Road to the next level
May, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This is the road out to the cemetery in Post, TX. I loved how the skeletal trees looked like they were cradling it from above. The viewer can bring their own perception to the photo. Is it creepy with the skeleton fingers curling around the road to the dead? Or are they trying to comfort those who are visiting. The sepia tone adds to ambiance as does the white vignette.Time
This was taken close to sunset during a late autumn day in 2011. I don't remember what the date was. That information is buried somewhere in the storage files that have wandered while I wandered. It was actually one of the photos that led to a photo series I did on West Texas. They were commissioned by a short-lived agricultural e-zine that was edited by a friend of mine.Lighting
I love playing with light and shadow. Most of my photos are taken with natural light. Sunset is one of my favorite times of day because of the shadow play. The light is like liquid gold. It just adds an extra depth to anything bathed in it.Equipment
No tripod, monopod, or flash. Just me standing at the end of the road with a Pentax K110D with the basic wide angle lens that came with it.Inspiration
Cemeteries are underrated places. I find them peaceful. There's no drama among the dead. They no longer care what happens on the surface of the planet. Their race through life is over. I find my zen behind the lens of a camera and that meshes well with the peace. I'm not technically savvy. I just see what I like and I do my best to show other people what I see and how I see it. There are endless possibilities in a scene. If I can convey an emotion or tell a story, then I've done my job. One of the exercises that we did in first grade was to write a story based on a picture. It was an exercise in imagination. I've been writing stories with pictures ever since.Editing
I used a web based photo editor that no longer exists to tweak the coloring just a bit then turn the photo sepia. I added a white vignette at first because I liked the contrast with the sepia tone but then I realized what it added to my story. I worried a bit that I shouldn't have used the white. It's not common. But considering the response I've had to this photo through the years, I believe now that it is fine the way it is.In my camera bag
My Pentax is long gone, unfortunately. I have a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with a wide angle and telephoto zoom lenses along with a variety of filters that I hardly use because I do most of my manipulation on the computer. A lot of professional photographers may look down on that. But I find that I have more control to create the image I want to share, the story I want to tell, if I can see it as a whole on a bigger screen. I also carry a lens cleaner, wipes, a notebook, an angled flash, one of those brushes you squeeze air through to blow away dust, and a lens hood to reduce glare.Feedback
Don't be afraid to experiment or to make mistakes. Take chances. Be persistent and know your limits so that you can develop ways to compensate for them. I developed the ability to look at the world around me and see a picture in a frame almost anywhere I go. Don't be afraid to use your emotions or even the emotions of others to help you create art. You can have a technically beautiful photo but if it doesn't inspire a feeling in the viewer, even a negative one if that's what you're trying to convey, it falls flat. On the more technical side, I used the trees to create a frame in the photo. Framing is a wonderful way to make the scene cohesive. I love playing around with the rule of thirds though I don't normally use the top of the photo for the focus. It just worked that way for this photo. Finally, strong lines in a photo lead your viewers eye where you want them to look.
