Motel, near Perry, FL 2011
This past weekend I went to Tallahassee to do some shooting in southern Georgia and Alabama. I went with my good friend Jon Manchester and then we met another good friend, Todd Bertolaet in Tallahassee and we went off for a day of shooting.
True to the way that I approach finding my images we went out early and drove in the general direction of various towns in southern Georgia and Alabama. If at anyplace along the road we see something of interest we would stop and look closer and then maybe make an image or two. I sometimes make a stop along the road just to make some photos, to break the ice as it were. Sometime it feels like if I do not make the first image at some point, then the day will be lost. I do not care if the image comes to something, I just need to get the camera out and expose a few frames.
While I was having a great time, both Todd and Jon are good people to spend time with; I was frustrated that I just didn’t think that I was getting anything photographically. It was frustrating, but I kept plugging away trying to make the most of opportunities that at first glance I did not think much of. But when I got back to the room, looking over what I had shot, there were some gems among the photographs that I took. From this I learned two lessons: First, there are not always great subjects out there. Or at the very least, there are not good subjects that are apparent to you. Second, it is not always the subject, but what you, as the photographer make of it. The best of my images from last weekend came mostly from my seeing the light and finding interesting subjects in that light and then finding the best composition for the subject in that light. It is always a building process.
Great images or not, it was a good weekend with friends and photography. To my mind not a bad way to spend a couple of days.
Rick
No matter the moment.. or what we are doing its a gift to have our friends along for the adventure… It sounds like you all had a great time….