The single, most important, lesson any photo student needs to take to heart.
If there’s one lesson I wish I could instill into every photo student’s cranium, it would be to simply bring their camera with them everywhere. Their chances of creating something magical goes up exponentially simply by having a camera with them. You never know what you’ll run into while out and about. I promise you, you will instantly hate yourself for the rest of the day, if not your life, if you come across an amazing situation and you’re not ready for it.
Don’t even bother trying to run home and get it because, by the time you get back, the moment will be gone. The light changes, the thing is moved, et cetera.
Take these tulips, for example. I was just walking around a local farmer’s market this morning when I saw these tulips laying in the street, decapitated. The very last image in the gallery is exactly what I saw after I set my camera bag down near them. The red caught my eye, naturally, as the human eye identifies the color red first in any scene. As I approached them, I marveled at the texture juxtaposition with the soft petals contrasting against the harsh gravel. The mind spun with stories of what happened to result in this scene.
The icing on the cake, for me, was the fact that they were still covered in morning dew. I have a few photographic sayings that I will be remembered for long after I’m gone. Those that I’ve taught knows what’s about to come and are saying it out loud as I type it.
Wetter is better.
Done laughing? Good. Hear me out. Simply put, just about everything you can shoot will look better if there’s water involved. Flowers? Lettuce? Skin? Hair? Glass of cola? Pavement? Cars? Yep. Electronics being the exception unless it’s waterproof and you want to show that. You might think it’s funny but I promise you, you won’t forget this little nugget of info.
I was actually regretting leaving my spray bottle at home that I have for just such situations when I was walking up on the flowers. Then I saw that the Photo Gods smiled down on me by providing big, fat, water droplets on them. I was lucky. Perfection. Look what those little drops of liquid diamonds do to the scene. They add so much interest.
So, tip number 2 would be to go to your local Target/Walmart or pet store and buying a $4 water mister and keep it with you when you’re out and about on photo safaris. You won’t regret it.
Photography by Mark K 