It isn't about the camera, it isn't about the technology, it is about the heart of the image, about finding the right way to capture a moment in time in a way that epitomizes both the scene and the emotions of the time. On seeing the photo later, I want to inhale deeply and smell the wet bushes of the first snow, to feel giddy and giggly at my son's antics, and see through my love's eyes and into my own heart. Taking others to that same place is just a bonus.
The tree has defied my attempts to take a picture that leaves me satisfied. (yes, I'm not above cheap humor) I'd really like to have the idyllic setting, hilly rural pastures, with nice morning light, a barb wire fence and a dirt road, maybe a light fog in the distance. Instead I'm stuck with the street, the houses, power lines, cars, sidewalk, and this ... this fire hydrant. Perhaps I'll try again next year.
rootie
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2 comments:
I worked in marketing departments for 20 years. I learned a saying marketing people developed about some of the productsthe company's engineers had developed:
If you can't fix it, feature it!
If there is an ugly green knob on the front panel, and the engineers insist the machine can't work without it, then feature it:
"This is the only xyz product that has an ugly green knob on the front--making it easy to see and easy to access. If you are looking for a unique product, this is it!"
My point is that maybe there is a way to use the hydrant to your advantage, if you can't avoid it. One way that leaps to mind is contrast. Personally I like the contrast between the natural and the man-made. I notice that the hydrant has a tree shape, with outlets branching to the sides, just as a tree branches out.
My only regret would be that the hydrant is not bigger. Perhaps if you took a shot from a prone position and close-up , , , ,
Hi Burgess,
One technique I usually try to apply to things that don't work "in the large" (full scene) is to move in close and work "in the small", such as closeup or macro or "in-camera cropping" :-). The closeup just didn't work -- the individual leaves just weren't photogenic.
I did basically what you suggested except for the prone position: Deliberate framing to crop out the street sign and most of the green leaves in the upper right -- which left me with a photo of a fire hydrant. :-O
This location is beside a busy street, and across a street with a prominent crown. I think the prone position would require traffic control to do safely, and I may also have to dig out a couple feet of the crown to get the right angle to better feature the hydrant against the foliage.
I'll start now working on getting the city to repaint the hydrant for next fall. :) After all, improving the quality of my photos is why the city collects taxes from everyone else... ;)
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