PHOTOGRAPHING WATERFALLS

There are three conditions in which I prefer to go out in search of waterfalls: 1) Overcast skies or thick clouds, to minimize harsh contrasts and blown-out light-colored waterfalls;      2) Spring or early summer, when snow run-off is at its peak, unless the falls are in an area where water is always running; 3) after a heavy rainfall.

There are two messages I like to convey from waterfalls, other than the waterfalls themselves: 1) The environment in which the falls are, or the feeling I get when I'm there. The environment gives the image context and adds interest. Photographing feelings sometimes means not photographing the entire waterfall.

I don't usually share technical information about my images. My reasoning is quite simple. The settings we use (f/stop, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, etc.) all depends on our intended end goal. If we want to "freeze" the waterfall, we'll need to use a certain shutter speed; if we want to create a soft dream-like effect, we'll need to use a certain shutter speed. If we can't get what we're looking for, we might need to switch to a different ISO in order to get the desired shutter speed. The list goes on. We need to know what the photographic basics give us as results and combine that with what we want as a result. 

Don't let formulas, or recommended formulas, dictate what your settings should be. Let your desired results determine what settings you'll need. If you need a formula, use a "If/Then" formula: If I want it to look like that, then I need to do this.  

With that introduction, let's start with a time when lighting was not ideal. It was a harsh bright sunny day when I was photographing Cedar Falls in Arkansas. I didn't like what I was getting. But, as luck would have it, I heard loud but soothing chanting coming from below the falls, in the shade. Sometimes Plan B works out better than Plan A. Seize the moment.     

Idaho Falls, in Idaho Springs, Colorado. I have photographed this waterfall in winter,
summer, and autumn. There is no such thing as spring in Colorado! 😊 

I have several tight shots (close-ups) of the falls, but I like this one because it shows off its unique context--the steep, near vertical mountainside and the historic waterwheel. The bonus was the eye-catching fall colors and the flags. I spend an entire chapter in my book, Right Brain Photography, on composition.

Multnomah Falls. The rainfall index in Oregon creates a lush topography, as represented by this awesome waterfall. As opposed to the image above, a vertical shot did a better job at showing off its environmental context.  

Ouzel Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. A great waterfall indeed. However, the day I was there, I was more captivated by the feeling I got more so than its visual presence. The waterfall was in its prime--gushing down loudly and proudly. Not only could I hear the loud roar of the falls, but I could feel its power. The earth vibrated beneath my feet. However, as loud and powerful as the sounds were, I felt a sense of calmness; a sense of peace and tranquility. 

Before I show you how I photographed those feelings, let me share what my eyes saw. A fast shutter speed (1/200) captured it's power, which is what I wanted for this image. However, I wanted to translate my feelings. I carefully made my way around that big boulder in the foreground--the ground was cool, damp, and slippery.  

When I got around the boulder, I found myself at the bottom of the falls, where I "saw" my true feelings--calmness; peace; tranquility. I knew that in order to translate those feelings I had to use a slow shutter speed. An artist uses the right brush strokes and angles to create a desired effect. I chose a slow shutter speed (1/6) to create a mystical feel.  

The Eureka Springs, Arkansas area had experienced several days of heavy rains. During a day drive to see what I could find, I stopped at a convenience store out in the country for a snack. I just happened to run into one of my former students who was familiar with the area. She asked me, "Have you been to Sweden Falls?" I said, "No. Never heard of it. Where is it?" She gave me the directions, told me she and her daughter were just there a few minutes and, and that, unlike other times she had seen it, it was really flowing! I had to go.

I found it. It was very cool that day, with thick threatening clouds. The ground looked extremely wet. Should I or shouldn't I? My intuition won out and I put on my rain gear and took off. Along the way, I met a couple of hikers who warned me, "Be careful. It's slippery in places." My intuition kept saying, "Don't succumb to your fears. It might be worth it." I'm glad I listened to my intuition.

They were right. It was slippery, everywhere. I could hear the sounds of the falls as I got closer. Finally, there it was--Sweden Creek Falls.I could not get a good view of the falls from the trail, so I carefully inched my way off the trail a bit. I found myself on top of a precarious outcropping. I could have got closer to the edge of the outcropping, but decided to stop at a point where I could get a decent angle, without endangering my life. I later found out from a hiker that a photographer had indeed killed himself there when he tried to get too close.

Tip: Don't just start shooting. Slowly think it through. Repeat to yourself, "What do I want the falls to look like?" I wanted a silky, smooth feel to the flowing water. A 1/8 of a second shutter speed gave that to me.  

I always tell folks around Eureka Springs that the greens in the Ozarks are "Photoshop greens."

  

I had heard of Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in southern Missouri and how beautiful it was. So, out I went on a daily excursion. I was not disappointed. 

Test: You want this waterfall to look nice, silky and smooth. It's flowing pretty fast. What shutter will you use to get your desired look and feel? How about 1/4 of a second? This is not science; it's art. So, take 2-3 shots to see what you'll get: 1/15; 1/8; 1/4; and even 1" (second). Then just see which one resonates with you. 

A huge cloud had cast a shadow on the falls. Click! 

Unlike the other waterfalls in this blog, this one did not have an interesting environment overall, which is why I went vertical and tight on this one.    

About three miles southeast of Steamboat Springs, Colorado is Fish Creek Falls. It's my favorite waterfall in Colorado. As you can see, its environment was worth incorporating into the composition.

Lower Yellowstone Falls, 308 feet to the bottom! I love photographing around my birth state. My two favorite locales to take my camera are the Grand Tetons area and Yellowstone Park. 

I also created the more typical and common shots of this majestic waterfall--both horizontal and vertical tight shots that show just the waterfall and a little of its surroundings, but I favor this one that shows the falls, where it comes from, where it hits, the dynamic canyon it drops into, and the continuation of the Yellowstone River below the falls. From Artist's Point.   

    

I hope this has motivated you to drive and hike to your nearest waterfalls. April and May are just around the corner, so make sure your To-Do list includes waterfalls. 

Experiment with your compositions, exposures, and shutter speeds. Have fun.

If you live near me, holler at me and we'll go together!   

  

A RIGHT BRAIN AT THE ZOO

I call myself a "life photographer" because I can see art in any subject, including subjects at America's zoos. I don't like to limit myself to landscapes, people, or cityscapes.

Like most photographers, I do enjoy getting those cool documentary shots of mammals, reptiles, and birds. However, my right brain is always looking for shapes, colors, form, texture and mood. All I have to do is find the right combination of factors. One of those factors is lighting--quality, angle, color.

Patience is extremely important in photography, but it escalates to the next level at zoos. There a lot of people to work around, most with loud children. I'm not complaining--it's fun watching kids having fun.Then there are the the animals themselves. I can stand there for fifteen or twenty minutes and the bear does nothing. I work on my patience because those extra ten or twenty minutes could bring some great surprises. I (patiently) wait for the animals or birds to do something interesting, funny, or cute. While I'm waiting, I decide on the best Compositions and take test shots, checking my Depth of field, and the best Exposure. If my patience runs out, I go shoot somewhere else and come back later and try again. More often than not, patience pays off.

With that introduction and baseline, let me walk you through some zoo images.

I'll start with this one. Although this theme is common when it comes to zoo photography, it is still artistic and colorful. Again, patience was required. I had to keep my distance, zoom in to get a tight shot, and just wait until he faced me. Click.

                                                         

  (300mm; f/8; 1/500; -1 1/3; ISO 640)

After I got the more common shot, I waited and watched him closely, waiting for a less common perspective. I usually have my camera on the tripod with head loose so I can pan, always with my eye to the camera, knowing where my settings needs to be, and just wait for that split second to go "click."

(300mm; f/18; 1/125; -1 1/3; ISO 500)

I like flamingos, and have a lot of images of them in various settings--large groups, reflections, wings open, long necks in the water, etc. However, what really excites me is when I can just pull out their color, shapes, forms, and texture.

 

(300mm; f/10; 1/500; -1 2/3; ISO 200) 

I like to photograph those big, muscular silver backs. They know they're respected and like to show that off for us. I have several images I like, but I thought I'd share this in-your-face rendition. You're probably thinking, "Is he nuts?" Actually, there was a thick plexiglass window for us to watch him. All of a sudden he leaned against the window and I said, thank you!

With a subject this dark, I need to underexpose the shot, otherwise it will come out over-exposed. The built-in light meter sees all that dark area and thinks it needs to lighten the scene--and I don't want a washed out gorilla! I had my camera on the tripod to prevent against any hand motion.

(200mm; f/8; 1/25; - 1 1/3; ISO 500)

Okay, I know most of us don't like snakes. I don't either, unless they're safely behind glass! When I saw this green and yellow snake (sorry zoo keepers, I don't know it's zoological name), I saw color and shapes. Although I have a really tight (close-up) shot of it, I like this one. Instead of focusing on the characteristics of the snake itself, this composition gave me a sense of environment. I underexposed the image to make the bright snake "pop." 

(60mm; f/4.5; 1/10; -1; ISO 200)

Giraffes--incredible animals to watch. Does luck sometimes play a role in photography? Some say no; I say yes. All the planning in the world could not have predicted this scenario. This poppa, momma, and their youngster came together and posed for me. Oh lucky me! Click.

  (90mm; f/4; 1/2500; -1; ISO 200)

This black bear kept staring at me. After a few minutes of back and forth pacing, he moved a little closer and just propped himself down in a yoga style position. He looked like he was praying for me to go away and leave him alone. 

Okay, a little technical information is needed here. The black gorilla was shot at -1 1/3. This bear, also black, was shot at only a -2/3. Why the difference? Answer: The black gorilla filled the frame.It would have fooled the light meter to think that it needed to lighten the scene a lot. The black bear scene, on the other hand, had roughly 1/3 of the scene in light grays. The built-in light meter would not have over-exposed this scene as much as the gorilla.

So, less black (or darks) in the scene= less underexposure required.    

 (220mm; f/7.1; 1/60; - 2/3; ISO 200)

Hippos are big animals with interesting blimp-like shapes. There are so many ways to photograph them--sleeping, jaws open, getting ready for a dip, and so on. I have all those shots in my collection. Today, I want to share a less common image. I spent several minutes observing this hippo. After several minutes of getting some good shots, he eventually disappeared into his zoo lake. I knew he had to come up for air, so I prepared for that possibility. Patience. After a couple of minutes he did come up for air--right in front of me! 

  (112mm; f/6.3; 1/250; - 2/3; ISO 320)

As you might have noticed, you don't see the entire animal in most of the images I have shared. Because we are programmed to "take pictures," we tend to try to photograph the entire animal at a zoo. Yes, I do that too if I want to document it, but the most interesting and dynamic images are those that concentrate on the animal's, or bird's, characteristics--color, shape, texture, form, mood.

This next image is definitely filled with color, shape, texture, and form. I looked for the composition that emphasized the chameleon's unique ability to camouflage itself against its environment. Don't you wish you could just disappear into the walls when you're at a miserable  but obligatory party or meeting? I see you shaking your head!

  

  (200mm; f/8; 1/20; - 1/3; ISO 800)

I will end my tip of the month with this cute image.It was autumn at the Denver, Colorado zoo, and I took advantage of that. Everywhere I aimed my camera, I looked for autumn colors to serve as complementary backdrops. Such was the case when I came upon these extremely active and colorful birds. A common impulse when photographing subjects like this is to get the entire depth of the scene as sharp as possible. Not me. I want my subjects to "pop"--to stand out. That is why I did not use a high number/small aperture for this image. I use my f/stops to convert backgrounds to backdrops.

Again, patience is required to wait until something happens. This image always brings a smile to my face. Regardless of what they are doing from a zoological perspective, they look like "love birds."   

  (280mm; f/10; 1/320; -0-; ISO 800)

I have given you several different scenarios from which to learn. Let me finish by sharing a few left-brain tidbits. I decide on left brain factors after I have decided what right brain, or artistic, results I want. My right brain goals determine my choice of left brain factors--lens focal length, f/stop, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, WB. The right brain needs to know what the left brain can do; the left brain needs to listen and obey the right brain. Does that make sense? If not, please e-mail me, sign up for one of my classes or workshops, or read RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY (Be an artist first). Contact me.

So, as soon as the weather warms up in your hometown, head for the zoo!!

  

SILHOUETTES

I have always enjoyed silhouettes in photography. The greatest challenge is knowing how to spell the word!!

Composition is the first key component for good silhouettes, as with any photograph. In addition to composition, there are three ingredients for successful silhouettes.

1) The subject--it has to describe itself, even with missing details.

2) Lighting--It has to be dynamic, to compensate for the lack of details throughout the 

    image. I prefer early morning or late afternoon/evening.

3) Exposure--usually, depending on the time of day and where I aim my camera, the built-in 

    light meter usually gives me what I want. I take advantage of what it was designed to do. 

    However, there are times when I need to tell it what I want it to do, usually underexposing 

    the scene from a -1 to a -2, or more!

With that short introduction, let me now share some examples. 

I'll start with the great American Indian Exposition held every August in Anadarko, Oklahoma. I've always had a lot of fun at that event. One particular year, I photographed several colorful tepees during the day. Applying the concept of un-labeling, which I talk about in my new book RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY, I noticed the shapes and designs of the tepees and thought they might look good at sunset.

   

I was at the east Texas lake of Lake O' The Pines. I went there right before sunset, hoping to see a good subject to photograph at sunset. I had nothing in mind. I went there with an open mind and ready for anything. Lucky me. 

This guy was not going to stop fishing until there was no daylight left.After he was done and the sun had gone completely behind the horizon, he drove his pick-up truck up to where I was and asked me, "Did you get some good pictures?"

I got up extremely early one morning and headed down two-lane county roads, surrounded by farms and ranches southeast of the big city of Dallas, Texas. I love the photographic surprises I often get at that time of day. This particular morning, I stopped to check out an old barn. As I walked toward the barn, I saw another surprise! It wasn't the kind of subject I like in real life, but, photographically, I liked all the shapes, designs, geometry and play on light. I got as close as I comfortably wanted to on the spider and chose a very shallow depth of field, like maybe f/4, which turned the background into a world of surrealism.   

In many respects, Dallas and Fort Worth, though hardly distinguishable nowadays as two separate cities, are miles apart. One early morning, I walked along a dry river bed, hoping to get a good early morning glimpse of the Fort Worth skyline. I turned back to see if there was anything behind me that might be interesting. This turned out to be my "keeper" for the day!

I knew that by aiming my camera toward the sun, the trees would lose all detail. I used an FLD filter and overexposed slightly to keep the scene from going too dark. 

Okay, so we're still in Fort Worth, Texas. For weeks, I saw a freeway expansion project underway. The more I looked at it, I started seeing it through my imagination, and not just what my eyes could see. My imagination saw early morning vibrant colors, silhouettes, shapes, form, etc. With that in my mind, I got up early one morning to replicate what my imagination saw. All the elements came together for me that morning. All I had to do was wait until the workers arrived. They climbed up the scaffolding, then started walking on top of all the construction. When one of the guys got down to inspect something, "click." 

I was at this river, which separates Texas and Oklahoma, just before sunrise. Before the sun broke the horizon, I saw this scene unfolding. I had to work fast to get what I wanted, before the sun came up. I underexposed the scene. As a result, the remains of an old fishing pier created a surreal yet spiritual feel. The reflection of one particular piece of the fishing pier skeleton looks like a cross in the water, surrounded by other mysterious floating shapes.

If you haven't already done silhouettes, I hope I have given you enough examples for you to get an idea of the variations you can create. If you don't like getting up early in the morning, then go out right before sunset, at sunset, and just after sunset. Scout around your area during the day and ask yourself, "Hmmm? I wonder what that might look like at sunset?"

Have fun with it! Contact me if you would like a 1-on-1 or small group lesson some early morning.....or late evening.     

    

      

ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS

My tip for this month has to do with what you do, or can do, with environmental portraits without the use of off-camera flash, umbrellas, and reflectors. Obviously, there are times when you need to use those portraiture tools. I'm not saying don't use them; I'm just saying that you can also do a good job without them.

It begins with my choice of setting. I like to photograph people in the outdoors, thus the term "environmental portraits." Since I don't have the degree of controls that are more readily available in a studio setting, I set strict requirements for myself. 

The most important requirement is lighting. If I am going to do a photo session, I will choose either an overcast day, if possible, or do the session in late afternoon when the natural lighting is less harsh and doesn't create unwanted shadows on faces, chins, necks, etc. Additionally, colors "pop" under those conditions, while keeping flesh tones acceptably natural. Getting correct exposures is virtually effortless!

I also like to vary my model's poses. I don't want them all to look, well, posed in the traditional, "Look at the camera and say cheese." Related to this, I don't like for my models to look overly staged. I want them to look like themselves, comfortable, casual, relaxed. I let them decide what they want to wear. The end result should be about them, not about how well I can photograph them--although that is my job. I want it to be about them. 

Composition also becomes a key consideration for me. Yes, I will get those subject-in-center shots, but, again, I like to vary my shots and sometimes include the model as part of the environment he/she is in.  

Now, how about the left brain technical stuff? First, I don't want to do a lot of color retouching on possibly 30-50 images of the same person! This is one reason I prefer to shoot in TIFF mode. I don't follow the on-line pros & cons; I follow the end results. F/stops are important too. I don't ask which f/stop I should use; I ask, "What do I want it to look like?" I always let my purpose, goal, and intent to determine my f/stop. The shutter speed's primary role is to minimize hand movement when shooting without a tripod. In most cases, the model will not be moving, but my hand might. So I need to keep my eye on that shutter speed. My "rule of thumb," to minimize hand movement is: My shutter speed should be equal to or greater than the focal length I have my lens set on. For example, with a focal length of 70mm, my shutter speed should be close to 70, preferably faster. A VR lens  (Vibration Reduction) can also help in those situations.

Exposure. Ah yes, exposure. If my composition is good, my depth of field is good, but my exposure is off, it's going to be a bad shot! I want good color, lighting, and tones throughout the image, without it looking flat. That is why I prefer to shoot under overcast skies--they serve as a natural giant diffuser and reflector. The quality of my images is such that it requires minimal fine tuning in my photo editing software, mostly light touches like some vibrance, burning, minimizing hot spots, and a little dodging on the eyes in some images to bring out more "whiteness," without overdoing it. 

I like to use my 24mm-70mm lens for those full-body, half-body, and close-ups. That range gives me that.       

So, now that I have explained what I do and why I do it this way, let's see some examples.  A couple of weeks ago a local high school senior asked me to take her senior pictures. Her name is Rebekah, and she gave me permission to showcase her. The first thing I told Rebekah was that I wanted to photograph her "out and about," on either an overcast day or late in the afternoon.

I chose an upcoming Saturday. I told her we would meet at a designated location around 3:30 pm, If it was overcast, we could meet anytime. As it turned out, when I got up that morning, it was obviously heavily overcast. I quickly contacted Rebekah and asked her if we could meet earlier. She agreed and we met at 11:00, yes, midday--horror of all horrors. Who wants to photograph people in the middle of the day, right? It's a photographic no-no to do so, unless.....it's an overcast day. 

Let's look at just a few of the 30+ images I created that day with the help of Rebekah. By the way, when she saw the results, she used the word "amazing." If the customer is happy, you've done your job! 

Let's start with a typical full-body posed image. The original old metal gate near the historic Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas was a nice setting for this shot. The background, slightly blurred with an f/2.8, served as a good backdrop. Since all my focusing was going to be on Rebekah, I set my camera on Auto Focus for the entire session, to allow me to quickly assess my compositions and backgrounds without having to worry about focusing. 

                    

Before we started the photo session, I told Rebekah that I might use some backgrounds, but that I wanted her to be the main focus. She wanted some photos around this next area, near a gazebo where her parents got married! The gazebo overlooks the Crescent Hotel.

In this case, since it was a special spot for her, I introduced the hotel as a backdrop, blurred in the background with an f/5.6. Compared to the previous image, I was close enough to her, and the background was so far away from her, I knew that f/5.6 would work.  

                          

For this shot, I wanted to engulf Rebekah with these deep red colors. We were actually walking from one location to another when I spotted this background. The background was closer to her than the background in the image above, so I used an f/4, which softly blurred the late fall red leaves on the tree. If I had used f/11-f/16, the leaves would have "competed" with Rebekah for attention. The blurred background also gives the image a more three dimensional feel.

With careful and intentional usage of f/stops, we can convert backgrounds into backdrops. 

I added a vignette to this next image after the fact. The vignette increased the attention on Rebekah. If this had been a bright sunny day, this shot would have been extremely difficult to pull off. There would have been a lot of bright, burned-out sky in the background. 

When I do this to an image, I make sure the client also gets the original. I want them to decide which one they like best. The vignette becomes, not the final image, but an option.  

After I had spent a good 30-45 minutes with Rebekah and felt like she was getting a little more comfortable with me aiming my camera at her, I decided it was okay to try a little fun.

Before this shot, I asked, "OK. Now let's celebrate. What can we do to celebrate?" She took it from there, let her guard down and just started being herself. Click! I loved her spontaneity--I hardly finished my sentence before she started celebrating!

   

This was another one of her spontaneous celebratory poses. It was fun to see her loosen up and just be herself. They turned out to be some of the best shots. 

Notice the blurred background? F/2.8. 

Now, this might surprise you, but of all 30+ images I created that day, this final example is my favorite. Everything came together for this shot. The bridge served as a perfect "stage" for her. She looked so relaxed when she stood like that. The overall surroundings, perfectly exposed because of the overcast day, gave the "environmental" to an environmental portrait, not to mention the great late autumn colors throughout. It looks like a movie set.

I did not want a blurred background like in some of my other images, so for this one,

with my lens set at around 24mm, and with me several feet away, an f/6.3 did the trick. 

Did you catch those left-brain variables? 1) 24mm (more inherent depth of field),                

2) The distance of the subject from me to my subject--several feet).          

So now you know. First and foremost, pick an overcast day or shoot in late afternoon for those great effortless exposures. Vary your compositions and formats (landscape & portrait modes; verticals and horizontals). Small/wide f/stops like f/2.8-f/5.6 to convert backgrounds into backdrops. And, just be yourself. Don't be so much into yourself as a photographer. The more comfortable the rapport is between you and your subject/model, the better photos you will be able to get. Have fun!   

SEE WITH YOUR IMAGINATION
(Not your eyes)

I talk about this in my new book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY. It is one of the hardest concepts for many photographers to grasp. There are several reasons as to why that is, but I won't get into that in this post. I will, however, talk about what that means to me and how I apply it to my photography.

I recently had a 4-hour 1-on-1 photo lesson in The Ozarks near Eureka Springs. My student was one of my most devout students from Colorado. I will use our 4-hour photo shoot as my tip this month. 

Selma and I spent our time around Lake Leatherwood, a city lake near downtown Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and nearby Blue Spring Heritage Center.

We did not have much to play with that day. The autumn colors were not to be, it was a warm bright sunny day, and just not much that jumped out at us. Herein is my tip for this month: 1) We should not limit ourselves to photographing only that which hits us between the eyes; 2) We should see with our imaginations, not our eyes. If we only see with our eyes, we will often be disappointed with what we see.

My three years as an art major taught me to create something that wasn't there. I apply that same concept to my photography, but in a different way, since I'm working with a different medium. I ask myself, not how can I photograph what my eyes see in the best way possible, but also, what can I make that look like, other than what I see with my eyes. When I "see" that in my imagination, my right brain shakes hands with my left brain and says, "I've got an idea, and this is what I need from you."

I kept telling Selma, "See with your imagination," as I pointed out certain photo opps to her. As a result, we were able to see what we didn't see. 

I'll start with a couple of images I created while walking around Lake Leatherwood. As we stood on top of the old CCC stone dam, I pointed out some reflections in the water to Selma. I told her I was going to focus on the reflections, with just a sliver of land, but I was going to show it "upside down," with the blue sky reflections as the top of the image. Here is the result of that imagination. 

If you look closely, there are two abstract water horses, and even a strange brown-looking face in the lower middle part of the image. From a left brain perspective, I underexposed the scene by a -1 2/3 to bring out the colors, which also gave me a faster shutter speed (1/640), to freeze the rippling in the water. A unique abstract just waiting for me to "see" it. 

      

I underexposed this scene also by -1 2/3, again, to bring out the colors in the leaves.

The water was reflecting the dark autumn-brown leaves from above, therefore making the scene dark, except for the bright green and yellow leaves. By underexposing, it keeps the darks dark, while accentuating the variance between darks and lights,

Can you see the strange face above the yellow leaf?   

Now we move on to the Blue Spring Heritage Center. We came upon this scene and I told Selma that I thought this would make a good double exposure. She asked, "What is it about any scene that makes you think it would be a good double exposure?" Good question. My answer was this: It has all the elements of a good painting--the trees on the left facing in, the gazebo, the trees on the right facing in, the reflections. You almost see a complete circle, if you follow the direction of the trees, and the reflection.

I spend an entire chapter in my book on composition. This scene, without much effort on my part, had several elements of good composition.

  

Let me pause here to remind us of one fact we can easily forget. Without getting too technical about it, our eyes have the incredible ability to adjust quickly between detecting detail in very dark areas and very bright areas in any scene. In fact, they do such a good job that high-contrast scenes can often look "flat," not appearing to have much contrast at all. It has to do with the eyes' rods and cones. We can look at the darkest part of a scene and our eyes quickly adjust to that; we can then look at the lightest part of that same scene and our eyes quickly adjust to that too. Our camera sensors, and film, do not have that talent--and I take advantage of that.

The above fact can fool us, which can lead us to move on, as we look for something more interesting. However, I have trained my mind (my imagination) to see what my eyes might have missed. If I see part of a scene that is receiving light and another part that isn't, I stop and let my imagination take over. What can I make this look like?

When I saw these flowers being hit by sunlight, against dark foliage in the background, I knew I could create something my eyes didn't see. The scene actually looked rather flat to my eyes, not much contrast. What I do with a scene like this is either use spot metering (meter on the brightest part of the flower, in this case), or do some extreme underexposure. I went with the latter on this one, which, in essence, can achieve the same results as spot metering, but it's quicker. I underexposed this scene by a - 2 2\3 stops to get this effect. Yes 2 and 2/3 stops--almost 300% less light than the built-in light meter thought I needed for a "correct" exposure. 

Selma kept saying throughout the day that she felt very uncomfortable going down that far on the underexposure. I kept reminding her why I ignore my histogram, and that there is no such thing as a "correct" exposure; there is only the right exposure, and we define that.

(250mm; f/9)

More reflections. We came upon a section of water at Blue Spring Heritage Center. As I had done all day, I pointed to a certain part of the water and told Selma I was going to use the floating moss and other natural elements in the water as the "top" of those trees. This is what we saw. 

I told Selma that I was going to show the image "upside down." The result was impressionism through photography. I wasn't looking at what was there; I was looking at what I could create from what I saw with my eyes. 

At the end of the lesson, Selma shared her "take-aways" from the day. She clearly understood that it isn't always what we see, but also what we don't see, that might make for an interesting image. In fact, she created some great images of her own that day. 

So, as hard it might be for you, deprogram your mind. Stop "taking pictures" the way we were taught since we were two years old. Instead, create images using your imagination. Start seeing what you don't see.

Contact me if you would like a 1-on-1 or small group lesson. Selma is one of my best testimonials.