Sunday, November 20, 2011

Take it when you see it!

Have you ever seen a shot and wished you had your camera. Opportunity missed. Or if you had your camera and you were in a hurry going somewhere and couldn't stop but regretted getting the shot later.  Sometimes these shots are unexpected treasures. Subjects you don't go looking for but present themselves.
A lot of the time the image can not be recaptured. When you see something worth photographing,(and you have your camera) take the shot! Sometimes the hesitation means losing the moment. The following photo was not the original shot that I saw. I saw a dog curled up on the chair fast asleep. And the Beware of Dog signed seemed humorous since the dog did not seem to be a threat. I did not take the shot immediately but turned around to pass back by and when I stopped, the dog gave meaning to the sign posted. I would have rather gotten the original image that I saw with the dog sleeping. This image is a little disturbing to me because I do not like seeing dogs chained up. I have passed by the house since this image was taken and the family and dog no longer live there. So no more sleeping dog image.

The point is, if you see it, take it. Other wise there may not be a next time. And even if the next time were to present itself, all elements of the original (lighting for instance) may not be the same.
Happy spontaneous shooting!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Clouds

When photographing nature or anything outside for that matter, clouds can make the image. Imagine the image below without the clouds....not as nice a photo.
Clouds add texture to a grey sky. They add interest to a blue sky. Clouds are very characteristic. Each day they are different. Somedays they look thick enough to walk on and some days they are just wisps in the sky. Clouds can also make interesting reflections in the window of buildings or in water, pond, stream, lake or puddle. They sometimes are dense enough to cast shadows. 
I remember as a child, laying on my back in the grass looking up at the sky trying to conjure up characters out of the shapes in the clouds. So now I always check the sky for cloud condition. 

Now that's a cloud!