The Visual Arts

OH! IT’S JUST A PHOTOGRAPH

“Oh! It’s Just a Photograph”. I have heard this expression on numerous occasions at art shows, when my photography has been mistaken for paintings. The first time was early in my art show experience. An older woman in a walker came from across the room, and made a beeline to one of my framed photographs to get a closer look. Upon realizing it was not a painting, she went “UMPH” in an irritated voice and exclaimed, “It’s just a photograph”, as she turned, making a fast departure. At the time, I took the woman’s reaction as a compliment, feeling honored that my photographs resembled paintings.

Over the years, I’ve become a seasoned artist and have probably heard just about every remark that can be made. Fortunately, I have almost always received positive impressions from the viewing public. However, what I find difficult to understand is the attitude that goes with the comment, “It’s just a photograph”. In my mind, if the photograph is so appealing as to attract the person’s attention in the first place, then why should the medium matter, as long as the price isn’t an issue? I wonder if a lack of understanding the preparation and steps that go into the photographic process could be a factor in this attitude.

Some people think that to produce a photograph worthy of enlarging requires nothing more than a click of the shutter, while the camera takes the picture. With me this is not the case. There is much more involved before arriving to the point of snapping the shutter, and that’s not counting the expense of the camera equipment or the technical knowledge that goes with making a photograph. Before I ever get to the location where the scene will be shot, I spend time pre-planning and strategizing, gathering information about my subject. If it’s a location, I familiarize myself about the area as much as possible, studying maps, regulations and weather. With wildlife, I study the habits and idiosyncrasies so I won’t be caught off guard by a charging buck or an angry bear.

Getting off the beaten path to find new scenes is one of the things that I enjoy the most about my photography. I’m always curious about what lies ahead or around the bend, and going that extra yard for a better view has given me some hair rising experiences. A good example was when I was driving on a narrow mountain road enclosed on both sides by aspen trees in my open CJ7 Jeep, and a bear the size of a refrigerator came running out from a side trail, with the only way I could go was in reverse.

Or the time I was hiking on a summer morning, came around a bend, and found a Mojave Green Rattlesnake stretched out across the trail.

Then there was the experience on a cold November morning when I stood too close to the edge of the stream under Weeping Rock in Zion, Utah and fell in.

And what about while I was standing on a ledge at Toroweep Point in the Grand Canyon, ready to take a photo, when I felt cold air on my leg, looked down and saw the Colorado River flowing 3000 feet below through a space in the rocks.

Other experiences that I’ve encountered on my photography ventures may not have been as thrilling, but were certainly no less trying or exasperating. For instance, having to wait at least an hour at Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona for a person to finish working her dogs so I could begin shooting before the sun’s angle got too low. Or seeing the most magnificent view of autumn trees reflected in a pond along the road in Cedar Breaks, Utah, only to return the next morning when the lighting was perfect to find that the pond had been drained. This list of experiences can go on ad infinitum, and maybe there’ll be more at a later post.

So I hope when someone remarks that “it’s just a photograph”, they might start to consider what goes into the making of that photographic image.

For example: getting up at 3am to go stand in the frost covered desert to catch the sunrise;

arriving home at 3am, tired and dusty from driving 140 miles on a dirt washboard road; trekking up and down 40 foot high sand dunes at White Sands, New Mexico; hiking across the desert floor in 120 degree heat;

standing on the edge of eternity in a blizzard at Cedar Breaks, Utah;

trying not to be struck by lightning in the middle of the desert during an approaching storm; and in conclusion my favorite frustration of all, dodging the ever present streaks of contrails that play tic tac toe across my landscape photos.

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---