More and more I am understanding that no matter where I am, with whatever type of camera equipment I have, and how ever much time I have on my hands – - If I am not in the right frame of mind, there’s “nothing” worth shooting.
Conversely, if I want to create, there’s always something worth creating. It might be in my basement, it might be in my back yard – or in this case , it might be a frozen boat yard taking pictures of things that otherwise might not be noticed.
Star of the Show
It was nearing sunset. I snapped off several shots of some rusted fishing bouys (I apologize to any commercial fisher-people out there. I don’t know what they are called), dry-docked boats and all sorts of other maritime brick-a-brack. It was cold. I was alone with only the sounds of ice and water mixing it up nearby. But I was in the mood. I was excited! I knew there was something waiting to be created.
I got back home and immediately got to work on editing this shot of a commercial fishing boat in the boat yard. It was being lit up by the setting sun. For a few minutes just before sunset, that boat was the star of the show. That was fun to work on.
Later, the creative mood hit me again, and I went back through some of those other shots that I was getting ready to “black flag” in Lightroom and subsequently delete. The rusty floats really didnt want to go away! I had taken several shots at different exposures for an HDR, but the color HDR just looked either too ordinary, or too cartoonish.
But then, because I was driven by a creative itch that needed scratching, I decided to try on Black and White for size. About 20 minutes later, I was totally satisfied with the outcome. I hope you are, too. I call it my “Creativity and Sunset Fishing Orb”.
Remember: It doesn’t matter where you are or what kind of gear you have. You can be using a Nikon D800, Canon 5DIII, or some other latest-and-greatest camera, along with all the photographic trappings. But guess what? It’s not in the gear. It’s in the attitude, the passion, the determination – that urge that gets you up at 4:30 to catch the sunrise – - – that’s what allows you to create. If your like me, someone who likes all things new and shiny, that’s a hard thing to remember. But remember it we must.
My new mantra: Creativity is not in my camera bag, it’s in brain and soul!
Update: 04/7/12 – the buoys are harbor buoys/markers used to delineate where the Kenai River ends and the Cook Inlet begins. Like everything else maritime this time of year, they are “parked” for the winter
Fishing Orb
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