One evening a short while ago, the sky filled with the colours of a sensational Huron sunset ...
... but was it enough to make a compelling image?
Struggling recently, I've been questioning what was missing from some of my images. Feeling that I'd fallen into a rut, lost my 'photo mojo' so to speak, I began looking at images from other photographers doing similar work. Analyzing what it was about theirs that moved me, what caught my attention and ultimately was missing in my own, I set out to get some 'mojo' back.
In particular, while scouting photo opportunities in advance of a trip to Florida, I encountered images of Doug Blunt (click link to see Doug's galleries), a photographer shooting on Anna Maria Island where we would be staying. What struck me about his landscape work was his inclusion of interesting foreground, a fundamental in composition for landscape images perhaps, but very well executed by Doug in my opinion (see any of the images in his gallery showing the beach at Anna Maria Island for examples).
I realized that this fundamental of including something of foreground interest was often missing from my recent captures, making them plain, lacking interest and without depth. Was my enthusiasm for creating images waning? Had I begun to simply 'go through the motions' more often? Was I getting lazy and shooting from the easy position? I think to some degree, yes on all counts.
With renewed commitment to better my efforts and improve my craft, for this week's image I slowed my pace, scrutinized the scene, moved to evaluate different points of view, lay down on my stomach in the snow, and purposefully included the highlights of the windswept shore ice such that they mimic the colours painted in the Huron sky.
Always learning, relearning, discovering and rediscovering ...
DJE
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