 |
| Small falls in Patapsco State Park, MD Click here to see a bigger version of this photo. |
I'm posting a picture taken back in late summer / early autumn today to remind us that warm days will soon be back upon us. Days where we can kick off our shoes and wade into a local creek and play near waterfalls. Where we can see green plants instead of yellow plants.
Right now we are still deep in the winter doldrums where everyday is either cloudy or perfectly clear. We seem to be missing those days with big puffy clouds that tend to lead to great sunsets.
It is often though that sunny days are best for photography, but this just isn't so. Think about the most dramatic nature and landscape pictures you can think of and what do you see? Foggy days with trees hidden in the mist? Epic sunsets with clouds lit up every color imaginable? I'll tell you what you don't see, you definitely don't see a touristy type attraction shot at midday with a flat blue sky in the background. Those are called snapshots and they usually fail to set themselves apart from the pack.
The job of the photographer is to get up early and to be out at sunset ("the golden hours") and hike or kayak off the beaten path to show you what you missed when you followed the trails set out by the park service or even worse, paved by the park service. Next time you find yourself wanting to take a picture that can stand out from everyone else's vacation and weekend pictures try taking a few steps off the beaten path. Look for a new angle. If you see a crowd of people in one spot looking and snapping pictures, walk away from them and find a vantage point that is different, not worse, but different.
