It is kind of ironic, but I have finally gotten around to reading my December issue of Outdoor Photographer. In it, William Neil talks about "Landscapes For The Spirit" which has a direct bearing on what I was trying to put across in my last post on the above topic. In his article, he states, "Ansel Adams often complained of the overabundance of sharp photos with fuzzy concepts!"
I have learned that some of my best photos have resulted when I had a preconceived idea of what I wanted to portray in the picture. And, I don't mean a good sunlit picture of the train with all details of the dark trucks visible. I mean, when I began to look at the situation differently, i.e. looking for things beyond the norm (train). Like taking all of the things available and figuring out a way to portray them together in one picture. This little effort can make the difference between getting a run-of-the-mill picture or one that has impact. This may sound ambiguous, but it isn't. It can mean the difference between a OK picture and a great picture might be something as simple as moving around the curve another twenty feet so that the mountain peak is lined up above the train as it rounds the curve and the locomotive is then portrayed at the best angle along with the snow capped mountain peak behind it. A preconceived idea before the train gets there. Charlie Choo Choo -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs
