The Other Colors Of Iron
I hate following crowds. or shooting among them. If you've followed my photography for a while you may recall my album "Anything But Zabriskie". That's just the way I felt about Death Valley 20 years ago; yeah, the park was cool, and even the badlands around Zabriskie Point were cool and all, but don't make me stand in a crowd of tourists and shoot the same "postcard shot".
My take on that has evolved. People come from all over the world to see the varied and exotic landscape that Death Valley National Park has to offer, and sure, there are more unique places and subjects/compositions to discover and to show people, but in National Parks the main viewpoints were established exactly because they offered interesting locations with stunning views. So approach them with an open mind, and new possibilities open up. Sometimes you'll get dramatic and unique weather Sure, maybe the view is crawling with people from right after breakfast to right before dinner , but sometimes you'll find intimate compositions at a different focal length.
If you approach a location with a different mindset, you may find that there are nearly infinite compositions to be found, and that what you find when you arrive can often dramatically exceed your expectations. Especially if your expectations were low.
If people want the "postcard spot", no problem, there's a reason that he spot and those postcards exist. Maybe people want the experience, the memory of the visit, the travel, the adventure. An image can be one more milepost in a life well lived. A bucket list item checked. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that. Those of use who have "been there before", accept the challenge of seeing something new. perceiving something new. Capturing something new (to us, if not new to all mankind). Drop the arrogance, the contempt of familiarity, and see what's actually available when you become willing to see..
The Other Colors Of Iron
I hate following crowds. or shooting among them. If you've followed my photography for a while you may recall my album "Anything But Zabriskie". That's just the way I felt about Death Valley 20 years ago; yeah, the park was cool, and even the badlands around Zabriskie Point were cool and all, but don't make me stand in a crowd of tourists and shoot the same "postcard shot".
My take on that has evolved. People come from all over the world to see the varied and exotic landscape that Death Valley National Park has to offer, and sure, there are more unique places and subjects/compositions to discover and to show people, but in National Parks the main viewpoints were established exactly because they offered interesting locations with stunning views. So approach them with an open mind, and new possibilities open up. Sometimes you'll get dramatic and unique weather Sure, maybe the view is crawling with people from right after breakfast to right before dinner , but sometimes you'll find intimate compositions at a different focal length.
If you approach a location with a different mindset, you may find that there are nearly infinite compositions to be found, and that what you find when you arrive can often dramatically exceed your expectations. Especially if your expectations were low.
If people want the "postcard spot", no problem, there's a reason that he spot and those postcards exist. Maybe people want the experience, the memory of the visit, the travel, the adventure. An image can be one more milepost in a life well lived. A bucket list item checked. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that. Those of use who have "been there before", accept the challenge of seeing something new. perceiving something new. Capturing something new (to us, if not new to all mankind). Drop the arrogance, the contempt of familiarity, and see what's actually available when you become willing to see..