Dee
Thank you for responding to this posted series and your appreciative comment.
You have left me with a memorable expression,This is “your year to study light”,it could be a great reminder as photographic friends in parting,we could say to each other -remember, this is the year to study light .”It could also be said ,-like a well intentioned new years commitment.-Well, this is it -this is the year I’m going to study light.”
You mentioned another favorite subject that goes hand in hand with light- the subject of seeing, put together.....SEEING LIGHT. (I’ll go another 20 or 30 posts before I capitalize any two words together.-would be willing to post these two little words in color,or set them ablaze to impart there significance to me ,as seeing light, I experience to be the essence of photography.
I find the topic of Seeing to be an endlessly fascinating subject.In regards to these buoy images,the mariner sees the amount of air in the buoy,sees and the space between the buoys necessary to protect the ship from ramming the dock.sees whether the knots are holding ,and sees the rope is set at the right length. Yet paradoxically, For him, If the buoys are doing their job he may, in a photographic sense,he may not see them again.
We see what,how,when,and where we are accustomed to through force of habit. Creativity through photographic allows us to take ourselves of auto-matic,and explore the world with eyes of childlike wonder and innocence. You made an interesting statement when you said,”I see without analyzing”. I have the notion that we can sense without analyzing,but that seeing,as regards to light is a conscious act of awareness.
In learning to see I place the emphasis less on the study aspect of light,and more on a relaxed attentiveness.a little like making time to chew and taste good foods.-savoring the light,-ethereal, intangible, ever changing. Attention to seeing light is as elusive,as it is rewarding. I chose to make it a priority.
You asked does a tripod make a difference when there's enough light for hand held. I am a big believer in tripods ,My Manfrotto with the Leitz ball head,and quick release I’ve had over twenty years. My f707 with the zoom fully out ,with the TCON -14B telephoto converter attached would require 320 second hand held.-I far prefer to preset at 100 asa,and frequently shoot aperture priority-5.6 a reference point ,all this adds up to= tripod.(I have also enjoyed shooting in a marketplace on the fly-hand held 2.8 - at 200asa.)
However,routinely If I want assured controlled results,that I could enlarge to 13x 19 ,I want those valued images shot from a stable tripod. It can feel burdensome lugging around a tripod-but there is good reason to do so. I’ve a second tripod that I will take with me on special occasions such as hiking-camping.- quite unique-possibily the lightest sturdiest,and certainly most compact in its class.-also designed to convert into a mono pod. A bit expensive -german made. The: “Cullman magic 2.”If your alternating between tripod - or no tripod you may want to check this one out .
Regards Norman
http://www.pbase.com/norman
Since this is my year to study light, I found your post
particularly interesting and informative. I think I see these
things without analyzing them, so it's educational to me that you
saw the black boat turned red. I would have noticed the water
reflection, but I'm not so sure I would have noticed the reflection
on the boat. I need to train myself to do this more often.
Beautiful photos, and so sharp. Does the tripod really make that
much difference when there's enough light for a hand held shot?
Dee
I just love what water can do for photos.--ShayMy F707 Gallery: