Composition and Technique in the Photograph

Getting it Right

I saw a post on Facebook from an aspiring photographer that went something like this:  "I don't need to get it right with the camera, I'd rather spend time in Photoshop".   At the same time, I am reminded of a quote from professional photographer Andrew S. Gibson, "A good photo is comprised of one-third the composition, one-third the lighting and one-third the technical ability of the photographer."   I do agree with Gibson, and I had rather spend time in getting the photo, which I find both relaxing and exhilarating than sitting at the computer working out the tedious details.  

Please don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the post-processing and love to play with my images in Photoshop or Lightroom.  However, when I was learning the basics of photography, it was demanded that you get it right before the shutter was pressed.  Furthermore, in the darkroom days before the enlightened digital era there was only so much that could be done with a negative compared to today's Photoshop.

Going back to the comment on not getting it right, I am reminded of several occasions where I was trying to get a particular photograph and had only that one chance to get the scene as it appeared in nature.

"The Challenge" has become one of my best selling photographs.  I was tracking the sorrel stallion with my manual focus Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens as he was walking away after drinking from a pond.  Suddenly the black stallion came out from the bushes, they reared up and it was over so fast that I hardly had time to focus.  Since I wanted to have the natural terrain as sharp as possible in the photo, I pre-selected an aperture of f/8, which also gave me a faster shutter speed to catch the action.   

 

The waterfall at Lost Creek Canyon only flows during times of adequate rainfall or snowmelt.  One January, a winter storm brought heavy snow to Red Rock Canyon.  Over night, the storm passed through and I was heading out early the next morning for photos.  I saw the waterfall flowing from a distance and knew that I had to get these rare photos.  After reaching the pool at the base of the waterfall, I selected my widest lens--a Nikon 24mm 2.8, and dropped my tripod all the way down in the water, as low as it would go.  I chose an aperture of f/22 to slow the water, and then bracketed the exposure.   My goal was to keep the detail in the features of the canyon without burning out the highlights on the top portion.  No sooner than I had gotten off several exposures, the canyon began to fill with other people crowding in to enjoy the scenery. 

"Summer Storm" has become another of my most popular images.  Back in my film days, I had been waiting to catch lightning striking over the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas, Nevada.  Early one evening, I watched the clouds build and began to notice streaks of lightning.   After driving into the desert over a dirt road to get closer to the action, I used my Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 lens to focus on the area where the lightning was really striking.  With camera secured to tripod, I held the shutter open with a cable release for two minute intervals at f/ 5.6.  I was allowed four exposures before the wind and rain forced me to pack up and leave.

On June 5, 2012, Venus made a historical transit across our Sun.  This was one event that I really wanted to photograph, so I did my research on solar photography and hoped for a clear day with no cloud cover.  To photograph the sun, I made a lightproof box with a Baader solar filter and attached it to my Nikon 500mm lens with a 2X teleconverter.  I selected an aperture of f/4 and bracketed the shutter speed from 1/125 seconds.

Venus just beginning to transit across the sun with faint cloud cover. 

 The sun setting over the Wassuk Mountains with Venus slowly making its transit.

I guess it’s an ego thing because I love being out getting the photos, but I also love the thrill of seeing the scene as it appeared in nature load in on my computer monitor.   If I choose to alter the photo, I can always go back to my original which was shot as close to natural as possible.

For more on Venus Transit:

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2012/06/transit-of-venus-from-walker-lake.html

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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. 

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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/ 

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Off The Wall

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 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.

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