Behind The Lens - Bridge To The Unknown

It’s amazing to see a common, everyday item from a different perspective. Literally, by moving around and trying to expose a common scene from an uncommon perspective, you sometimes get lucky.

This is an image of a bridge on the Lilly Pad Lake trail outside of Silverthorne, Colorado in the fall of 2008. This bridge was built so hikers would not disturb the wetlands that stand between the trailhead and Lilly Pad Lake for which it is named.

What caught my eye about this particular scene was how the tall grass on either side of the bridge makes you wonder what is around the corner ahead. So, I looked around for some differing perspectives, found this one, got low, and pressed the shutter release on my camera.

This image really speaks to the uncertain future we all face. As much as we like to anticipate and believe we know what is around the bend, the fact is we don’t. In our journey, we sometimes utilize support mechanisms such as a bridge, to get from point A to point B. The simple fact is that we have no idea what is around that corner. Does that stop us from wanting to proceed? No.

The noble curiosity of the human spirit is inspiring. In my own experience, I’ve found that those unexpected encounters around the corner shape who we are as individuals and speaks to our resilience as a species.

Although we cannot always predict the future, we continue on our journey regardless.

For you skeptics out there I will concede that this is, in fact, just a photograph of a bridge. However, I would hope that by altering my perspective when I made this image your observation of the scene has changed. When you looked at the photograph for the first time, did you follow the path over the bridge and wonder what was to the right? I bet you did.

It’s all about how we view the scene and how you see the world. If things get boring, alter the way you see your surroundings. You’ll be amazed at the results.

This image is available for purchase here.

Almost Walking On Water

The Look Across Generations

If Steven Tyler Were A Cheetah...

I Light The World When The Sun Goes To Sleep

Foundation A Country Was Build Upon

Behind The Lens - A Look All Her Own

When people look to have their portrait made, it is interesting from a physiological perspective. Look, we all have some sense of vanity. We all have a notion in our minds of how we hope the world sees us. For me, a posed portrait is an opportunity for the photographer to make beautiful images of that individual's facade. Nothing more.

Candid photography can help capture the spirt of an individual below that facade in a way a posed portrait can’t. But, one of the best ways to get real, sometimes very raw, candid shots of your subjects is to set them up for the posed portrait and then do something off the wall to have them react. Then, the person is exposed for who they truly are.

For me, that’s where the true beauty lies.

This is a portrait of a good friend of mine taken in January of 2010 in downtown Denver. What I think makes this shot interesting is how she connects with the viewer via her eyes. Eyes are a window into the soul. And hence, a window into the true self of the person being photographed. I’ll let you in on a little secret - this was not the first shot in this proverbial pose.

This shot came about half way through this portrait session. As my friend was posing, I was telling jokes and making her laugh. Then, I said something I knew she would react to, and I got this. Her raw emotion.

Don’t get me wrong, a LOT of post processing magic was done on this shot. But, at the end of the day, I ended up with something that was unique, beautiful, and shows the essence of this individual.

Facades have their place in this image driven world. But, sometimes it is nice to contrast the social norm with something that is raw, captivating, and truly tells a story. A Look All Her Own, I believe, accomplishes this.

This image is not for sale. However, if you are interested in information for a portrait session, please contact me.

Flap Of The Femal

Head Gear of the Male

Intelligible Poise

Things I Remember And Soon Forget

Soaring Of The Gull

Droplet of Life

Crossing The Sound

Memories Never Forgotten

The Window Into My Soul

Angled Texture

Darkness and Tranquility

Avian Color

Harmonic Dance Of The Evening

Behind The Lens - Windy Stillness

Good things come to those who wait. That’s the mantra you used to hear from your parents, right? I hate to be the one who says this, but…. they were right.

At least in the photographic sense.

This is a photograph made at a Farm Museum in Littleton, Colorado. As I was walking around the museum, many different elements of this scene all caught my eye individually. The windmill, the barn, the fence, and (most importantly) the sky. Add to that, this scene is one that most don’t expect to see in an urban setting.

As a side note, for those who don’t know, Littleton is not exactly a rural part of Colorado as it is a major suburb to Denver. If I omitted to tell you where this image was made, I bet you’d never guessed it (some may not even believe it was in Colorado).

So all of these elements had caught my eye and I was looking for a perspective that could tie it all together. I found that angle (the one you see above), but there was one rather apparent problem… I visited the museum on a rather busy day. Busy day equals many people. People in this scene are not something I wanted. Therefore, I had to wait… And wait… And wait…

To add another layer of complexity to my diminishing patience was the clouds. The drama in the clouds is something that I really wanted as I think it adds a lot to the photograph.

So once again, I am all set up, with my camera on my tripod and waiting… Not only for people to be out of the scene, but also to wait for the clouds to be ‘just right’.

I will admit, I was beginning to question my sanity at points as I stood there waiting for two uncontrollable elements to play nicely with each other. Fortunate for me, after several hours, I got my chance... Everything was just right… The clouds? Perfect. People in the scene? Negative. And so, with the wind blowing through the scene, I got my chance. Windy Stillness is the result.

Alexandre Dumas Père once said, “All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope”. He couldn’t be more right. So yes, mom and dad, you win this one and thanks for the advice!

This image is available for purchase here.

Waterlogged But Brilliant