Lobster buoys, lobster shack and tree. Fuji 55-200 at 55 (in 35mm terms 85mm)
So how often do you find yourself in a photographic rut? Like doing the same thing over and over again! Like sunrises day after day. Or sunsets day after day chasing Instagram or Facebook likes and shares like they were candy on Easter morning.
I have been one of those photographers that does not do that. Photography is not about making images of the pretty postcard scene everyday just to get those shares and likes on social media. Plenty of people do it but does it make them better as a photographer I would say it does not.
I like to walk around looking for interesting every day things shown in a different light. Today was one of those days as the light was peaking out from behind the clouds. I found a scene I and many others have shot more than a few times. But today I chose to use a long lens and shoot against the light.
When you find yourself with photographers block – change it up! With today’s new lens designs everyone has a good short or long zoom and that’s all they walk out the door with. If that is all you have, find a focal length you never use and tape the lens in that position. Shooting with a focal length you never use will help you gain valuable insight into making great photographs. Then experiment with different f-stops. Very few photographers I know and teach like to shoot wide open. It’s an eye opening experience give it a shot.
The image above was shot at 55mm (85mm in 35mm terms) I almost never use this focal length. So I forced myself to shoot at this focal length. I can’t stress enough how important it is to make yourself move around instead of standing in one place with the zoom lens. Using a fixed focal length lens is a great way to do this. I’m not in a rut at the moment but it does happen and this is how I break out of it.
Fading afternoon light splashes across the autumn colored Essex marsh lighting up the iconic marsh house.
I have never been a big advocate of iPhoneography. But since some of the new photo apps do such a good job of toning and adjustment I am using my phone more and more. My go to app is the Lightroom Mobile app which I use on my phone and my iPad. I’t just like using Lightroom on my computer and gets better with every update. The image above was made as I was shooting images with a long lens and a friend wanted to know what it looked like. I pulled out my phone and made this image which was immediately synced with Lightroom. So when I got home and opened up Lightroom there was my image.
Rockport’s inner harbor lights up with a beautiful sunset.
The image above is one of those times when I was glad to have my phone with me. I was with friends and my camera was not with me. So out came my phone and inside the Lightroom app I was able to shoot in raw and then sync to Lightroom on my computer.
A Rockport Harbor sunset reflects in a window of the Sandy Bay Yacht Club.
After I made the shot in the harbor I started looking around for another shot of it and this is what I was faced with. Again the phone was ready for the task in raw inside the Lightroom Mobile app.
Rockport’s famous Motif #1 sits underneath a beautiful sunset at the end of August.
The only thing wrecking this image is the two ultra modern motor boats tied up in front of the Motif. This sunset was absolutely stunning with it’s different colors changing constantly. Again my phone was the only thing I had so out it came and I used the camera inside the Lightroom Mobile app to shoot in raw which gave me a great chance to get the tones I wanted from this image.
So if you use Lightroom CC Basic or Lightroom CC cloud you have access to the Lightroom Mobile app in the Apple app store. It costs nothing and it syncs up your phone photos to your Lightroom catalog as long as you turn on syncing. The mobile app hooks up to your phone when you activate it and allows you to shoot raw images. Inside the Lightroom Mobile app, when you set the app to Pro mode you are able to control the camera’s white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation. This is a huge deal! Imagine this, if you click on the little padlock it locks your exposure. Pretty impressive.
Traveling to a new location can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Recently I had a client in from New Jersey and she was very excited for her photographic adventure. Cape Ann is not new to her but she was still a bit overwhelmed by the beauty this location offers. This was a three day excursion but she had some things in mind that she wanted to capture.
This was a key to making her tour work as well as it did. I wanted to start off with something fun and easy so sunrise was a great choice and Good Harbor Beach came through like it usually does with a beautiful sunrise. A photographic nugget if there ever was one.
Sunrise Good Harbor Beach
The rest of the morning on our first day came easily as we moved over to Rockport and ran into Gussy the lobsterman. A great character who explained his bait and how the lobstering would go for the day. My client did a great job of photographing him and telling a little story (another post on story telling while traveling will feature her photos). Gussy was an incredible nugget!
Gussy heads out to his lobster boat.
I felt it was important to look for different things so we started trying out different compositions of interesting subjects. Shooting through this window while shading the camera made for an interesting image.
Long early morning shadows play on a floor shot through a window.
Looking at things differently can be fun! You just need to think differently when looking for interesting subjects. Another nugget!
This lobster shack has an interesting window.
I love this lobster shack as it has a great sign in it along with buoy’s on the outside and traps next to it. The entrance is even more interesting but we have shot it before. A nugget for sure!
One of the things my client was hoping for was some fog. On the second day we found some and I made this photo while I was waiting for her.
A fisherman watches the fog clearing off Atlantic Rd. in Gloucester.
An unexpected nugget.
The next day we headed over to Rocky Neck to see what we could find and came across this old rusty bike against a green background. Wow, what a find!
Old rusty bike up against an outside wall at Sailor Stan’s on Rocky Neck.
Photographic nuggets seem to jump out at you when you slow down and walk about! We shot every angle of this bike – close, far way, you name it every angle.
Day three was rainy with thunder storms here and there.
We headed over to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum and looking for more nuggets! The rain had stopped and the sun was peaking through here and there so the contrast with everything wet was awesome! Nuggets everywhere!
Oars lean up against a shack at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum in Essex, MA.
These dories all lined up created an interesting composition with the Burnham shipyard in the background!
Rowing dories wait to be used at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.
On the last day in the afternoon we dodged some rain drops again and looked for some great compositions at Granite Pier in Rockport. I knew that traps, buoy’s and other assorted fishing gear is in abundance there so we headed over for more nuggets.
Lobster buoy’s and a skiff wait to be used at Granite Pier in Rockport.
The use of a ultra wide 15mm was the key to making this shot work. Very cool!
Then we ended our three day adventure with an appropriate sunset at Cambridge Beach in Annisquam. It was a little disappointing but certainly not bad and still a nugget.
Sun sets as a fishing boat slides into Ipswich Bay.
Finding the photographic nuggets is what makes any photographic trip worthwhile. Make time to explore and they will show themselves to you. Don’t rush about trying to fit everything in. Concentrate on a few areas and really work them in the best light possible. Nuggets don’t appear at 12 noon!
