Sun and Squalls, Abbott’s Lagoon, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California, 2018
Leica D-Lux Typ 109
24mm (equiv.), 1/640 f/5.6, ISO 200
Hand held
BALANCE, IN LIFE AND PHOTOS
I had the good fortune to spend the weekend with family after being in the San Francisco area for a conference this week. I headed out to my sister’s house in Point Reyes Station, on the coast abutting Point Reyes National Seashore. I’ve shot there a few times before, and as I noted in a journal entry from November of 2016, the area is photographic hallowed ground. It’s not a challenge to understand that. While Yosemite was dubbed by Ansel Adams as ‘The Range of Light’, the quality of the light and the magnificence of the landscape at Point Reyes certainly gives context to why so many influential photographers have worked there, too. As Thomas Heaton would say, it’s simply stunning. And even though I didn’t have my Sony kit and favorite landscape lens with me, I always travel with a camera of some kind. My trusty little Leica D-Lux Typ 109 is perfect for tucking along when traveling very light. With a 4/3 sensor, it has sufficient image quality to handle most situations, and I will say it’s a pleasure to shoot with due to the ergonomics.
Mid-morning on Saturday, we decided to go for a hike to Abbott’s Lagoon at the National Seashore. The weather had been on and off rain most of the last couple of days, and that morning looked like it might be a little drier. In fact, we were greeted by blue skies most of the short 20-minute drive from her house to the trail head. But getting out of the car, it was obvious there was rain about. Off shore on the horizon, a squall looked to be heading in our general direction. But with enough rain gear to at least keep the camera dry, and good spirits to hold the rain at bay, we headed down the path towards the lagoon. The cool and damp air had a perfect salty tang for a midwesterner like me. As someone who has only lived by the sea briefly in my life, the salt air and distant rumble of the breaking surf always herald unfamiliar views. Combine that with the old photography adage that ‘blue skies make boring images’, and I was clearly in a compelling scene. It was hard to look a direction in which I could not find an inviting image to compose. Rough surf and a pretty brisk wind would have made for some interesting long-exposure images. But, having only the travel camera with me, and no tripod or set of ND filters, I contented myself with frames emphasizing the dramatic sky and landscape.
Although I view myself mostly as a photographer of people by inclination, I would like to think I’m at least competent to capture the occasional landscape. And on this day, the drama of the sky and patchy light had me visualizing in black and white. That medium seems to emphasize the patterns and forms in such chiaroscuro conditions. Also for portraits, and I managed to squeeze in a few frames of people during the same excursion. The challenge of landscapes in conditions like those I found on this trip are compositional. In particular, both the land and the sky had a ton of drama and detail. Do you let the landscape dominate the image, allowing the patterns in the landforms to lead the viewer’s eye to a focal point? Or do you let the sky prevail, and use the patterns on the ground as a supporting element to the boldness of clouds and sun? Landscape-dominant images tend to be more intimate and detailed; an expansive sky opens up the space and creates great depth and distance. I shot a few each way, but on this occasion and with the relatively treeless landscape of the shore dunes, I composed mostly around the sky. In the end, for any image to work, there must be a balance. Finding the right balance using the classical techniques of composition—leading lines, the rule of thirds, and the like—works because those aesthetics cross nearly every genre and medium since art began. And while they are sometimes broken with good effect, more often the balance provided by good composition is timeless.
The postulates of design are applicable across more than artistic pursuits. Seeking balance in life, too, can be facilitated by the analogous sets of compositional rules for living. You need to offset the light and the dark. The color wheel works with flavors and moods as much as with the visual spectrum. If only the viewfinder for our actions were as reliable as that for our exposure, we might then have a zone system for behavior. I haven’t found that yet. But, I can make seemingly endless exposures of one of the country’s most heavily photographed landscapes and find satisfaction in my own efforts, so perhaps it’s not the result that brings the novelty. It’s the ability to achieve it for oneself.
This demostrates beautifully how every landscape is two landscapes, the roiling sky which changes constantly, and the surface which changes much more gradually. enter the photographer and the viewer of the photo and the moment is irreproducible.
I use my journal to share thoughts and experiences related to photography. Whether it’s the results of an unexpected shoot, a new technique I’m focused on, or perhaps a piece of gear I’ve found, the journal is my outlet for sharing with the larger photo community. Please add your comments!
Balance, In Life and Photos
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Sun and Squalls, Abbott’s Lagoon, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California, 2018
Leica D-Lux Typ 109
24mm (equiv.), 1/640 f/5.6, ISO 200
Hand held
BALANCE, IN LIFE AND PHOTOS
I had the good fortune to spend the weekend with family after being in the San Francisco area for a conference this week. I headed out to my sister’s house in Point Reyes Station, on the coast abutting Point Reyes National Seashore. I’ve shot there a few times before, and as I noted in a journal entry from November of 2016, the area is photographic hallowed ground. It’s not a challenge to understand that. While Yosemite was dubbed by Ansel Adams as ‘The Range of Light’, the quality of the light and the magnificence of the landscape at Point Reyes certainly gives context to why so many influential photographers have worked there, too. As Thomas Heaton would say, it’s simply stunning. And even though I didn’t have my Sony kit and favorite landscape lens with me, I always travel with a camera of some kind. My trusty little Leica D-Lux Typ 109 is perfect for tucking along when traveling very light. With a 4/3 sensor, it has sufficient image quality to handle most situations, and I will say it’s a pleasure to shoot with due to the ergonomics.
Mid-morning on Saturday, we decided to go for a hike to Abbott’s Lagoon at the National Seashore. The weather had been on and off rain most of the last couple of days, and that morning looked like it might be a little drier. In fact, we were greeted by blue skies most of the short 20-minute drive from her house to the trail head. But getting out of the car, it was obvious there was rain about. Off shore on the horizon, a squall looked to be heading in our general direction. But with enough rain gear to at least keep the camera dry, and good spirits to hold the rain at bay, we headed down the path towards the lagoon. The cool and damp air had a perfect salty tang for a midwesterner like me. As someone who has only lived by the sea briefly in my life, the salt air and distant rumble of the breaking surf always herald unfamiliar views. Combine that with the old photography adage that ‘blue skies make boring images’, and I was clearly in a compelling scene. It was hard to look a direction in which I could not find an inviting image to compose. Rough surf and a pretty brisk wind would have made for some interesting long-exposure images. But, having only the travel camera with me, and no tripod or set of ND filters, I contented myself with frames emphasizing the dramatic sky and landscape.
Although I view myself mostly as a photographer of people by inclination, I would like to think I’m at least competent to capture the occasional landscape. And on this day, the drama of the sky and patchy light had me visualizing in black and white. That medium seems to emphasize the patterns and forms in such chiaroscuro conditions. Also for portraits, and I managed to squeeze in a few frames of people during the same excursion. The challenge of landscapes in conditions like those I found on this trip are compositional. In particular, both the land and the sky had a ton of drama and detail. Do you let the landscape dominate the image, allowing the patterns in the landforms to lead the viewer’s eye to a focal point? Or do you let the sky prevail, and use the patterns on the ground as a supporting element to the boldness of clouds and sun? Landscape-dominant images tend to be more intimate and detailed; an expansive sky opens up the space and creates great depth and distance. I shot a few each way, but on this occasion and with the relatively treeless landscape of the shore dunes, I composed mostly around the sky. In the end, for any image to work, there must be a balance. Finding the right balance using the classical techniques of composition—leading lines, the rule of thirds, and the like—works because those aesthetics cross nearly every genre and medium since art began. And while they are sometimes broken with good effect, more often the balance provided by good composition is timeless.
The postulates of design are applicable across more than artistic pursuits. Seeking balance in life, too, can be facilitated by the analogous sets of compositional rules for living. You need to offset the light and the dark. The color wheel works with flavors and moods as much as with the visual spectrum. If only the viewfinder for our actions were as reliable as that for our exposure, we might then have a zone system for behavior. I haven’t found that yet. But, I can make seemingly endless exposures of one of the country’s most heavily photographed landscapes and find satisfaction in my own efforts, so perhaps it’s not the result that brings the novelty. It’s the ability to achieve it for oneself.
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Path to the Pt. Reyes Light
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