The Photographer's Feet

I have always believed that the photographer's feet are one of his/her most important tools. I happened to read this quote from the Ansel Adams the other day: "A good photograph is knowing where to stand." A different way of stating it, but the same idea. One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is that they tend to shoot from the same position, height, angle, etc. This is a mistake in my opinion. There is no way of instantly knowing exactly how to capture an image just by quickly looking at it. You have to work for it. Arrive early. Climb, squat, walk around, lay down. Lowering your camera just a foot or so can make a dramatic change in how the photo will look, particularly when you are using a wide angle lens.

One of the things I find helpful is to take the camera off the tripod. Use a small strap and shoulder the tripod. Doing this and hand holding your camera will allow you to move around and find the right angle and position.

Here are three photos to illustrate the point. All of the photos are of the same subject, yet they could not be more different. Different angles, lighting conditions, camera heights, weather and atmospheric conditions all change the mood and help to tell a different story, so to speak.

Jason

 

 

 

 

Depth

Though photography has been a hobby of mine for over 20 years, I lost interest in it when film photography was making the slow transition to digital. Film photography could be a very expensive hobby, especially with the type of high resolution slide film that I liked to use most. I purchased my first digital camera around 2005, after Hurricane Katrina. In my daily travels along the Coast from Waveland to Ocean Springs, I found myself becoming very drawn to the damaged coast line and the remnant pilings, piers, and harbors, many of which remain in a damaged state to this day. One of the elements of a good photograph is depth. We are all familiar with the beauty of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is one thing to see a beautiful sunrise, a building thunderstorm, or a huge, cloud-filled sky, but capturing that beauty in a photo isn't always easy, especially when the only thing between the photographer and the sky is sand and water. Plenty of beauty, but not much depth. The viewer needs to somehow be drawn into the photo. These old piers and pilings are perfect for achieving this. So I began photographing them. Alot. Thus began my serious re-entry into photography. Here are a few examples. The first panaramic photo won first place in 2012 Art in the Pass.

 

 

 

The idea for this blog post (my first one) came from a photograph that I captured a few weeks ago. I consider it to be one of my better ones, and it will likely be one of the first I offer as a limited edition print. But I have several versions and I need to decide which is best. Hurricane Isaac deposited several trees and stumps along the coast line. I spotted this one a few months back and have been trying to figure out a way to get a photo of it. I needed several things to come together before I could get the shot -- low tide, calm water, and a nice sunrise. Problem.... low tide just never quite got low enough. So I ended up having to use hip waders to get the shot. I am thankful for insulated neoprene. It was in the upper 30's when I captured this photos.

 

 

There are, of course, many other ways to achieve depth in a photo, and I didn't cover the technical aspects... aperture, depth of field, lens selection. I will try to cover some of these topics in future posts.

 

www.coastcaptures.com

 

Jason

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Jason Taylor / Jason Taylor Photography / Coast Captures

Born and raised in Biloxi, I have been a resident of rural Hancock County since 1995. My love for photography began in high school, and for the past two decades I have played the role of, among other things, photojournalist, wedding photographer, and creative designer. But as an amateur naturalist with a professional background in the environmental sciences, my true passion has always been nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. I am particularly focused on taking fine art photos of the Mississippi Coast's many diverse and beautiful natural areas.

I especially enjoy photographing the Barrier Islands. In recent years, I have been taking regular multi-day camping expeditions to Horn Island to document the beauty of this vast and unspoiled wilderness. My experience as a boater and outdoorsman enable me to take on the logistical challenge of documenting this beautiful remote island wilderness, which can often be harsh and dangerous. Recently, Gulf Island’s National Seashore used one of my Horn Island photos for the cover of their newspaper, Gulf Islands Today.

My work has been published in several publications, including Coast Business Journal, Coast Magazine, South Mississippi Living Magazine, and various calendars and technical publications. This year, I was chosen as one of the feature artists/photographers by the Hattiesburg Arts Council, and throughout the month of November, 22 of my prints were on display at the Hattiesburg Cultural Center. In January of this year, I was chosen to display my work for the “Fourth Sunday at Four” at the Christ Episcopal Church in Bay St. Louis. I also had a display booth at Art in the Pass this year for the first time. I won first place in the photography category with a panoramic long exposure photo of the remains of Penthouse Pier in Pass Christian. I currently am exhibiting work in the Fine Art Gallery at the Jackson County Campus of MGCCC. I currently have photos for sale in the Walter Anderson Museum Store and several other galleries along the Coast. In November of 2012, I will be displaying my work at the Peter Anderson Festival of Art in Ocean Springs. Also, the USM Gulf Coast Library will be displaying 33 of my photos throughout the month of November.

Email: pugnacious3333@yahoo.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jason.taylor.14855