January 05, 2008

Photo of the Week: Jan 6, 2008

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: The proliferation of photographs in our daily lives has made it more difficult to produce new pictures that strike the imagination. This photo has two things going for it which energize the subject. The first is the unusual aerial perspective. Most of the time we view the world from about 5 feet off the ground. Any time you can change that perspective, you add allure to your subject, no matter how mundane, simply by presenting it from an unfamiliar point of view. Secondly, the highly selective cropping maximizes the tension created by the different shapes and colors. By truncating the various groupings of trees in mid-section, the cropping also creates the impression that the orchard is of almost infinite size, because the mind is able to extend the patterns beyond the borders of the photo.

December 30, 2007

Photo of the Week: Dec. 30, 2007

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: The desert has its own unique beauty as well as a host of photographic challenges to overcome. These include dust, heat, inaccessibility and extremely contrasty light from the first moments of morning until late afternoon. This photo, taken just after sunrise, is further evidence that the golden hours always bear fruit and that rising before dawn has its rewards. A variety of textures give feeling to this image while a gentle, curving line provides depth. Using a strong foreground element, such as these colorful rocks, is essential to drawing the viewer into the photo and giving the landscape both dimension and impact.