Saturday morning I peeled myself out of the bed around 5:30 am, looked out the window and decided to shoot a few photographs. The overcast skies provided the perfect scenario so I grabbed my camera and headed out. As I drove around trying to figure out where and what to shoot my gut directed me to the Veteran’s Memorial. This was no coincidence. Ever since the unveiling of the memorial I’ve been trying to capture THE shot. However, each time something just didn’t feel right. Either unwanted subjects affected composition or the lighting was too harsh. If I shot at night the photo lacked sharp focus or was plagued by motion blur from shooting handheld at slower shutter speeds. Simply put I failed to nail THE shot.
Unlike other outings, Saturday morning I was prepared. Armed with an increased knowledge of my camera, tripod, lens cleaning kit and wireless remote I stepped to the plate and allowed the scene to speak to me. I worked my way around the memorial taking numerous shots at different angles. The grey skies really assisted me in being able to capture saturated tones and clear reflections. Without another person in the area I shot until my heart was content.
Once I got home I reviewed the photographs and was glad to see a hand full of keepers. Keep in mind what I consider a keeper a professional may consider garbage but hey I’m no professional. I simply shoot what appeals to me. It was pretty cool to see the progression.
Of the hand full of keepers I used a 30-day trial of Adobe Photoshop to create a single image using elements from each photograph. Thanks to watching numerous YouTube videos and spending hours behind the monitor I’ve started to get a good feel for the program. More to come.
