Finding the Intimate Scene

Abstract image of terraces near Grand Prismatic Spring.

So, you're out on a big adventure to that national park that you always wanted to visit. Or maybe you're out to photograph birds or some other wildlife at a local park. What happens if the weather isn't cooperating or the light is too harsh? What if the wildlife isn't active and you can't find it? Do you give up and go home? Maybe. Do you let it ruin your day? Hopefully not because you are still out in nature. When I run into these issues I reevaluate and start looking for something more intimate to shoot. I don't want to just go home and not photograph anything. 

This also applies when you get to a grand vista. There are a lot of beautiful places in the world but they just don't make a good or interesting photo. Or those grand vistas have been shot by everyone and you want to get a different photo of it to make you stand out from all the rest. If you look for the intimate scene within the grand vista, you can come away with something all your own that other people aren't photographing. I recommend getting a photo of that large vista so you have it but then look for those smaller scenes within the scene. Find that photo that fits your style that no-one else has. Find that photo that makes people wonder where you were because it's a smaller abstract scene within the larger scene everyone knows.

I was out at Yellowstone National Park and decided to hike to the overlook of Grand Prismatic Spring along the Fairy Falls Trail. As I made my way to the viewpoint, I realized that I wouldn't be able to photograph Grand Prismatic like I wanted to. It was early in the morning and the weather was still chilly so there was a lot of steam rising off the spring. I still enjoyed my hike and looking out over the scene, but I knew I wanted to come away with a photo. I looked across the scene and found an area where there was no steam rising. This area was a terraced area where the cooler water was running away from the spring. I pulled out my 100-500mm lens and zoomed in on this area. What I came away with was an intimate abstract photo of the blue water with the terraces looking like cracks running through the scene. I could have let the bad conditions shut my photography down but instead I allowed the conditions to help me find the more intimate scene to photograph.

An intimate shot of the twisted wood of a dead cherry tree.

One day I was out walking around a woodland looking for birds to photograph and I wasn't having any luck. The birds weren't active and the few birds that were around were in the tops of the trees. I decided to change my approach and look for something more intimate to photograph. I came across this fallen cherry tree that had been laying there for a long time. The bark was rotted off the tree and the orange hardwood was all that was left. The wood was all twisted and very interesting to look at so I took my time to find the right spot that I wanted to frame in my photograph. I came up with this frame where I lined up to allow the cracks in the wood to flow diagonally through the photo. To me, this helps give the photo more interest instead of just allowing the cracks to flow straight across. I love how the light made the colors of the wood really pop and contradict with the green colors of the moss that had grown in some of the cracks. Also, the added interest of the hole in the log that fades into darkness.

A man overlooks the vastness of the Grand Canyon.

Maybe you're at a scene for sunrise and you get that shot that you want. Does this mean that you go home or back to the hotel? Nope, this means you look for the next shot of the smaller scene within the larger scene. This is what I did when I was visiting Grand Canyon National Park. I got the shot of the full landscape but it wasn't the most interesting photo. I looked over the scene while the light was still good trying to find a more interesting and intimate photo. That's when I discovered this man sitting along the edge of the cliff overlooking the Grand Canyon. I pulled out my 100-500mm lens and framed this shot. I love the way that the light is playing with this more intimate scene. By having this man in the scene, it helped give scale to the canyon. That was the problem with my photo of the entire scene, there was nothing to give it scale. Add in the fact that he is wearing a blue shirt making him stand out from the red rocks along with framing him with a shadowed cliff face in the background and I captured my favorite photo from the entire national park. 

Next time you are out doing some photography, don't let bad conditions, no wildlife, getting the grand shot or anything else get in your way of making more photos. Look for the intimate shots and you may come away with a portfolio worthy image that you were not expecting.

Patience in Photography

The setting sun illuminates the rolling fog over Shenandoah National Park.

When it comes to photography, there are a lot of things you must pay attention to if you want to create a beautiful photo. What shutter speed should you use, what aperture does the scene require or how high do you need to crank the ISO or how high you are willing to go. These three things are just to get the correct exposure for your photo. Then you also have to think about your composition, do you want a foreground element, or do you have leading lines. Do you have any distracting elements in the foreground? The background? Plus there is so much more that you have to worry about to make the image including how you’re going to edit the image. Before any of that, you also worry about what gear you have and what gear you want to buy that you think will get you to that next level.

The one thing that barely ever gets talked about is patience. Patience is a hard mindset to attain. We are always looking for that instant gratification to feel good now. But with some self work, patience can be achieved and it will pay off in your photography. Without patience, you may never get the best light on the landscape. You may never get the perfect crashing wave on a rocky beach. You may never get that once in a lifetime moment that makes the image amazing. Patience is the final ingredient needed to take you from a snapshot to a piece of art. Being patient will allow you to explore the area and find the perfect composition. It will allow the perfect moment in time to come along. Being patient when you are doing a long exposure will allow you to find that perfect shutter speed to make a waterfall look dreamy but still detailed. And yes, being patient will help you get the best light on your subject.

In my photo of the fog rolling over the mountain top in Shenandoah National Park, I spent over an hour waiting for the right light as the sun made its way down for the day. If I would have taken the photo when I got to the scene, the photo would have been ok with blue skies and white fog. Having the patience to wait that hour for the sun to illuminate the fog made this photo so much better. Also, the way the light is hitting the dead tree helps give the photo a more three dimensional feel. Having that extra time allowed me to examine the scene and find where I wanted to set up my tripod. It wasn’t the first, second or even third place I set up, but I’m happy with the final composition because I stayed patient and searched until I was satisfied.

A rock squirrel explores the ground for food along the edge of the Grand Canyon.

If you are a wildlife photographer, patience is even more important it feels. You can just walk up and take a photo of any wildlife but that isn’t going to be a great photograph. To make a great wildlife photo, you must have patience. Whether it is waiting for the animal to give you that special look that lasts a split second or the animal interacting with it’s landscape or other wildlife. Maybe it’s waiting for the sun to light up the eye to help give the animal life in the photo. Sometimes that special moment never comes but the time you spent waiting is also time you spent learning your subject and learning behavioral habits that will help you in the future to get the photo you want. You can never underestimate the power of knowledge and understanding the wildlife you are photographing. It may help you get a great photo or in a dangerous situation, it may help keep you safe because you recognize the signs of an agitated animal and know to back away. All of this just because you were patient in the first place.

My photo of a rock squirrel along the Grand Canyon is a great example of using patience. I took a lot of photos of the squirrel searching the ground for food but none of them were interesting. But I had the patience to wait for the photo that I knew I wanted. After about 30 minutes of working with a couple squirrels, I finally had one pop up exactly where I wanted. By having the Grand Canyon as the backdrop, this squirrel photo is now a lot more interesting. The squirrel has an easily recognizable home and the viewer can relate to when they were at the Grand Canyon or dream about being there if they haven’t been. That extra hook to the viewers emotions is what it takes to get a like on instagram or even better, for someone to buy your print because you made them feel.

So next time you’re out doing photography, remember, slow down and be patient and a portfolio worthy image may come your way because of it.