When Time Slows Down
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 6:42AM 
I'm often hustling from one client to another, and have lately found myself cutting things so tight, that I have no choice but to RUN in order to arrive on time, and catch trains. While I don't mind the exercise, it's the mental strain of constantly being on-the-go that takes a toll. And so it was at this pace which I sped down the highway to meet a client only to discover, they were running 15 minutes late. I texted back "no problem, see you soon" and broke out my 40D with 85mm f1.8 prime lens.
At quick glance, the scene did not have the makings of a remarkable landscape. Upon closer inspection though, I noticed the magnificent way the dry grasses and sandy dunes mixed with the evergreen trees and shady areas. Excited, I thought, "what's not a picture here!" and started to spot meter the brightest areas of the scene to render them as close to white as possible without overexposing. Working with the fixed focal length forced me to compose with my feet and look for the bet composition rather than zooming into it. I began creating images and this is where time slowed down. There were endless possibilities for photographs limited only by my imagination. A tree I've passed hundreds of times without taking one frame now appeared to be a splendid subject. It begs the question, what else am I not seeing the potential in due to the hectic pace of life?
Once again, the camera has allowed me to shed light on the less tangible aspects of what's happening within, while I work to capture the world outside.
Nature
Reader Comments (3)
Don't know if you ment to highlight this, but it is amazing how a single focal length lens can make one really work a scene instead of just zooming, shooting and moving on. Nicely done, and would not have been as good had you just stopped, zoomed and shot.
Love you work Chris and that's why I like to follow your posts. You know the ol' saying, "those who can do and those who can't teach." Well, you constantly prove that you can do both... :-)
Thanks Glenn, I agree there is a really different element to working with primes. I rely on my zooms most of the time as they are simply faster to recompose and grab the shot. This is perfect for events and sports, but not necessarily required for landscapes. I appreciate your feedback!
Great capture Chris! I find this happens to me all the time! I'll take a photo of a subject and while I'm checking the display, I find a photo subject within the subject! This oft repeated process is training me to "see" better. Thanks for your inspiration!