Sometimes We Try Too Hard

80% Chance of Rain; 100% Chance of Color
Originally uploaded by Webb Sight

It was an overcast, drizzly, blustery day as a friend and I escorted a group of Seniors from our church on a trip to the Dallas Arboretum. All thoughts of cold and wind were soon forgotten though as we saw the flowers (well, not the wind 'cause that makes the picture taking a bit troublesome).

Because I was there to help with photo questions from the group, I didn't take my usual DSLR, extra lenses, tripod, etc. but rather just pocketed a point-and-shoot camera.

You know, it was a very liberating experience to not have to worry about finding a place to set up the tripod, attaching the shutter release cord, deciding upon which filter to use (or none), selecting the best combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO, peering through the viewfinder for just the right angle and composition, ... you are familiar with the drill. This day it was just a little point-and-shoot camera making most of the decisions about the settings.

When I got home and viewed the photos on my computer I was a bit bemused that they turned out so well. It was like they were sending me a message that the stuff I typically take with me is not always necessary to make good images.

Once again I was reminded that photography is NOT about the equipment or the fussing about settings or the megapixels. It is about the light and the image and capturing a photo that allows you to share the feeling of the moment or the place.

Photography is also about stepping back, relaxing, enjoying the moment and sometimes not trying so hard.

It's All In How You Look At It

Flaming S not FlamingO
Originally uploaded by Webb Sight

While checking out some flamingos one afternoon I found them all napping. I had started out for that typical "portrait" shot, you know the one, but the birds just were NOT going to cooperate. However, I found that by merely walking a few paces to my left I could get an entirely new (to me) perspective on these birds that I was even more captivated with.

Over the years I have found that many times when we are all set and focused on a particular image (or outcome dealing with "whatever") we often find ourselves not getting what we wanted, expected or sought. In those situations when I have decided that I will just make the best of it I often find that the outcome is better than what I was originally going after.

It's all in how you look at it.

A Reminder of Spring

A Reminder of Spring
Originally uploaded by Webb Sight

Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundiflora)

I was browsing my images files and came across this shot I made this spring in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. The Springtime morning light was falling perfectly and spectacularly on this blossom.

While this photo is nothing special it brightened this winter day for me and I thought I'd pass it along.

Spring is just 3 months away. Hang in there.


(image: BW10839)

A Fall Morning in the Garden

A good friend and photo buddy mentioned going to the Japanese Garden in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and, boy, am I glad I went. The Japanese maples and the cottonwoods were showing off their colors in one of the best Fall color seasons we've had around here in years.

Thanks Mark.

Just Waiting

Shiloh - Quiet Now
Originally uploaded by webbimage

While spending some time back in my boyhood home in Northern Mississippi during the first week of November, I made time to visit Shiloh National Military Park. It had been more than 35 years since my last visit and I wanted to reacquaint myself with the battlefield.

The Fall weather was perfect and the color of the trees added beauty to what is now a serene place to visit. On April 6th and 7th of 1862 it was not so serene. More than 30,000 men were wounded or killed in the battles that took place here. The casualties of the first day alone (23,746) were greater than all the wars America had fought to that time.

This visit to Shiloh is an example of how we are sometimes surprised by beauty as the most incongruous of elements combine to make a striking photograph. In this case, the foliage caught my eye first as I neared the spot. As I got closer, the clean, strong lines of the cannon and the rough texture of the split rail fence provided a stark contrast to the soft beauty of the trees and the clear blue sky.

It was a scene just waiting for me that day.

Sometimes You Have to "Settle"

It had been a long afternoon waiting for the Apache attack helicopter to take off from its public display in Southlake, Texas. I had talked to the pilots and I knew just what shot I wanted. They were going to lift off, hover a bit, give the "thumbs up" and then move off.

It was that "thumbs up" shot I was waiting for and prepared for. I had the polarizer on and adjusted for the angle of the shot so I could cancel the reflections in the canopy that might obscure the pilots. I had the ISO set high enough to allow a good, quick shutter speed with a moderate f/stop to give me the depth of field I wanted, etc.

Well, as we know "the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." In this case, there was a malfunction in the helicopter that meant the 5:00 p.m. departure was going to be delayed. When it became 7:00 p.m. and the mechanics still hadn't arrived, I knew it was very likely going to be almost completely dark when the helicopter took off.

I started looking around for another shot and tried to work a bit of the sunset color into the frame. I couldn't get the color on the horizon in the frame (we were in a supermarket parking lot) but as I walked around the aircraft looking for a shot I saw the sunset lighting up the underside of one of the main rotor blades. I thought that glow with a silhouette of the rotor head might just be interesting. Snap! Here's the result. Click on the image for a larger view.

Nope it's not as exciting as shot of a pilot giving me the "thumbs up" as the aircraft flies by but I'll settle for this one. (THIS time.)

Image © 2008 Bill Webb, All Rights Reserved

Dawn's Early Light (Serendipity)

Well, I was in my home town of Ashland, MS, and was out early photographing an old house in the dawn light. As I was finishing up with shots of the house and lawn I turned and saw the sunlight striking this decorative well covered with vines and festooned with a small American flag.

Sometimes luck is more important than planning (but not often). And to be honest, had I not planned to be on site for the dawn light I wouldn't have "lucked" into this shot.

For those of you who might have spotted the figurine hidden by some of the vines and part of the flag, please read nothing more than "decoration" into the placement. There is no social or racial statement at work here. The people who own the house do not have any racial prejudices that I have ever witnessed.

Image © 2008 Bill Webb, All Rights Reserved