All in Capturing Context
Photographing a place you frequently visit offers a unique opportunity for a slow approach. Whether it is a place near your home or one that you have come to know after repeated visits, developing a familiarity with it allows you to relax, explore on a deeper level, and discover perspectives and details you might have missed before.
Looking back, I'm almost glad I had the walking cast slowing me down. I would not have captured these images if I had been out hiking and exploring at my normal rhythm. These photographs were possible because of a slower pace. It's a great reminder to take time and be present, rather than rushing through an experience to capture photos.
When looking for unique images, we often have to rethink our viewpoint; whether by looking closer, in unexpected directions, at details, at what’s under our feet, or in the corner of a reflection. Often though, and luckily for us, the simple act of changing your lens is all it takes to change your entire perspective.
Sailing downwind, our jib sail was on the starboard side. Our main sail was set to port. This sail set is called "wing-and-wing." We sailed Salty Paws, a 40-foot sailing catamaran and our home for two decades, to a dock in North Carolina. From there, we planned to sail to Canada. When you live on a boat, your home remains a constant as your surroundings change. Landscapes and fauna slowly transform as you make your way, and wildlife encounters often announce your arrival at a new region.
I am particularly fond of special images captured in less than epic locations. They feel like bigger accomplishments, requiring more attention to your surroundings and heightened attention to details. Which, ultimately, may result in even better photographs than those captured in idyllic or mind-blowing places.
Photographing forests, woodlands, and trees is an exercise in patience, sorting through the compositional chaos of nature. It is, however, also massively gratifying when executed well. Enjoy the process and the journey, and allow yourself to embrace imperfections! Permit yourself freedom from iconic, grand vistas, and slow down long enough to revel in minute details of lesser known places.
Have you ever read a fictional story that resonated with you so deeply that it inspired you to travel somewhere? A story that inspired new adventures, that made you go capture images of a place that you might never otherwise have visited? After reading “The Lewis Trilogy” by Scottish author Peter May, many years ago, I knew that I would embark on such a journey.
The best part of this whole experience was slowing down and taking the time to explore this area and understand the context of it, even before the flood. Using the knowledge from being in the park many seasons, I was able to use the weather as my guide, as I pursued these exciting new outcomes in my abstract photography.
We are all individuals, and through our images we paint a picture of our adventures. This visit to the Subway reminded me to slow to down and be inspired by nature. That's a significant component of the Slow Photography Movement. When we connect with nature, set aside the competition, and enjoy an experience – whether we've done it once or a hundred times – we walk away with more meaningful images and a richer story to tell.
The memories of those nights resonate with me as I think about the purpose behind the Slow Photography movement and the importance of experiences where you are forced to stop and just take in the moment as your shutter remains open collecting the light.
Photography sends me to places I otherwise wouldn’t be, at times I once would have found surprising. So maybe, it is possible that some technology, when used carefully, can make us feel more connected to the natural world; the Boundary Waters is the perfect setting to practice reaching that delicate balance.
I am certainly not an early riser and usually, when I think about getting up early to catch the sunrise, my mind automatically starts creating all sorts of excuses as to why it is better not to go... Many times I have listened to those excuses, but on this occasion, I am happy I didn't!
Over the years, I have realized that photography has acted as a vehicle of sorts to get me to places like this and to experience more memorable moments than I could count. I can’t say that I would have taken the time to go there otherwise, without the carrot of a good photograph to lure me. To me, photography is not just about capturing a moment in time, it also acts as point of focus to get me up and out into the world to experience moments in wondrous places like these.
