Nature Photography Photo Workshop

6.2. POINT-AND-SHOOT VERSUS PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS

Many photographers just starting out will rush to the spot that provides the best view of a grand scene and start snapping away. This is the same spot that countless hordes of other photographers and tourists have made their pictures. You know the ones I'm talking about — the pictures of places you've seen many times. In the United States, places like the Maroon Bells in Colorado (see 6-2), Haystack Rock in Oregon, Yosemite National Park, and the Great Smoky Mountains are favorite destinations both for serious photographers and casual tourists. In these cases, your job is to produce something unique from a place that's been photographed a gazillion times.

6.2.1. POINT-AND-SHOOT MENTALITY

If you walk to a spot, quickly set up your tripod, and immediately start shooting, you need to have a good reason for working this way, such as rapidly changing conditions that you don't want to miss. If the sun is about to set, the rainbow is fading fast, or those giant rain clouds are only minutes away, work quickly to make your photographs. To do this you need to know your gear and be able to quickly previsualize on location.

But in every case where you can slow down and really work the location, you should. The point-and-shoot mentality most often produces mediocre pictures at best. Many photos published as postcards and calendars are straight shots with little creative interpretation (see 6-3).

Whether the location is a place nobody's ...