Early morning, Fernwood pier.
Sometimes what you see is what you get. I saw reflection first, then shimmering light, then gentle wave action. And the strong lines. And the muted colour.
I had a longish lens on my camera (300mm) and no tripod (lazy). There was very little light at that time of day so I used a fast ‘film’ (ISO 1600) and a fast shutter speed (1/1000 sec). My camera’s exposure meter told me the ‘correct’ exposure but I didn’t agree (too bright said I, giving it half the suggested light instead).
The camera’s LCD showed me a 3 inch version of the scene. Looked like what I saw. I liked what I saw.
On the fancy big monitor at home it looked exactly what my mind’s eye saw. Incredible colour, lovely expressionist look. Sorry you are seeing a dumbed down, crunched web version. Some day I have to get back to making some decent sized prints…
No digital editing was done on this image, beyond the wide compositional crop.
Sometimes what you see is what you get.
afterthought:
Within many blogs I frequent I notice a growing sentiment that digital is too easy. That you need to shoot film in order to slow down. Shoot less and think more. Nonsense says I. It’s all in your head. One of the big problems with blogs is that they are populated by opinions based on individual situation and experience—and sometimes limited focus and background. And besides, the camera doesn’t take the photo; you do. It’s all in your head…
The ability to produce a great composition is not about how it was created but where it came from. Anyone can take a photograph but not everyone can take a photograph that contains the elements required to make it a great one.
That’s true and we all want to be in the latter category. It’s also true that sometimes the technical bits (how it was created) don’t’ matter. A great photo, say an amazing disaster or conflict image, is not always technically sound (correctly exposed, perfectly in focus etc) but because the unique moment is captured, it becomes legendary. A large translucent wave with a surfer riding a curl is amazing when we can see into the wave and identify a shark or dolphin.
Most people would agree that outstanding photos are made when the following are consciously considered:
light quality, subject clarity, composition, idea.
Where the light is stunning and there’s time to nail the composition, the technical bits should be there.
Often it’s a gut or emotional reaction to an image that speaks to the viewer. That first reaction is the one. Particularly as you refer to John – the capture of an image in a conflict situation. To tell a story through one photographic image is a wonderful ability. A universal language that crosses boundaries.