detaching myself from those feelings, I was able to think through the process and determine what shutter speed would give me the look that reflected my feelings. Answer: a shutter speed of 1/6 of a second softened the rushing water splashes of the waterfall. Again, don't shoot with your emotions. Translate your images to reflect those emotions.   

I decided to include this last image to show how emotions can get away from us. This image, of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, gives me a sense of drama, ruggedness, intensity, and scale. That's what I sensed when I looked out at the wide and deep canyon. When it comes to photography, the eyes see too much. Yes, I saw much more of the canyon than this image shows, but if I had taken the wide view my eyes saw, I might have lost the drama, the intensity, the ruggedness that this image depicts. The image below was taken with a 10mm focal length. Yes, you can see more of the canyon, but, to me, it's not as dramatic as a zoomed-in, in-your-face kind of image, as above.

Art is subjective. Photography is art. So, decide for yourself: What image can I create that best reflects my emotions?

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