Over the years I have come to believe that being mindful in the presence of Nature involves some basic truisms of walking in the world around me: seeking to be still, to be present, to be patient and to be persistent. The “4 Be’s” as Bonnie and I call them are distillations from the writings of Patricia Turner. Before Patricia Turner there were the teachings of Native Elders too numerous to name and Taoist sages, also an acccounting lost in history. All of them pointing me to a single reality: it is in connection that “seeing” is born. In connection, Nature speaks, and so my wandering is about this and nothing more.
On a very rainy day recently we were wandering along Middle Prong of Little Pigeon River in the Greenbrier section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place we have wandered many times. But each connection is different, and so this image was what spoke this time. A focal length of 17mm gave me the angle of view I wanted – wide-angle with a bit of a twist. An aperture of f/22 provided depth-of-field, and, at ISO 100, required a shutter speed of 10 seconds for an overall medium exposure.
Holding an umbrella to keep water off a lens and adjusting settings on a camera have always been a fun balancing act, no matter where you are; but nowhere more so than in Greenbrier.
Hi Don, nice image! First thing I wondered was did he shoot it as a vertical, too, with the gap between the trees and the river getting more emphasis.
That is so much how I look at life in wild…sure I look at the Big Picture, yet it is the small things that finish the puzzle. Thank you for that picture of life in the wild, Don!
This picture has a painting like feel to it. Always wondered how people achieved that look. Looks like a long exposure may be the missing ingredient for me. Will have to give it a try.
There are so many stories in the old trees and rocks. This one looks like a giant wooden hand is protecting the rocks from the intruding trees, drawing the line for where trees can grow. Meanwhile it looks like the moss can grow anywhere it wants and the water doesn’t care because it is just passing through. I like the cool tones of the image. It looks like all the characters in the image are patiently waiting for spring. Thanks for sharing.
Good afternoon Everyone. Thank you all very much for joining me for this conversation. It is a real pleasure to hear from all of you. As I sit looking at this Image and read your thoughtful comments a litany of responses occurs to me, so let’s get started.
Hey Jeff. It’s always good to hear from you. I hope all is well. Thanks for your kind comments; and to answer directly: yes, most certainly I looked at the possibility of a vertical composition. Pat O’Hara made sure I understood that portrait and landscape formats were essential considerations. Here, however, I chose not to create a vertical image because when I flipped the camera over, there was so much white sky introduced into the composition – there was fog everywhere in the trees too, that it became a huge distraction and just did not work for me. With a different background and a different sky as well, your suggestion might have made for something very dramatic and interesting. It was certainly something to have in mind.
Hey Ted. It’s great to have you with us. Every time I pass through Cincinnati I wonder how you are doing, and I think about all the good work your organization has done for the Smokies. You are so right, it is the small things, the little mindful considerations that make for the difference between an average image and a “wow, I really like that.” Walk in Beauty, my friend.
Hey Kev. Great to have you with me. You know, technically, the only aspect of an image that is affected by shutter speed is the rendition of motion – any motion – so that even surface tension on the still surface of a pond can reveal the “motion of varying shutter speeds. As I thought about the settings for this image, after I was out of the rain, I realized that I could have raised my ISO, and I probably could have successfully opened my aperture to f/16 and achieved a shutter speed of 2.5 seconds. The motion of the water in the river was quite brisk, but those 2-stops of difference would have been very noticeable in the outcome; but point being I don’t think any of that would have made the image more or less painterly. The result you mention is, I think,. the outcome of a different set of factors. Very interesting observation; we’ll explore it in Michigan.
Hey Nancy T. You have managed – as you always do – to create a wonderful cast of characters, otherwise known as elements of composition, to reveal to us what our eyes only thought they saw. And, as always, in the end, it is we you must thank you for sharing such a wonderful story, wrapped up in a wonderful conclusion: spring is just around the corner and aren’t we lucky? Be well and we’ll talk again soon.
Thank you, again, Everyone. The cool tones that Nancy T. reminded us of may not carry the fiery drama of red, yellow, and orange, but they can be every bit as powerful when we carefully consider how they are used with other elements of design. Walk in Beauty All.