This afternoon I went on bracing walk with the family, with
cliff top views to the see on our left and folded fields on our right. With low
grey clouds, spits of rain and a fairly strong wind picture taken was always
going to be difficult. But low light, difficult footings and difficult weather
are nothing in comparison with the reluctance of family and companions to pause
for just a minute to allow you a minute or two to make a picture. Usually it’s
a cry of ‘come on, hurry up’ or ‘don’t hold everyone up!’ And if you do manage
to persevere with taking the picture, there’s that famous challenge ‘what on earth
are you taking a picture of?’ and ‘that will be a rubbish picture’.
Yes,
usually it is. Because you need time to think, time to really look, time to
compose, time to set the zone of focus, time to include and exclude all the
elements that add or detract from the final image. You need time to explore,
take a frame, take a better one, take a chance, try something different, time
to get ‘in the zone’ as they say.
The picture below was taken last spring when out for a short
walk, one by myself. Although I knew I had to get home fairly soon, I allowed
myself a little time to stop and look at a relatively new gatepost. The sun was
just grazing across the surface of the grain of the wood on the sloping surface
at the top of the post. It reminded me of the ploughed fields that I had seen
earlier in the walk. By moving in very close I could make this illusion work;
the distant trees appearing as though they were at the top of this imagined
field. All that was really needed was just a little time to look, and some time
to think.
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| Imagined Field 2011 |
4 comments:
Repeat of earlier, mysteriously-vanished comment:
I like this picture a lot, and think the "depth of field creates witty juxtapositions" concept to be worth exploring -- have you considered using a pinhole?
You can get a micro 4/4 "body cap" pinhole here:
http://wanderlustcameras.com/products/pinwide.html
I have one, but have never got around to using it.
Mike
Hi Mike,
No, I'm not deleting comments unless by mistake!
In most cases, I find I can usually get sufficient depth of field from the LX3, but I hadn't considered using pinhole on the G3. Mmmm, I wonder if I will yield to the temptation before the week is out? Paul Mitchell of Arena has some moody pinhole pictures shot on a wooden film camera - see http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2140217 for examples of his work.
Only trouble is I would have to start lugging a tripod around, something that I try to avoid at all costs. What to do?
Yours,
Graham
The PinWide is a lovely thing, and comes in its own dinky little tin -- worth getting for the "pleasure of ownership" alone... I'd propose a GorillaPod as an alternative to a tripod. I keep meaning to "borrow" my daughter's.
Mike
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