Reconnaissance is important, any military-type or pre-sale shopper will agree.
On my summer trip to Guilin I did a little scouting before snapping away. On a map, on my cheap hostel bed, I plotted what I wanted to shoot, and then went for a little walk. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times for photography (some may disagree). The light is colorful and warms up each frame.
I visited each location and looked at how it was situated in relation to the sun. How would it look at 8 am? How would it look at 7 pm? I used a little imagination, and knowledge. Luck is another factor in photography that most pros never acknowledge. I’m of the belief that most of the best photographs are accidental, and the artist is as surprised as those that view his or her work.
This is a tower shot at 9 am. Without putting too fine a point on it: It sucks.
This is same tower shot on my return, after planning for the late afternoon light. Much better, I think.
Scout before you shoot is the nugget I pass along. With a little luck, something great can be captured.
This is all from me for a while. I’m a little busy to post and comment. Real life, employment and obligations can be problematic. I’ll be in a cyber-suspended animation for the next week or so. Don’t you forget about me!
September 13th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Reading slowly through a lot of posts. Been busy too. The airport pic made me smile. Sometimes comments are so superfluous. You are so much better at that than I am.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:05 am
Thanks for the photography tip! I am cameraless right now, but I hope to fix that eventually.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Won’t forget. Thanks for the comparison shots, I love these. The second one is *so* much better… strange how the light and the sky change the colors in the tower.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:36 am
I’ll agree that happenstance can make a good shot excellent. But I think a lot of great photography is prepared for quite carefully, just as you did, and the photographer knows precisely how to do it.
Have you ever seen the photo of Picasso using a penlight to draw a cubist bull in a dark cellar? They used time lapse. So the lens is open as he quickly draws the bull in the dark, in one long beautiful line, and then they turn on the light and snap the shutter so he is looking right at the camera at the end, through the light-drawn bull. It’s brilliant.
September 16th, 2007 at 2:49 am
The element of luck cannot be over-stated in my opinion, its a gentle balance of skill and cirumstance that will produce the best shots in my opinion, now whilst I can do something about the skill part of that equation, the circumstance does need a little scouting beforehand.
September 17th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
This is really juvenile of me but you might remember SCTV’s House of Dr Tongue. Well with your second tower picture, if you scroll up and down fast over and over again you get that 3d effect. Its all too much fun. (Have ta do the sound effect in your head).