Can You Try "Too Hard" to Get Your Shot?

What does trying too hard really mean?  If you're in a great location surrounded by beauty, does it matter how many tries?

We took a trip back to my home state of Arkansas.  Instead of driving directly back to Michigan, we took a couple of days to driving the long way back.  A hike and a bit of photography was on our agenda. 

Every stop surrounded us with rugged, natural beauty.  The weather conditions served up some challenges but we take what mother nature delivers which begs the question...  

How many tries on average do you take to get the 'one' that you're truly jazzed about?  

As a photographer there are times after a shoot where we have several, even many images that we jump in and start processing as fast as we can. It didn't matter how many images we took, we were in our zone and had a lot to show for it!

Then, there are those days.  You know them well.  

We invest time, use multiple lenses, try many different angles (in some cases in very uncomfortable positions).  We can almost predict what's going to happen when we get home.  Delete, delete, delete and keep a few for the memory.

There are both life and photography lessons in each of these situations.  During my Arkansas travels I experienced excitement from a shoot with waxwings and creative frustration at waterfalls.

Cedar Waxwing by Sheen Watkins

Waxwing Adventure:
The Cedar Waxwings in El Dorado were going nuts for the seasonal berries in this historical Oil Boomtown.  I saw hundreds swarm trees, diving into bushes in a feeding frenzy. 

Waxwings by Sheen Watkins

The down side was that I only had my long lens.

The big scene context shot wasn't going to happen as I needed a shorter lens at that moment.  I'm including one image that illustrates a fragment of the flying flock. Alfred Hitchcock might have renamed his movie from the "Birds" to the "Waxwings" had he witnessed this moment.

In all, I had over 500 images with 10 so far that I'm very pleased with. 

Next year, (lesson learned) I'm also switching to a shorter lens to get a few frenzy shots!  I have plenty of ID and close-up images of waxwings now.

Oh yes, and I was fortunate enough to get berry-bird-poop in my hair in one of the waxwing flyovers. A sign of good luck I suppose.  A hat will also be included.

Falling Short at the Waterfalls:

We drove to Arkansas' first state park, Petit Jean State Park.  A rugged and beautiful natural treasure. 

Almost to Cedar Falls by Sheen Watkins

Our first stop was Cedar Falls.  We were less than 1/10th of a mile away when the skies, thunder and lightning struck in full force.  The common sense safety gene took over and we had to ditch the attempt. 

The following sunny morning, we traversed north to another beautiful waterfall area.

After 2 hours, I wasn't feeling it. 

The spring colors were still hiding. The light was splotchy.  With just a few hours to shoot, I was frustrated in not finding the type of shot I had in my mind.  I had all the needed gear, filters, tripod, lenses - when the lighting is bad, it was time to take my tripod and head home.

I was in effect working and trying too hard, getting frustrated which impacted my creativity.

There could have been a downside but there wasn't.

I was able to hear the rush of the water, the power of the falls and breath in fresh, clean air.  The Richland Creek Wilderness provided springtime sounds for the senses,  along with a few snakes.

Finding Arkansas Gold:
We steered further north to the Eureka Springs area where we discovered Arkansas' own single-lane, "Golden Gate Bridge" in nearby Beaver, Arkansas.  Who knew that Arkansas would have a Golden Gate Bridge that was accurately named color-wise versus the one in San Francisco?

Golden Gate Bridge by Sheen Watkins

Taking a breather from my waterfall plan to explore the area with no expectations refreshed the eye and attitude.

Seeing Red in the Rearview:
As we were leaving Arkansas and heading into Missouri, I noticed the cloud covered sky breaking apart.  Pinks, oranges and reds emerged in my rearview mirror as we were driving 65mph northeast.

Seeing Red in the Rearview by Sheen Watkins

The vibrance was quickly becoming a photographer's dream and I met frustration of another kind.

I didn't know where we were or where to get the shot.

Thankfully, we topped a hill to see a river, a bridge and a reflection. Just what the photography doctor ordered.

When we see a moment, stop the car.   Pull over.  Shoot away. 

We work hard for many, shots.  We take advantage of the no-shot situation to savor what is around us. 

When the easy photo moment calls ~ we need to answer!

Happy Shooting!
Sheen

Finding Scenic, Hidden Treasures ~ "Go Greyhound"

Historic Greyhound Depot by Sheen Watkins

A road frequently traveled may host a few surprises.  Sometimes, you just have to look for the unexpected intentionally.

It's easy to get caught up in reaching your destination quickly, that we may miss some amazing sites along the way.

My family still resides in the same town and house I grew up in.  After many 16-hour road trips from Michigan to Arkansas, I decided to explore the small town we use as a regular stop-over. 

Arriving before sunset, I  "googled" Blytheville, Arkansas just to see what was there.  I was thrilled with the results.

The small town of Blytheville, Arkansas hosts a historic and fully restored Greyhound Bus Station that was built in 1937.   What a beautiful little gem.

Back in the day, this was the way to travel.

Go Greyhound by Sheen Watkins

The station, with a small cafe type setting displayed true to the era decor Moderne Art appointments. All that was missing was a few Bing Crosby tunes.

Inside the station - Sheen Watkins

Within the state of Arkansas and for transportation historians, it is well-known.  From an artistic standpoint, it's modern styling, color and faded neon, it was a fortunate find.

While shooting the exterior, a couple stopped by and asked if I was interested to see the inside.  They had a key, access to the building and loved sharing how the town had restored a colorful piece of history.

For those making the venture up or down I-55 in northeast Arkansas, it's definitely worth a stop.

If you plan on stopping by, bring your widest angle lens (I had my Nikon 14-24mm extra wide) and also a tripod.  The tripod is a must if you want to take a few night shots.


Happy shooting!

'Rose-Colored' Lenses

The white snowy sights of winter fade away.  Snow piles melt into puddles, rooftops dribble with melting icicles and the soft, wet earth squishes underneath our feet. Overhead, blackbirds and robins begin cackling for spring mating partners.

Yes, I am ready for spring to burst on the scene.  Yesterday would not be fast enough as we just experienced another eight inch snowfall this week.  The frightful weather looks like we should be asking "how many days until Christmas" instead of "when is spring going to get here?"

As in previous winters, we plan to venture to El Dorado, Arkansas, a small, vibrant, historic oil boomtown, to visit my family.

A dose of Arkansas, The Natural State's sunshine, flowers, bluebirds await our return. Southern gardens any time of year are always awash with a variety of vibrant colors and textures.

But for a photographer, their spring time offers that little something extra.

Roses! 

Prissy-Pink Rose
Nikon 600, 105mm, f/9, ISO 160, 1/500

Roses of prissy-pink, scarlet and coral shout "come photograph me",  as almost any angle can offer delicious shades and tints.

It was this time of year, two years ago that I started photography.  And some of the first images were roses.

Do you need a macro lens to capture close-up details?  While I never leave home without my Nikon 105mm macro for close up work, I continue to produce colorful garden eye-candy images with my standard 24-85mm kit lens.

So how do you photograph a rose?

Mom's Coral Rose in the Secret Garden
Nikon 5100, 55mm,  f/8, 1/60sec

Come Photograph Me
Nikon 5100, 105mm, f/18, ISO 400, 1/30 sec

1. From directly above, from a forty-five degree angle looking down, straight on the side and from underneath looking up a bit.  And then any other angle you want to try.  Get close, step back.  Capture a portion of the rose, the whole flower and then broaden the range to include multiple roses.  This is a playground, enjoy
2. Using Aperture Priority mode, use multiple f/stops at each of the angles mentioned in #1.  The lower the f/stop number, the shallower the depth of field.  At an f/stop of 3.5, the tip of the petal or the center is in focus and the rest is softly muted.  At an f/stop of 16, more of the flower will be in focus, including some of the background.  Note to self:  always check for dead leaves, brown spots and other distractions before you start capturing images.  
3. The Rule of Thirds may or may not be applied.  While it is a good guide, each rose and how you capture the image will determine the final product.
4. Processing.  You've captured many roses.  The ones you know don't like, delete right away.  No reason to clutter memory.  Then take a another close look at your work.  Which ones do you want to process?  Select a few and start making your adjustments.  Lightroom 5  and other post processing software tools (including those provided with your camera) can bring your roses to life as you observed in the field or create dramatic art using your image as the base.

Spring is fast approaching.  Are you ready to see the world of roses through your lenses?  

Happy Shooting!