2109_2860 Horseshoe Lake
I had driven past the trailhead countless times, but never stopped. Finally, during last year's visit, I did, and hiked the shore at the edge of the forest, and it was good. Fabulous low cliffs on the opposite shore. Pristine water. Only a few other hikers, spread out. A quiet place, with many rocky perches to sit and contemplate or meditate or just rest a while.
I'm not positive this image works as well as I had hoped; it seems a tad busy with detail. Cropping it square was an attempt to control some of this. I do like the division of space, the individual elements, and the light - just not sure how well they work together. As with yesterday's shot of Medicine Lake, I framed this to exclude the sky, thinking the image was stronger without.
I often don't know if my image is going to work - I shoot a lot of bad ones, and in fact used to tell my students to shoot a lot of bad ones. If we don't push ourselves, if we don't really explore the relationships between objects within our frame, we run the risk of creating a bunch of competent but boring pictures that don't break any new ground or allow for growth. We have to be willing to risk failure. Great shots seldom come from playing it safe.
Don't be afraid of pixels. They're harmless.
Photographed at Horseshoe Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2109_2860 Horseshoe Lake
I had driven past the trailhead countless times, but never stopped. Finally, during last year's visit, I did, and hiked the shore at the edge of the forest, and it was good. Fabulous low cliffs on the opposite shore. Pristine water. Only a few other hikers, spread out. A quiet place, with many rocky perches to sit and contemplate or meditate or just rest a while.
I'm not positive this image works as well as I had hoped; it seems a tad busy with detail. Cropping it square was an attempt to control some of this. I do like the division of space, the individual elements, and the light - just not sure how well they work together. As with yesterday's shot of Medicine Lake, I framed this to exclude the sky, thinking the image was stronger without.
I often don't know if my image is going to work - I shoot a lot of bad ones, and in fact used to tell my students to shoot a lot of bad ones. If we don't push ourselves, if we don't really explore the relationships between objects within our frame, we run the risk of creating a bunch of competent but boring pictures that don't break any new ground or allow for growth. We have to be willing to risk failure. Great shots seldom come from playing it safe.
Don't be afraid of pixels. They're harmless.
Photographed at Horseshoe Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.