Painting is just another way of keeping a diary ~Pablo Picasso

Monday, May 13, 2013

Things I Control

I went back to Sonoma early yesterday morning to try my poppy photo again.  I was hoping for less wind and better light, both of which I got.  I think there were about as many poppies as last week, but this week they hadn't arranged themselves so photogenically.  If only I could have last week's flowers with this week's low wind and softer light.  It got me thinking about how little I control in this whole nature photography equation.  It ought to be quite a bit: the decision to take the photo, of course.  The camera settings.  The angle. And yet, as a nature photographer, there are so many things out of my control!  I went to a gallery opening yesterday, and the photographer gave a talk.  He told about taking a photo of a piece of scrap metal in the desert in Nevada in high winds, and about coming back at a later date to retake the photo.  And because my early morning shoot was still fresh in my mind, I was thinking well yeah, you never know about the wind, but at least the piece of metal was looking just the same!  I'm so in love with the light here...I just wish the flowers were more open.  I might post one more photo from this shoot, but I don't think I'll head back out here again.  Time to move on.

2 comments:

Lynette said...

Melissa, I have read your post several times and looked at the poppies. I've looked at and read the previous posts, too. It's great to see the variety of your efforts.

Lisa Gordon said...

This is really beautiful, and so well worth your effort!