2019 Memories

It's hard to believe 2019 is ending and a new decade will be starting in less than a week. As I look back on this year, I marvel at everything that has happened. I started the year sharing a small cabin with family and friends in a remote corner of Washington State. Through this year I was able to share with 3 different groups my future books (no they are not done yet, but getting closer) and inspired a few to head out to explore on their own. I even submitted the book proposal to a publisher - fingers crossed. I was asked to present a talk at a local photo conference about personal projects and I think I found my signature talk - if I ever get invited to speak again. Mid-year I started vlogging and have learned so much about video recording and editing and even about accepting myself. I have even started working on a better business plan to coach photography and public speaking for photographers. Adventures have been amazing with 2 backpacking trips in the Olympic rainforest, several day hikes and road trips and finally a grand adventure in the Canadian Rockies. This has been a very good year and trying to choose my favorite images has been extremely difficult. Can't say these are my absolute faves from the year, but they help make the year memorable.

This first one may seem a bit odd for a landscape photographer - a city scape of pigeons flying into the air. But I love street photography as a way to challenge myself - to look at the cityscapes and find the beauty there in the buildings and the people. Our everyday interactions with our environment may seem mundane and boring, but really, are they. Stop and look around you to find the patterns in the construction, the nature finding a way to thrive, the humanness of an interaction. I was in Denver in February for a work conference. My last morning there, I decided that instead of meeting my coworkers for breakfast I'd walk around downtown with my camera. It had been 20 years since I left Denver and enjoyed walking along on streets familiar yet strange. This empty lot had a flock of pigeons pecking through the snow for treats and I accidently disturbed them. Not quite ready, I still managed to grab a couple of images of the birds lit from above and below.

It's all about the viewpoint. While camping at Mt Rainier National Park this past summer, I decided to take an evening hike to a waterfall close to camp. I had been there several times before and wasn't sure if I'd be able to create anything. By the time I got to the falls, it was just too dark to really look for a composition. Luckily I had spotted this little trailside waterfall on my way. There was something about the how it fell through the mossy rocks down the hill that said I needed to take my time with the composition to show the drama of this little falls dwarfed as it was in the expanse of the forest. This perspective of looking straight down helps create that drama.

One thing is true about the temperate rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula, life grows where ever it can. On one of my backpacking trips to the rain forest this past spring, I saw this little batch of Bunchberry Dogwood growing in a crevice of this Sitka Spruce - at eye level. Of course I had to photograph it. It is the essence of the story of the Olympic rainforest - that life will find a way to take root and thrive. I love the simplicity and resilience of the little woodland ground cover. The bright white flowers sparkle as 4-petal gems along the forest floor beneath grand stately trees - or, in this case, on the trees. The leaves have beautiful lines that turn gold then red in the autumn. The flowers give way to 3-berry bunches bright red berries. This little plant was growing perfectly placed to offer a cheery hello as we hiked by.

Envy is a powerful emotion. So reviled, it is listed as one of the 7 deadly sins in the bible. But there are 2 sides to envy. The first is the one listed in the bible. The one that eats at you and makes you angry and hurtful. The second makes you strive for better in yourself. This is an image that reflects both of those sides for me. I used to not want to watch YouTube videos of other photographers or read their personal blogs because I was envious of their journeys - both in the world and photography. I wanted what they had and it made me bitter and angry. I always felt as if I was trying to play catch-up with what everyone else was doing. I grew resentful when I saw other photographers capture the images I wanted especially if they had the free time to chase the image - I was stuck at work. Then I found a couple of photographers on YouTube that made me smile and want to do better. Listening to them helped me listen to myself. It helped to remind me that I have my own vision. This image is a result of listening to them and listening to myself, of taking a chance, of not always needing to pursue that big vista wow-factor. A reminder to be me. Thank you YouTube dudes and dudettes.

This is another reminder to be me - although this image is an accident. I have been trying for years to capture the iconic image of Cape Disappointment lighthouse with waves crashing high on the cliffs below. They are amazing images and honestly, I wanted to play with the big boys. I wanted to prove that I too had the ability to capture those images. So I traveled to Cape Disappointment for Christmas because the tides were going to be pretty high and there was a possibility of the crashing waves. But I felt like a hypocrite. I advocate for the smaller places on the planet - that they are photographic destinations no matter how small and that non-iconic images should be created in those places and the larger places. Yet here I was chasing an iconic image. I got the image. Then this happened - while using auto-focus, I focused on the lighthouse which is about a half mile away with a large splashing rock between me & the cliff. Between me and the water was about 20 feet of piled driftwood that waves crashed on. Just as I released the shutter for the wave in back, a wave crashed on the pile of driftwood and magic happened. Funny how magic happens when I go on a photo trip for Christmas.

Don't forget to look at the details. It was still early in the summer as I walked through Billy Frank Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Being summer and the world around me filled with rich tones of green the red of these leave drew my attention away from the mossy greens nearby. I was composing an image when the corner of my eye saw something else that seemed out of place - this little green tree frog. "Why yes, of course I will make your portrait little frog."

I had traveled down to the Lewis River in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest for a hike with friends. I was there early having driven down the night before and decided to explore the Lower Lewis River Falls. The light was with low clouds obscuring the sky and created a few images that I was happy with before going back to the car to wait for my friends. Once they got there, we headed back down to the falls before starting on our hike. Just as we were about to leave the clouds broke apart and the sun streamed through through the trees to highlight the falls and one little tree. Drama unfolded before my camera lens and it stays as a reminder of a wonderful day hiking with friends.

This is the first image on my list from my trip to the Canadian Rockies. I went with a group of other photographers for 10 days of exploring and photographing an area I often visited as a child with my family. Our last night in the area, a couple of us went back to a reliable location just outside of Banff township - Vermillion Lakes with an amazing view of Mount Rundle. As I sorted through the thousands of images I came home with, I couldn't stop looking at this image. It's a simple image but everything came together so well in it. The mirrored shapes between the grass in the foreground, water in the midground, and Mount Rundle create balance and symmetry. Then there is the drama between the light, golden clouds on the left and the dark, dramatic clouds on the right. This brings all the joy of the trip back to mind for me.

Another image from my trip to the Canadian Rockies - this time from Jasper National Park. My dad loved Jasper. So much that he often talked about moving here and never coming back. He never did, but our family spent many a vacation here watching bears, photographing mountains, and drinking out of clear streams. On these trips, mom would have one request - to be dropped off at the side of a lake to fish the day away. Dad would leave her on the side of the lake with her rod and a cooler filled with soda and take us girls for a hike.This was one of mom's favorite lakes as they shared the same name - Patricia. We got to the lake late in the day with not much time to explore and as the light began to fade we stumbled across this little scene. For me, it's the perfect way to commemorate my mother's love of fishing on this lake.

Like street photography, dance photography helps to push my boundaries and lets me explore a photography style I normally wouldn't pursue. I discovered an excitement within myself as I began to capture images of dancers gracefully showing their talents. This warm spring day a small group of dancers gathered for a larger group of photographers at Seattle's Gas Works Park for an afternoon of dancing, posing, and friendship. This image stuck out for me since I was able to capture the dancer in mid-leap with Seattle in the background and the effortless look on his face - as if this is just they way he moves through the world.

Another image from the Canadian Rockies (there were so many happy images from that trip). This is one of those images that came together perfectly. I convinced my friend to pull into this rest area/boat launch for the Athabasca River just south of Jasper township because I saw a bull elk in the woods. As people started gathering around the herd of cows close to the river, I thought I should give the herd some space and walked down the river bank a bit. I began photographing the cows as they contemplated swimming the river. Then the bull walked out of the woods onto that little spit of land to watch over them. It was the perfect moment with the herd framing the bull. A few minutes later, the herd began swimming across the river followed by the bull and the moment was over.

The last image in this list is one that is truly special for me. My mother loved owls. Every time I see one, I am reminded of her and feel her close to me. I meandered through the forest at Birch Bay State Park photographing another love of hers - wildflowers on the forest floor. I paused a moment and looked up to see this little Barred Owl watching my progress along the trail. It sat still for a few moments before silently flying to another tree. There was beauty in that moment - a connection between myself, nature, and a memory of love. And a perfect image to say farewell to this fantastic year and welcome the next adventurous year. 

May your new year be filled with adventure, beauty, and self-discovery.

Storytelling and Composition

Pull up a photographer’s YouTube video on composition or read one of a myriad of composition articles and you will be told that a good photograph tells a story. They each give you advice on how to compose your image to tell that story. What is the story you’re trying to tell? Tell the story. Tell your story. Tell a story.

They are not wrong.

But I want to flip this narrative a bit. How about we look at this from another direction. Not from looking at story through photography but looking at photographic composition through story design.

We’re going to be talking theory here to help you frame this concept better. If you want to understand mechanics better, I’ve written a 3-part series on some of the more helpful “rules.” (part 1, part 2, part 3) You might even want to check out part 4 about listening to the scene and telling its story.

You might also want to grab a cup of coffee.

For a brief review, what is composition? It is the structure within your photograph that helps tell a story. It is the order we align the elements in our image to help the viewer comfortably work their way through the image. In writing, we put our stories into structures to create a picture. Our story structures can be immense such as a novel, condensed as in short stories, or concise as in flash fiction.

Let’s look at these more closely and how these structures relate to photography.

The Novel and The Grand Landscape

A novel is a story that is long and complex. Often with several characters and subplots within the main structure of the story. Within the pages of the novel, the characters are developed and have story arcs, we get to know them as friends - celebrate when their lives are going well and cry when they die. The plot and subplots move the reader forward through to the end – we read into the dark hours of morning unable to put the book away, needing to know what happens on the next page. A well-written novel will have layers of meaning that ensnare the reader who days later will be examining the world through the view of the author no matter how distorted or perfect that view is. We yearn for the characters to come to life so we can spend more time with them.

How does this relate to a photograph? Think of your grand landscapes – those landscapes where you are standing at a vista and looking at the world as it unfolds before you. You’re at the edge of a canyon, layers of earth worn away by the river shimmering in the depths of shadow. Or maybe your view is from a cliff overlooking the ocean, waves upon waves undulating to the horizon. Or you come through a thick forest to a precipice and you see before you repeating layers of mountain ridges and peaks leading off to a massive volcano in the distance. What initially draws your eye becomes the main character which then becomes the focal point of your image. The other elements of the image become subplots and minor characters to move the reader through the main plot. Each a layer that enraptures your viewer leads them through the image to become as enthralled with the view as you were. They find it difficult to tear themselves away.

In the photo above, I stood on the side of the road through an area of Eastern Washington on hills high above the Snake River. I could see the hills on the other side of the north end of Hell’s Canyon. This is farming country. This is lonely country. Every time I drive this stretch of road, this barn whispers to me. On this early summer day, it yelled with joy. The barn is clearly the subject of the image – the protagonist of the story. The sky, the sun beams, the hills, the wheat field, the lines of trees in the distance, the hues of light and dark in the clouds, the splashes of sunlight on the hillside. All of these are added elements to help tell the grand tale of this lonely barn on this stormy day. Cropping out these elements and only featuring the barn wouldn’t help tell the story that needed to be told.

The Short Story and The Intimate Landscape

A short story is a fully developed story similar to a novel but much shorter, as the name implies. You will likely only find one primary character and few other characters. The characters, since they don’t have the benefit of many pages for development, become well-known acquaintances – someone you’d meet for coffee a couple of times a year to catch up. Generally, you will read only one plot as the limit on exposition restricts what the author will be able to explore. They are examining the main character in a short timeframe in a limited setting. The subplots, if there are any, cannot distract from the main plot of the story and confuse the reader. In a short story we examine a character and setting that is far more intimate than the novel. At the end of a well-written short story, the reader will feel as satisfied with the outcome as they will feel after a well-cooked meal. We might like to continue reading, but again while the characters and their stories are known to us, they’re not great friends who we end up missing when they are gone.

As we look at the intimate landscape, we can easily see the similarities. We are examining the world through a more intimate view. Like the short story will have a character that we come to know with a developed plot or storyline. We might see an expansive oak in the forest and create our composition with the oak as the main character. All other trees in the forest would be the storyline, the other characters helping to tell the story of the oak. Or does that oak preside over a lonely landscape where the negative space of sky and meadow help tell of its isolation? We won’t be seeing the expanse of the grand view, but the details of a scene that becomes more personal – almost as if we were a part of the scene itself. It is a self-contained image that tells the story of our subject, without extraneous details.

The little cabin above (can we call it a cabin and not a shack?) is a perfect example of the short story as an intimate landscape. We see our main character in a struggle against the elements as rain pummels the decaying wood. We know that this little cabin has already seen hard times with planks missing and its leaning stature. We know all we really need to know of its environment and the toll it has taken on the cabin. We know it has a history, even if the details of that history are not examined. We grow to like this little cabin. We wish it well and hope to see it again one day . . . maybe.

Flash Fiction and The Vignette of Nature

If you have never read Flash Fiction (where have you been?) then know that it is an extremely short story of less than 2000 words. Because is it so short, the author must grab you quickly to immerse you into the world they’ve created in short order. And that’s a pretty good definition – authors of flash fiction are the gourmet short order cooks of writing. They sit you down at the table, serve you a tale that is often a snippet in the life of their character then whisk away the plates. As a reader you are often left with wanting more but realizing that you really don’t need more, you are sated. Just like any story there is a character or more involved in a plot line. But the amount of information we are given is all that we really need.

When we move to comparing this to landscape photography, we see it as the natural vignette – a small portion of the landscape that tells an interesting story. Maybe it’s a group of woodland wildflowers twisted together in a fight for sunlight. A grouping of seashells on a beach tells us all we need to know about those seashells at that point in time. I’m mixing metaphors here but think of it at a scene in shorthand. Just enough to tell the story without writing it out in cursive. Think details. As photographers, we find those details that tell a wonderful story of the landscape as a whole. Our viewer may want to see more but leaves sated.

When we look for story-telling details, we see images as the example here. As viewers, we understand that there is more beyond the frame of the image, but that doesn’t matter. The captivating story is within this section of old wood on the side of the building where someone added a decorative touch of rustic Americana in the form of hub caps and wheel rims to the wall. We get one glimpse of the world beyond in the reflective wheel cover on the right. You have time to appreciate the scene. You may wonder about the person who hung the hub caps yet understand that really this is all you will get and all you really need. The image and story within it are concise.

So, how do you use these ideas in composition?

When you arrive at a location, look for each type of storytelling. Look for the novel or grand landscape allowing your viewer to experience a world of characters, and plot points all culminating in one climatic ending. Find the short stories or intimate landscape to give your viewer a personal view of the area, one where they get to know one character well and follow them through to a conclusion. Then finally search out those compelling details for some flash fiction or natural vignette. Combine all three of these at a location and you will come away with a strong body of work that will sustain your story and the story of place.

Telling the Story in Composition

Composition is a wondrous thing, filled with rules, guidelines and mystery. A good composition can make the boring scene exciting. On the flip side, a bad composition can destroy a beautiful scene. Composition can draw the viewer into your story but can also send them running in the other direction. We can talk for hours, and I have, on the rules of composition. (You can check out part 1, part 2, and part 3 of composition on my blog.)  We can analyze the interactions of leading lines and the Rule of Thirds. We can measure distances of the Golden Mean. We can judge an image on the photographer’s use of foreground, middle ground, and background. We can weigh the virtues of symmetry, balance, and minimalism. These are all concepts that a photographer needs to know, understand, implement, and toss aside when needed. Yet, if you follow these rules and guidelines, you could still produce an image that is lifeless and will remain on your computer and never get elevated to your wall, where good photos are meant to be.

Let’s chat a bit about going beyond the basics of composition. When you arrive on scene with beauty surrounding you and all these composition concepts in your head, do you freeze? Do you find it difficult to find a compelling composition? Do you just start pointing our camera in whatever direction and hope something will stick? Do you understand the guidelines of composition but have difficulty recording them on your sensor? Do you ever review your images after a trip and wonder what happened to the grandeur you experienced?

If you have answered Yes to any of these questions, allow me to help. As Erin Babnik explains, as landscape photographers it’s our job to organize nature. Composition guidelines help us to organize nature in an even more eye-pleasing quality that our brains can understand and latch onto. Look at the image above – the actual scene is one of chaos as forests in the Pacific Northwest are and the viewpoint is a bit disconcerting. Yet with the leading line of the waterfall through the mossy rocks, your brain knows what it is supposed to look at and finds peace in that implicit knowledge. That’s what composition is meant to do.

As you arrive on the scene, ask yourself these questions:

What attracts me to this scene? What do you like about the scene? What made you stop your walk or the car and take a longer look? Is it how the light plays across the scene? Do you find a pattern that is appealing? Analyze why – even before taking out the camera. I will often stand on a viewpoint and soak in the landscape before me without raising the camera to my eye. I am looking for those elements of the scene that attract me – and there is no right or wrong answer. Take 10 photographers to the same location and they will create 10 different images. Your vision is your own and if you like that rock, then include that in your photo or make it the subject. It’s answering the question “what about that rock do you like?” And you photograph should answer that question because you are now telling the story of that rock.

I was reminded of this basic concept of composition in a book about writing, because creativity is creativity no matter the medium. In her book “Bird by Bird”, Anne Lamont describes a scene from Mel Brooks’ movie “The 2,000-Year-Old Man” (a movie I have yet to see, but now thinking it needs to go on my list) where a psychiatrist gives advice to his patient about letting the broccoli tell him how to eat it. Sounds weird, right? But not. The subject, the scene you want to photograph has a way of talking to you; telling you how best to photograph it at that time with those conditions. What made you stop and look at the scene in the first place is a whisper. Each photographer will hear a different whisper and will photograph to tell a different story. No not a different story, just a different version of the same story, to contribute to a greater understanding of the subject.

Not every photographer will be compelled to tell the same story and that is what makes photography such a rich and creative endeavor. British landscape photographer and YouTuber, Thomas Heaton describes this concept further in his video about photographing one of the most iconic landscapes of the Southwest United States – Mesa Arch. Photographers were lined up to photograph the arch as the sun rose which makes the underside of the arch glow. However, because of the overcast sky on that day, the scene required a different telling. Thomas and a few of his fellow photographers followed the whispers and found scenes that created beautiful images of the same landscape. They were able to add to the story that is Mesa Arch by not photographing the arch itself but the landscape around the arch.

Now this is where the going gets tough – set up your camera and start removing everything in the frame that doesn’t help tell your story. A common thread to photography is that while painters start with a blank canvas; the writer begins with a blank page - our canvas, our page comes pre-filled with extraneous bits and pieces and it is up to us edit out elements to create a compelling image – an image that narrates the story of this place. It’s tough. I know when I get to a beautiful alpine meadow and flowers paint the landscape in a rainbow of hues, I want to photograph all the pretties. I want to include EVERYTHING. And I bet you also have that same impulse. You get to the viewpoint and want to get it all in the frame of your camera, but then seem unsatisfied that you couldn’t record the grandeur of the view.

Have you ever uttered this statement? “The camera didn’t do the view justice.” That’s because you’re not being choosey about what to include and what to exclude. Going back to writing, there’s a saying in editing that you have to kill the darlings. You might have a phrase, a sentence, or even a character that you love – that makes you feel good about yourself and your abilities. But sadly, this element doesn’t work in the grand scheme of the story. It’s one of the hardest things for a writer to remove that piece. It can be that way with photography too. We love that little element off to the side, but it becomes distracting to the rest of the image. Crop it out. It helps to stop and listen to the scene, breath and watch, then start looking through the viewfinder without the tripod if you’re using one. Find the view and composition where that whisper you heard turns into a yelp of joy.

Say you’re at an overlook at the Grand Canyon. Of course, you want an image of the canyon with all the layers and textures of the earth. You frame up an image that encompasses as much as you can to show the grandeur. While you’re at it, you try to include a little promontory closer to you, but then something just doesn’t look right. At this point try one of two things. Crop the promontory out of the frame, then reposition yourself, investigate the promontory and create another image. Or ditch the first composition, move yourself and reframe an image that features both the promontory and the grandeur. That little promontory is trying to tell you something about the story of the place. Listen to it. I think you’ll be happy that you did.

We can know the rules or guidelines front to back and create technically correct images that never spark life in our audience. To take that extra step to listen to the needs of the scene and find the telling of the story of the time and place and only telling one story at a time, eliminating all of the extraneous side stories, you will be well on your way to creating an image that calls to your audience to stop and listen to the story you’re retelling.

Ideas of Composition: Part 3

Welcome back to my blog series on composition. We are now on Part 3. Part 1 explored Rule of Thirds, Symmetry and Balance, and Leading Lines. Part 2 explored Curves, Rhythm and Pattern, and Framing. So many ideas to help make your images better. But wait! There's more! In Part 3 we will explore the ideas of  Foreground, Midground and Background, Shapes, and Filling the Frame.

Again, these are ideas to build upon. The ideas in the previous blogs work well in exploring these ideas

FOREGROUND, MIDGROUND, and BACKGROUND

Photographs are two-dimensional representations of our three-dimensional world. How do we compose images that help translate that three-dimensionality onto a two-dimension medium? Through our compositions, we create the illusion that the two-dimensional image is three dimensions with the use of foreground, midground, and background. Adding these elements helps to create the appearance  of depth by giving the viewer elements through the image to focus on - just as we would have elements close to us, between us and the distance and into the horizon in the world around us. Let's look at these one by one.

Foreground brings the viewer into the image and creates interest to investigate further. This is usually a detail closer to the photographer that is interesting and will make the viewer pause to admire it's interesting lines and details. It often helps set the stage for the rest of the image. A colorful bush in the fall or a patch of flowers in the spring tell the viewer the season. A country road leading the eye further or a ramshackle fence tell the viewer we are no longer in the city. Take your time in finding an interesting foreground - your midground might change but your background will likely be far enough away to change hardly at all. A viewer can tell whether or not you took your time here - throwing in a foreground just because you want a foreground will do the exact opposite of what you want. It could look haphazard and the viewer will walk away. Foreground can be the base of the rest of your image and when done right will direct the viewer to the rest of the image.

Midground helps draw the viewer in further, and is often a resting place for the viewer's eyes. The midground should be free of distractions or elements that either block the viewer from continuing on into the image or distractions that draw them away from the image such as a fence that reaches from edge to edge where a viewer feels blocked out of the image or a road that continues out of the frame and the viewer's eye goes with it. Sometimes this is where we find our subject. Think of an environmental portrait where your subject has an interesting foreground that possibly frames you subject and the subject with a background as a backdrop. Often your midground is your most versatile area in your photograph and should never be neglected.

Background is often the culmination of the journey in the photograph - the fulfillment of the viewer's interest. It can be the subject such as a magnificent mountain in grand landscapes where the viewer feels as if they have been on a grand adventure. Most often though, as the name implies, it becomes the backdrop to what is in the midground or foreground. When used as a backdrop, you'll need to take care of not including distracting elements such as a branch impaling your subject's head or bright highlights that lead the eye away from your subject. A good background keeps your viewer's attention in your photo for as long as possible.

Can you create interesting and compelling images without all three of these? Of course you can. This is another way to create compelling images that draw your viewer into the story your trying to tell.

SHAPES

We're going back to geometry class here for a minute and combining it with a bit of psychology. Sounds fun doesn't it?

Our brains need to organize the world in categories to help it make sense of the world. It becomes a sort of shorthand for the mind. We see a door and we know two things immediately - it is an egress and it is a rectangle. From there we build on the style of door, where it is located, and all sorts of things. But our immediate lizard-brain response is rectangle and escape.

Using shape is one of many ways we organize the world to help our lizard-brains understand what is going on around us. We see parallel lines on the ground and without having to think much we know that it is a pathway - the beginning of a journey (probably why I love leading lines so much in my images). We can strip our images down to the most elemental and create images based on shapes. We can look for triangles and curves/circles to add a sense of motion for our lizard-brains. Rectangles and squares add stability and safety.

How does this apply to composition? Well, think of the base elements of the story you're trying to tell. Is it a story of action? Then you will want to avoid creating and photographing squares and rectangles, instead you'll want to look for rectangles and curves in your elements. Do you want to tell the story of safety and security? Now would be the time to look for rectangles and squares.

So what's up with the image above that includes curves and squares? Let me explain it this way - our history is who we are, it is the foundation of our present, but time forever moves and builds upon our foundation.

FILL THE FRAME

Filling the Frame is a concept I heard often in my college days of studying photography. Back then, we used a substance called film and often could not crop our images especially if we were using transparency or slide film. So we needed to find the essential elements withing our composition and fill the frame with those elements and only those elements. We needed to conduct "border patrol" - checking the edges of your images to make sure you weren't cutting off anything essential and/or allowing anything distracting to encroach on your image. If there was, you'd need to re-compose. It is still a very good idea to conduct "border patrol" before releasing the shutter so that you aren't including distractions or excluding storytelling elements. Using film required us to analyze our composition and the story we were trying to tell and not include anything that was extraneous.

Filling the Frame was usually where I had the most difficulty in school. I often took the idea too literally and would fill my frame with the subject and only the subject often leaving out the most important element of the image - the storytelling quality that brilliant photographers understand. It about what story there is to be told and how you tell the story. So, filling the frame does not necessarily mean to fill the frame with your subject, but to fill it with the story, the feeling, the idea.

In the image of the ballerina, I was looking at a contemplative moment of the dancer resting between moves and poses. A quiet moment with her in her thoughts and studio. If I had moved closer to her, to fill my frame with the ballerina, it would not convey the same story - a story of quiet respite.

As you compose your images, think about the story to be told. Once you understand the story, fill your frame with only the elements that tell the story - nothing more and nothing less.

Ideas of Composition: Part 2

When last we met, you learned about 3 basic tools to include in your composition toolbox: Rule of Thirds, Symmetry and Balance, and Leading Lines. If you need a refresher, check out the article here.

Today we will be discussing how to use Curves, Rhythm and Pattern, and Framing to add impact to your images. These ideas often will make the viewer stop a little longer to study your image by showing motion and design elements that interest and intrigue. And isn't that what we want? To have our audience entranced by our images so that they will stay and interact with them for as long as possible?

Just like all composition ideas, these can be used in photos individually or in combination with others. Sometimes using two or more ideas together can create a higher interest or viewer impact. When you find your focal point or subject, play with the composition - look for leading lines that lead the eye to it especially if you place the subject using the rule of thirds. And how special will it look if those leading lines are also curving lines? So let's take a look at Curves, Rhythm and Pattern, and Framing.

CURVES

Similar to leading lines, using curves in your images help the viewer navigate the different elements of your images and leads them further into your photo. unlike leading lines,  curves add a sense of the dynamic - they suggest motion. Where a straight line appears static, a curve appears to glide through the scene in with grace and beauty. They can be the subject or lead the viewer to the subject or center of interest. Also similar to leading lines, curves can be apparent such at the curve in the above image that leads the viewer towards the brightly lit towers. Or they can be implied by the placement of objects within the frame.

Curves can also be the subject of your image. A simple arch of a tree branch or a series of arches leading you down a hallway. A bend of the river can lead you to the distant horizon or can invite you to sit on the bank to watch the water drift by. A Ferris Wheel or Merry-Go-Round captured with a slow shutter speed at night becomes curves and circles that embody the joys of childhood laughter. Ok, I'm waxing poetic here so let's move on.

When looking for curves to add to your images think of all the types of curves and you will begin to see them in your surroundings and compositions. One of the first you may think of is the C-curve which looks exactly like the letter C. Now rotate it 90 degrees either up or down. Now what do you have? An arch or a bowl. Can you think of scenes in your everyday life where you might find any of these? S-curves can be the most exciting as they lead you in and out of different scenic elements. Rivers bending through the landscape are great at showing us S-curves. And we can't forget about the simple circle or oval. A bit more static than an open curve, the circle or oval can help sort and order elements in your image as well as frame your subject. (more on that later)

RHYTHM & PATTERN

Rhythm and Pattern walk hand in hand with texture in photographs. Rhythm refers to how the eye moves through the image - how long it rests on an element before moving onto the next element. The elements are repetitive in nature yet not always the same size, shape, or color. Think of notes in a piece of music. Each note is distinct yet are similar especially when played by the same instrument. When strung together at different counts (length the note is held), they create rhythm and the basis of a piece of music. The same can be said with a photograph except now the eye has become the instrument and the elements of the image become the notes.

Enough visual notes and you begin to see a pattern which in music would become the final arrangement. In photography, they become the image. Many repeated patterns throughout the image and you begin to see texture. Abstract images play heavily with rhythm, pattern, and texture. The image above has a pattern that draws the eye through the scene. Although there isn't a defined subject, there is still interest in the play between gold and green, light and dark, reflected and real. Let your eye wander through the scene being mindful of the pauses and movement as your gaze takes you from break to break.

FRAMING

When we "frame up" an image, we tend to talk about laying out the elements of our scene within the borders of the image. We have a natural frame of what the camera will record on the sensor and write onto your SD card. But add a frame within that frame and you will find a way to direct your viewer to see almost exactly what you saw while in that moment. The frame itself can be the subject, but an even stronger use is to frame your subject. Making the viewer aware of the vast importance of your subject. When you frame an image and hang it on your wall, you are telling the world the importance of that photograph in your life - whether it's a photo of your children, a beloved pet, or a pretty scene from your last vacation - these photos that we put on display have the emphasis of being framed and are therefore important. The same can be said when you add a frame within your images - you are telling the viewer to "Look here. This is important."

A  frame can be quite literal such as a window or doorway. Or implied such as certain elements surrounding the subject. An arch of a tree branch embracing one side of your image can be a frame that directs the viewer's eye to reflect on the moss-covered rocks beyond. Billowing laundry hanging on a line can frame the laundress hanging a batch of freshly laundered linens. Look around you and see how much of the world you can see through windows and doors. Look through crowds of people and flowers to see beyond them, to something enticing, to something more.

You know have explored six composition rules. Your homework once again is to go out and play with each of these and combine them into something more. Don't worry about the test at the end of the day, as long as you go out and play, you'll pass.

Ideas of Composition: Part 1

We can talk about rules and guidelines, but when it comes to composition I like to talk about ideas. Thoughts on how to interpret a scene to help tell your story about the place. For landscape photographers, composition helps you to create a sense of order out of a chaotic world. Composition is the avenue the viewer uses to access the story you want to tell by identifying the elements of the story - the subject, the scene, and characters - in an easily accessible sequence within the frame of your camera. Ultimately we want viewers to stop and interact with our images, to feel at ease, to want to know more, to find a sense of understanding. The importance of composition can become overwhelming and is one of the concepts many photo students struggle with, but once you are well-acquainted with the ideas, they easier they are to see, work with, and master.

In this 3-part series, I will chat about 9 different ideas of composition. Each of these can stand alone in the image but are often combined. It is up to you as the photographer to figure out how best to use these ideas to convey your story. But play with each, learn how they work, how they interact, and how they look in your viewfinder. Give yourself assignments to look for and compose images using each of these ideas. Today we'll look at Subject Placement, Symmetry & Balance, and Leading Lines.

SUBJECT PLACEMENT or Rule of Thirds:

The Rules of Thirds is the most basic tool of composition. It's the tool that I tell my students to start out with when they see a subject because it breaks you of placing a subject smack dab in the middle of the image and it is a pleasing way for a viewer to read an image. It also adds a sense of motion or vitality even in a stagnant subject. You place the subject in the frame that allows the mind to give your subject room to move.

Think of your viewfinder. Now imagine a tic-tac-toe grid overlaid on it (some cameras actually have a function where you can display this).  When you line up your image, place the subject at or near one of the intersecting corners or if you have lines (horizon line or trees), place your dominant line along one of the grid-lines.

In the image above, the woman's glasses/eyes are in one of the grid intersections. Since I am photographing a person, her eyes are the primary point of interest even though you don't really see them here. That is a side note - when photographing humans or animals, their eyes are the most important element of the image - and one I will discuss in another blog. But back to the image above. Her eyes are located near a junction. Now look at her ear and shoulder - they are close to the left vertical grid-line. Her elbow and forearm are along the bottom horizontal line. Even though she is sitting, relaxing in an alpine meadow, she has room to move throughout the image. She looks as if she can get up and move about. The Rule of Thirds helps your mind give her this allowance.

So, when you arrive at a scene and are having trouble figuring out your composition, try the Rule of Thirds. It's a great starting point for both the scene and your mind. Once your brain is in the composition mode, other composition elements will begin to percolate. Maybe the Rule of Thirds is nice, but it just doesn't give you the feel you're experiencing. How about breaking the rule and trying Symmetry & Balance?

SYMMETRY and BALANCE

OK. Now that we have Rule of Thirds tucked away, let's throw it out the window. Not permanently, but Symmetry & Balance doesn't rely on the rule. They do work nicely together though. We all know that symmetry means that something looks the same either top to bottom or side to side. A mirror image so to speak. In fact reflections are great representations of symmetry. You could fold an image down the middle and it will look the same on either side of the fold. Reflections of mountains in lakes are a perfect example of symmetry.

Balance is where one side of the image is not a mirror reflection of the other side but the elements of one side are visually weighted the same as the other side. Think of your laptop - you can fold your laptop in half but one side is not a mirror reflection of the other side. One side is a screen the other side a keyboard, but visually they are the same size. If you are photographing a group of trees and there is one very large tree, try putting the tree in the middle of the frame. Then try putting it nearer one of the edges with a grouping of smaller trees on the other side of the frame. You can do this with any grouping of objects - one of my favorite images showing balance is looking down on a formal Victorian place setting with the plates, cups, and silver lined up. Those Victorians knew all about balance.

In the owl image, the image is mostly symmetrical. You could fold it vertically down the middle and the right side of the image would reflect the left side of the image. It is considered symmetrical in that regard. (Also notice the eyes are located along the upper horizontal line of our Rule of Thirds.) Now technically the left eye is slightly larger than the right but the right is in shadow which adds a visual weight. They look like they're the same size even though they really aren't.

LEADING LINES

Leading Lines is a favorite composition idea for almost every photographer I've talked to. Give someone a path into your image and they will gladly follow it. Leading lines is just that - a distinct line that leads your viewer into the image and takes them on a journey to the subject and story. Think of a path in the forest and how the curious will wonder where the path goes and what adventures it might hold. I can be as obvious as a roadway to the mountains, or implied by the gaze of a child looking in wonder at a bug on a flower. Our thought, as a viewer, is to follow.

You can find leading lines everywhere: roads, trails, fences, people standing in line, a pointing finger, rows of tulips. The list goes on as does the line in your image. Look around you, are there any lines your eye follows? That, my friend is a leading line. Test it out - how many leading lines can you find in the next couple of minutes?

While walking in the madrone forest of Miller Peninsula State Park property, I was fascinated by how the trees towered over my head. I wanted an image that would help the viewer feel the massive trees as they twisted into the sky.  Each trunk, the darkest at the bottom being the most prominent, all lead your eye to the same place - the treetops, their crown shyness, and the sky beyond.

Practice using these three ideas in the coming days, then return to find a few more composition ideas to play with.

So You Wanna Buy A New Camera

Viscous green liquid dribbled out of my car’s engine as it idled in my friend’s driveway. Deep down I knew this wasn’t good. A visit to the mechanic and a consolatory phone call later, I looked at my faithful little car with one tire in the junk yard. It had to be replaced. I knew that, but the task of finding a replacement seemed daunting. Looking through the ads online, and the reviews, and the sales, and the dealerships my head began to ache as I sat immobilized in front of the glowing screen of my computer. Back to basics – what was it I was looking for in a car? I needed a car that wouldn’t break the bank, that got 30+ miles to the gallon, had enough trunk room for all my gear, could get me to most places I wanted to go, and wouldn’t make my butt go numb. With that list, I went to the dealership and a few day later I was driving my new car off their lot and into my driveway.

At this point, I expect that you are asking what does buying a car have to do with buying a camera.

Have patience. If you are coming here to find out what camera to buy, odds are that you have had that deer-in-the-headlights look while reading reviews, puzzling over features, questioning brands, and checking ads. Then walking away not having answered your question of “What camera should I buy?”

The most complete answer I can give is the least satisfactory answer you want – it all depends.

Just like my process of buying a car, there are questions you need to answer about the camera you want.

The first being, why do you want a new camera? Is there something wrong with the camera you have? Is there something you need from it that you aren’t getting? If you just want a new camera because it’s new and shiny, then you really don’t need a new camera. But if you have the money to burn, then let’s talk about answering a few more questions.

Second – how much can you afford? Start looking at cameras within that price range. Keep in mind that you will also need to buy accessories such as batteries and SD cards. Keep that in mind as you price cameras.

Now, what is it you want to photograph? Are you looking for a camera to record life events? Are you a new parent or grandparent who wants to record the events of your baby from larva-hood to graduation necessitating a responsive shutter and durability? Are you going on a once in a life-time trip to the Antarctic or on safari where you want to be able to zoom in on the animals and zoom out on the landscapes? Do you want to take pictures of your cat and take cat-videos to break the internet? Knowing what you want to photograph will help you figure out the features and lenses you’ll want.

What’s your preference for convenience? Do you want a camera that is menu driven, choosing settings through the screen on the back of the camera? Or button driven where most of the settings are at your fingertips. Do you want interchangeable lenses which will add to the cost or have a built-in lens? (FYI, just stay as far away from camera that have digital zoom. Optical zoom only!) Would a pocket camera work better for you, or one that needs a carrying case?

Prints! What kinds of prints do you want? And do not tell me none. If all you’re going to do is keep them on your computer or on the SD card then you do not need a new camera. Having prints of your adventures through life around your home reminds you of the wonder places you’ve been and the person you are. SO the question here is how big do you want to make your prints? For larger prints above 8x10 or 11x14, you’ll need greater mega-pixels and a higher quality sensor.

Write down the answers. Take them to a dealership and tell the salesperson that you are looking for a camera that does these things. A good store will give you options. Test them, hold them in your hands, do they feel comfortable? Can you reach all the buttons? Does the menu make sense? If you don’t like the feel of a camera, odds are you won’t use it. So make sure you test them out.

What do I use? I’m a Sony girl. I grew up using Minolta before they became Konika Minolta and before Sony bought out Konika Minolta. I stayed with Sony because they promised to maintain the specs and I was broke and didn’t want to have to invest in all new lenses. I have yet to be disappointed. They have withstood “The Heidi Factor” – I’m a bit of a klutz, I’m happy with the quality of images, I’ve been able to make poster-sized prints, and I know where all the controls are.

I hope you are able to use the answers to these questions to find the camera you love that will help record the stories of your life.

The image I chose to accompany this blog post is an example of realizing your camera isn't capable of doing what you want it to do. I wanted to upgrade from my Konika Minolta DSLR because it didn't have the ability to record night images without too much noise. So I upgrades to a Sony Alpha 65 which was able to handle the types of night images I wanted to create. I still have the Konika Minolta and take it with me on long road trips - it's still a good camera and suits certain needs.

Boring Beaches

Ahh, summer is finally here and you head out to the beach for a weekend of fun in the sun with family and friends. But in the Pacific Northwest you're more likely to find a 4-leaf clover than a sunny day at the beach. Now for a true northwesterner, a slate grey sky will hardly deter a trip to the beach - we know how to handle this. Bring a jacket, some games, and a sense of adventure. So off to the beach you go with clouds overhead, sand at your feet, and wind in your face.

Essential to any weekend getaway to the beach - or anywhere for that matter - is your camera to record the memories of fun and adventure. You take pictures of your friends, your family, your pets, and your self. But when you turn your camera to the wide sweeping beaches of Washington, the scenery just falls flat. You love the open views to the horizon and the rolling waves splashing onto the sand, it's just no matter how you frame it your images don't hold a candle to the adventure you experience. It's just not helping tell your story.

Many Washington beaches along the southern part of the state and north out of Puget Sound are missing the dynamic waves and picturesque sea stacks of the wilderness coast of Olympic Peninsula and the Oregon Coast. Our beaches are wide, flat, and challenging to photograph, especially when the big puffy clouds that make the sky so interesting are also missing. When you get home and look at your pictures, they just aren't as exciting as you remember your day being. They neglect to tell your story. But there are ways to help you make the most of a flat beach scene to add to your fun and tales.

1. Look to your Feet. When we hit the beach we are overly excited for the freedom of open sand and fresh salt air. If you're anything like me, you want to head straight to the waves and start splashing. This idea is a challenge to pause and look at what is at your feet. You'll find amazing details at your feet. You can see shells, rocks, seaweed, driftwood, dead things, critters (and prints), and plants at your feet - all wonderful details to photograph. Try taking pictures looking straight down on the object. Or, get down low - even placing your camera on the sand (it's best if you place your camera on something other than sand like a towel to protect it from the abrasive sands) to get an image of it in the foreground and the wide beach extending seemingly endlessly beyond. A few detail images like this will add to your story.

In the image above, I was fascinated by these beach plants that looked like a tiny forest in the sand.

2. Look for Abstracts. Abstract photographs rely on visual storytelling without the benefit of an obvious subject but instead relates emotion through shapes and colors. At times, the image doesn't appear to have any relation to the natural world. Repeated lines and patterns when that is all you see can be abstract. Think of repeating sand dunes, or details of the dunes highlighted by light and shadow. Rippled patterns in the sand left from waves are abstract. Again this challenge is to look closely at the beach - to find the patterns and shapes that help relate the emotion of your time at the beach.

The erratic shape of puddle in the above image drew me in closer and as I looked at it, I saw the joy our dogs were having running freely.

3. I.C.M or Intentional Camera Movement. This can create movement where there is none or create an abstract out of a larger scene turning the ho-hum into excitement. For this, you will need a slower shutter speed (many cameras on your smart phones are capable of taking a series of images over a few seconds and blending them into one or there are a few apps that can help you take longer exposures). Try a couple of seconds - long enough to blur the image when you move the camera, but not so long that your subject becomes completely unrecognizable. Then as you make your exposure, move the camera from one side to another. Check your image and see if that works and adjust as you need to for the effect you want. This is also a fun effect to create in forests by moving your camera up and down. For beaches, I generally move the camera horizontally or parallel to the lines of the main subject. But this is your story and all you have to do is give yourself permission to play.

For the above image, I changed the setting for a 4 second exposure and slowly moved the camera from right to left.

Explore, Share, Inspire

Oyster Road

Let’s head out on an oyster shaped loop to find some succulents delicacies of the shallows of Hood Canal to either eat, photograph or just enjoy a day in your parks. This 78-mile trip will take you past some prime oyster gathering beaches plus a few farms and stores to buy these tasty bivalves-if you happen to show up in the wrong season or are unlucky in your harvest. And with any of these road-trips, there’s plenty of opportunity to photograph the beauty the state has to offer.

Just a note here that if you plan on harvesting oysters, check the WFWD for licensing, requirements, and seasons.

This is a road trip where the beaches are filled with the empty oyster shells of previous harvests for both human consumption and animal – racoons and gulls love slurping a raw oyster on the half-shell. When I come to these beaches for photographs, I look for scenics of hood canal as well as details of the beaches and textures of the oyster shells themselves – I use my shorter lens for these types of images. Because these beaches offer an abundance of food for other critters as well, be prepared with a long lens in your bag, just in case you can catch a gull lifting off to drop its find on the rocks below. Low tide is better for harvesting, but anytime is a great time for photography.

Our first stop along the way is Kitsap Memorial State Park, just north of Poulsbo on the eastern shore of Hood Canal. In the summer months, this park is popular with the wedding crowd and for good reason, the park is tucked into grand douglas-firs with views of Hood Canal and the Olympics beyond. Sunrise can be wonderful from here as the early morning sunlight reflects off the mountains. And sunsets aren’t too bad either. At high tide, the beach is almost non-existent but low tide exposes the treasures the waves conceal.

Next, we’ll cross the Hood Canal floating bridge to the little oft-forgotten Shine Tidelands State Park. Some think of this park as a little wayside, someplace with an outhouse for a quick bathroom break. And most might poo-poo the idea of this little beach of being photogenic, but I challenge you to look closer. To watch the eagles fly overhead. To watch the ducks swim in the marsh. To watch sunset and moonrise over Hood Canal. It is a small respite close to highway 104 yet peaceful.

We’ll head back out to highway 104 west to catch highway 101 south and our first stop along the way is Dosewallips State Park. With over 1000 acres to explore and 5 miles of beach front, this park is a destination for all adventurers. Oyster gathering is done on the beaches east of highway 101 – those beaches also hold sweeping views of Hood Canal and the Kitsap Peninsula. The shoreline here can be muddy and the marsh grasses evolved for the harsh conditions of saltwater habitat and show it by being coarse to the touch. The shoreline ripples along water’s edge to add rhythm to your images.

Once you tear yourself away from the flats of Dosewallips, travel south for 10 miles to little Triton Cove. The views aren’t expansive in this little boat put-in, but the beach is littered with oyster shells ready for a macro lens to work with textures and patterns. I can often get lost in these little details, but we have more parks to visit so let’s hop back into the car and continue south 29 miles to Potlatch State Park near the southern “hook” of Hood Canal and the Skokomish Indian Reservation. The term Potlatch comes from the of the indigenous people of the coastal Pacific Northwest and means a ceremonial feast where gifts are given and exchanged. And the gift of this park is the delicious oysters we are looking for. 

If you are not into harvesting your own oysters, stop in Hamma Hamma along the way at the oyster beds and restaurant. Or go a little further to Union to a few of the shops there.

The views from Potlatch are not as expansive as Dosewallips closer to the mouth of Hood Canal, but you will still find beauty in the landscape. The beach here is again muddy with rocks and oyster shells, perfect for beach details. 

One last park to visit as we drive around the hook of Hood Canal and through the town of Union. Just north of Union on highway 106 is Twanoh State Park. Because of it’s relative closeness to Bremerton, the oyster gatherers are often found along its shores. A few old CCC building s and long high docks add interest to your landscapes here and because we are now facing west, we have views of the southern Olympics across the water.

These parks have so much more to explore than just the shoreline and oyster beds. There is beauty here in all that the park holds. It’s easy to spend a day or a weekend along the beaches of Hood Canal.

Directions from Bainbridge Island: (Mileages are approximate)

To Kitsap Memorial State Park: From the ferry terminal, follow highway 305 through Bainbridge Island for 13 miles to merge onto highway 3 north just beyond Poulsbo. Drive highway 3 for 4 miles to turn left on NE Park St.

To Shine Tidelands State Park: Head back to highway 3 and turn north towards Hood Canal Bridge and cross the bridge in 3 miles – this gets you onto highway 104. As you get to the other side of the bridge, turn right to the park.

To Dosewallips State Park: Continue on highway 14 west. Take the exit (right exit) to Center Rd in 9.5 miles and head south to Quilcene and the junction with highway 101 in 8 miles. Follow highway 101 for 12 miles to the park. There are 2 entrances to the park. On the west side of the highway is the camp area and trails through the forest. On the east side of the highway is access to the shoreline and oyster gathering. 

To Triton Cove State Park:  Continue south on highway 101 for 8 miles. The entrance to the park is on the east side of the highway.

To Potlatch State Park. Back on highway 101 south, drive 20.5 miles to the park. The day use area is on the east side of the highway and camping is on the west side of the highway. As you are driving, you will go through the towns of Hamma Hamma and Hoodsport. Pick up oysters in Hamma Hamma and stop for ice cream and coffee in Hoodsport.

To Twanoh State Park: Continue south on highway 101 to the junction with highway 106 at Skokomish and head east towards the town of Union. There are a few additional places along this route to pick up oysters. Once on highway 106, it is 12 miles to the park. The campground is on the east side of the highway and the day use with oyster gathering is on the west side of the highway.