In my type of wandering photography, I have a general rule that I follow: Find the beauty in what already exists in the place. I look for scenes that are there, capturing them as they are presented to me. I see my job as the photographer as capturing the beauty without interference. My challenge is to frame the image so that you can see it too, without being distracted by whatever else may be going on around.
I wandered by this lovely display of flowers on Saturday in Hood River, Oregon. Tucked back behind a table along the sidewalk, the texture of this pot, the pop of color and the interesting contrast of the sea shells and succulent plants caught my eye. Much to my son’s chagrin (Mom, can we go yet?), I studied it for a while with my camera trying to find the best way to capture it. This early image is one of my favorites.
After playing with it for a while from different angles, I did something I normally don’t do… I actually moved the pot slightly. I straightened it up and moved it back so I could get the purple flower along the blue of the wood. You know what? In viewing my images, the ones where the pot had been straightened fall flat. They’ve lost their “found” charm. Their authenticity.
Maybe it is just me, but I find that this is one of my values in photography and in life: Authenticity. I have had strong negative reactions in the past to images that I find inauthentic. Particularly fashion photography, where reality is not the goal. For each artist, there is a different view and a different goal. Each artist brings different values to what they create. My reactions are not saying any type of photography is “bad,” but they help me to zero in on what I value.
I like to find the beauty in reality, with all of its imperfections. The beauty that exists in the everyday, tucked along the sidewalks of the towns we live in. The beauty that exists in the hearts of each and every one of us imperfect beings. It doesn’t matter if we don’t live up to our culture’s narrow definition of beauty, as prescribed by the mass media. It only matters that we are ourselves, and that we are sharing ourselves authentically.
Oh, look, I’ve found myself hidden amongst my photography again. Funny how that always takes me by surprise.
I am musing on macro over at Mortal Muses today, and thought I would share a bit here about how I “fake” macro. I don’t have a macro lens to speak of, so I used my 50mm lens for these shots. The light was low, so to get the focus on the detail I needed to set up on a tripod, something I rarely do. At an aperture of f/4, exposures were 1/3s to 1/4s. For the shot below, shared on Mortal Muses, I got as close in as I could with the 50mm lens, which has a minimum focal distance of 1.5 ft (0.45m).
In post-processing, I had to crop in further to get the view above. It was a vertical image that I cropped horizontal, and about 50% of the original image is gone to zoom in further. (I’m having some computer problems at the moment, or I’d share the original image too!) Converting to black and white helped to make the image a bit more mysterious, and keep the focus on the light/dark contrast and the lines, which is what caught my eye to begin with.
What am I photographing here, you might ask? A decoration in my bedroom, next to the window. I was wandering about my house, looking for something that would be interesting as “macro.” Who knew such interesting light and lines were lurking there, just waiting for my camera.
The seasons are changing, can you feel it? We have a crispness in the air some mornings. The apples are arriving at the market. The leaves are still on the trees and the days feel like summer, but change is in the air. I can feel it.
Change is coming to this space too. I have a new website under development at the moment. Yay! I love this blogger space so much, it’s been the site of my journey, but it’s become too small for what I want to do. I realized a few months ago that I had no room to grow. Things have been getting crowded around here. As I added the Liberate Your Art postcard swap and Find Your Eye classes, I’ve maxed out the available space.
So in a short period of time, I’ll be packing up the virtual boxes and moving to a new space where The Kat Eye View of the World and Kat Eye Studio will both reside. It is interesting how my virtual life is mirroring my physical life, with a big move. Just as it was time to move home from Italy, it’s time to move from here. I can feel it. At least with this move, I won’t have a garage full of stuff to deal with!
It is exciting to see my new site develop. It’s seeing a vision coming to life. There will be space, and room to grow. Lots of light and color and beautiful images. I can’t wait to share it with you!
“Photography has become my art form. No longer do I just shoot lots of images at events or family gatherings just because I own a camera. The “why” of taking photos is changed. I do this for me.”
— Deborah T. Read more about Deborah’s experience in her full post here.
“I’ve learned about my own photography. Through these classes I’ve been able to identify which elements of photography appeal to me. For instance, the shapes and forms of nature intrigue me. I also look for fascinating small details. As a result of the eye exercises in the class I’ve realized how important it is to look for and use light in my photographs. I’ve learned not to be controlled by rules and by other photographer’s opinions and photographs. I’ve learned to follow my instincts and my heart.”
— Cathy H. Read more about Cathy’s experience in her full post here.
“A loner by nature, the greatest gift of our time together was my connection with my fellow travelers. They constantly challenged me; supported me; commiserated with my frustrations; celebrated my triumphs and “ah-ha” moments. They shared their wisdom, their questions, their yearnings. I learned from their struggles, their insights, their truths. Together we dug deep; we had breakthroughs and realizations. We made each other smile. And think.”
— Brenda. Read more about Brenda’s experience in her full post here.
“I’m feeling more confident in my photography! Confident to continue to take photos that I’m familiar with… more willing to have a go at shots of things that I find harder (and even consider a bit of editing)… and being more confident to share myself through my photos… Basically, I’m inspired to keep on taking photos!”
— Leanne. Read more about Leanne’s experience in her full post here.
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