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Kirk

Wet Feet

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wave wash
Waves wash over rocks along the back shore of Gloucester, MA. Fujinon 10-24 (.3 s @ f14 ISO 100)

Running photo tours along the seacoast can be tricky at times. I am constantly warning participants about the dangers of getting to close to the water as waves can pull you in. The other day I was out shooting in one of my favorite spots which I know quite well but can be dangerous if one is not paying attention. It was well after high tide but the waves were still rolling in as the tide went out. I thought I was well out of the way of any incoming waves and had placed my camera and tripod in a spot down low to catch waves slowly coming in over a rock in front of me. I should have known the best shot would be the one where the wave comes in over the rock and soaks me up to my ankles. A rogue wave came in and blasted over the rock in front of me and got me real good but left the camera dry. Now if I had my “Wellies” on, as the Brits would say, this would not have been a problem. This brings up one of my maxims of shooting water, if you’re not in the water your images will not have any impact. So next time I will remember to bring my boots!

Don’t let lousy weather keep you indoors

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During my workshops one of my mantras is practice. Always have a camera with you whether it be your phone, a good point and shoot or your regular camera. There is no excuse for not having one of them with you. Practicing looking for compositions should be something you enjoy doing whether you happen to make an image or not.

This week the weather report was awful – rain for the whole week. I was not looking forward to sitting in the house banging on the computer.

So on Monday with the drizzle and fog I headed out for a morning walk to see what I could find. It turns out I found quite a bit of interesting things to photograph.

 

Practicing hyperfocal distance is an art form. The Fuji system shows you a hperfocal distance scale with a blue bar that shows what’s in focus and what is not at every aperture. Very useful. Everything in this image is tack sharp front to back.

After I walked around the waterfront I managed to find some more great images along the way.

A person waiting in the fog for the bus with blooming jonquils.
A shop window filled with Rockport coffee mugs waiting to be sold.
An finally left over faux Easter flowers hanging out of a mail slot on a door.

When I got home and let my dog “Kodak” out it was still kind of drizzly and when he came back in he was a little soggy looking. I had the camera with me and I immediately thought I could get a great shot of him looking back out the door with some great background separation. B&W is quite often a great option for this type of photo.

Lousy weather is no excuse to not get out there and shoot. It just might be the opportunity you were looking for to capture a great image.

A Life In Pictures – Steve and Bonnie McCurry (a short review)

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Usually around Christmas I start looking for a great photo book that I could read over the holiday. Last year it was David Douglas Duncan’s book Photo Nomad. This year I thought that a good choice would be Steve and Bonnie McCurry’s book, “A Life in Pictures”. I have always admired Steve’s work and after seeing him advertise it on Instagram I ordered it from Amazon.

I was not prepared for what showed up. An enormous coffee table book which weighs quite a bit. So the immediate problem was how the heck do you curl up on the couch or your favorite easy chair with this monstrosity?

I somehow balanced this giant book on my lap and started to read Bonnie’s accounts of Steve’s travels around the world starting in Afghanistan during the war with Russia then to India, Nepal and all over the world. I was enthralled even though the reading position was uncomfortable. The images are amazing and it was hard to put the book down except for the pain in my lap from trying to balance it.

Right in the middle of reading this book the controversy over the Afghan girl image came up with Tony Northup doing an incredibly bad job of explaining how the image was made and then talking about it on Youtube. After reading Steve and Bonnie’s recollection of how the image was made I am convinced that Tony Northup should be apologizing to Steve McCurry.

I have really enjoyed reading the stories and looking at Steve’s images. If you are a documentary photographer than this book will give you inspiration. Image after great image to look at and to get great ideas from.

Two great McCurry maxims – 1. Light, composition, and a particular moment make for great images. 2. If the situation is good stick with it.

I whole heartedly recommend this book it’s a keeper. Except for the rather large size it’s a winner!