Here’s my routine…

My camera is all set up for the shot I wanted to make when camped out for what was a stunning sunset at Otter Point in Acadia National Park. Believe it or not, this was my first serious attempt at making a photograph at this location (thanks Michael and Carol for the suggestion), though I have no doubt it won’t be my last. The jagged rock formations, the coastal pine trees, and the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean make this a really cool place to photograph. Here’s a recap of my evening spent there, and a brief insight into my routine…

As with all new places, it takes a little while to get to know it, so I arrived here well before the sun was scheduled to set, and I wandered all around exploring the landscape looking for potential compositions. Different angles, different light, different rock formations, different weather conditions… truthfully, I could spend days here and never fully discover all of the possibilities, but on this occasion, I had to make do with an hour or so. Some people move quickly in this type of situation, especially as the sun starts to go down and the good light arrives, and they can end up making lots of good photographs. Me… I tend to “focus” on one composition, and I kinda stick to it (some might say that I get stuck) to make sure I come away with something I like. I learned a long time ago that if you can come home with just one photograph that you are pleased with – one that you might want to print – then it has been a good day. Here’s one that I like…

Now… after I have settled on the composition that I like, as I wait for the light to peak, I do try to keep my eyes open and stay alert for other possibilities. I almost always have a wide angle lens (Canon 17-40mm f4) on the camera in these situations, and the unique perspective that can be achieved with this type of lens constantly intrigues me. I love how an object placed close to a wide angle lens is distorted to make it appear even larger, and I like to experiment with including near/far components to add depth. More often than not, I end up liking a portrait oriented composition more than a landscape one… I think that’s a result of the wide angle effect that can be attained with an interesting foreground element. I’ll check the focus throughout the scene using live view, I’ll bracket three exposures, each about a stop apart, so that if necessary I can blend for dynamic range back at the computer, and I’ll wait for the best light possible. Rarely will I deviate from the plan, and once I have honed in on a composition I like, rarely will I move my tripod and camera.

Having said that, another lesson I learned a long time ago was to always look behind you, even if the scene in front of you is awesome… you never know what you might find. Here’s the view 180 degrees from the main composition I settled on. So, I’m slow and rather methodical in my approach to photographing a scene, and I kinda put all my eggs into one basket as it were with choosing a primary composition to work with. That’s my way of doing things and a glimpse of my routine… I’d be curious about yours.