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Hi Gang,
This the second of three images I made on my one day in the Flint Hills of Kansas. This post is written primarily for the landscape photographers who follow my blog, but anyone interested in the creative process might get something from this post. There were three key lessons I was reminded of in getting this image.
Technical: Canon 1Ds Mark II, f/22, ISO100, 3.2 second shutter speed Singh Ray Blue-Gold Polarizer, 7 stops Singh Ray Neutral Density, tripod.
This shot was accomplished, first and foremost, by paying close attention to rapidly changing conditions. The “epic” snowstorm was coming quick, but had yet to arrive. Cloud cover was changing constantly. Travis and I were driving a dirt road out of Alta Vista, Kansas, Kansas Gazetteer in hand and chasing smoke on the horizon we thought would be a prairie fire. SIDEBAR: It was almost as cool as the guys on TV chasing tornadoes, almost…
Lesson 1: We were always on the lookout for a windmill shot with a mill that still operated and came across this one. As we passed it Travis said, “Alec, are the clouds starting to rise up and spread?” I pulled over and glanced, and winced. “Yep, with a polarizer we could pull out the contrast and detail in the clouds.” The lesson is that a polarizer will allow you detail and contrast that is not apparent to the naked eye.
Lesson 2: I tend towards significant drama in my black and whites and immediately began thinking in color to get a dramatic black and white. There are probably several good ways to do this, but my preference is to generate color schemes in the image the lend themselves to high contrast. With the a blue gold polarizer I get the benefit of polarization and separation of color that lends its self to contrast. The lesson is that to get really contrasty black and whites, you need to think in color first…
Lesson 3: Its easy to give up in the midst of overcast skies, dire weather reports, unfamiliar terrain. This image, and the entire day for that matter, reminds me why I love photography: the chase, the people I do it with (Travis), the people I get to meet along the way. Like Brian, who runs the grain elevator in Alta Vista, a hamlet of maybe 100 people. With his bright red hair and corn dust-infused beard and eyebrows, he granted us permission to shoot and entertained every one of my silly questions about grain elevator operations, the corn industry in that area, and on and on and on…or maybe it was the woman that owns Emma’s Cafe in Cottonwood Falls (though her name is not Emma…help Travis) who said, “we don’t have any menus, just order anything you want…except waffles. We don’t have a waffle iron either.” The lesson is understanding that a great image is less important than the process and the people, at least it is for me.
This is one lesson I can’t be reminded of often enough.
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8 Comments
Love this post Alec. Reminds me too of many reasons why I am a photographer and the human interest backstories are awesome. I love that quote from Emma. Classic! On the image, I really like it. My only question is this. I found myself expecting to see the spokes of the windmill a little and with the motion blur and circle outcome, I get the message of high energy but I still wanted at some level to see those damn spokes. Go figure.
BA! Thanks for stopping by. Your comment about the image is interesting. I shot an additional frame freezing the blades, with the intention of bringing a hint of detail back in. I also shot some with a slightly faster shutter speed to capture a little detail, but the clouds weren't as interesting in them. Then I decided to just do away with detail all together, NO PARTICULAR REASON…just gut.
Thanks again for stopping by…I know how busy you are right now.
Cheers,
alec
Even beyond the stunning visuals, the trip sounds amazing, Alec. Getting off tghe beaten path and seeing how other people live can be so rewarding.
Landscape photographers can be counted in the millions. You are carving a niche out for yourself with the style you have developed. It's out of the ordinary, separates itself from the rest, and is stunningly beautiful. It's close enough to reality for me to be able to relate to it, yet different enough to intrigue and cause me to study it further.
I agree with Kevin…close enough to reality to allow me to identify but unique enough to keep me interested and in the frame. You know I love your images, but most of all, I love (and share) your passion for people. It's all about the people.
KG
I like this image alot; but this comes from a guy that owns the book (maybe the only one), a Field Guide to American Windmills by T. Lindsay Baker. About the image, its pretty amazing what that little powerline does for the image; completely activates it, I have photos of a single tree in the same pasture, that was off to the northwest of the windmill and I loose the powerline in the image and its losses an incredible amount of depth/scale and interest. I believe there a few more windmills we did not photograph…………or stories to be told.
Travis
Loved it a lot, keep posts like this one coming, I am impressed!
Hi Kevin,
First, its great to have you back! Glad we got that email bug worked out. Second, THANK YOU for the exceptionally gracious words. Mostly, it still amazes me how much there is to experience by heading out to take pictures. Obviously you get this and you're getting ready to experience it again in Costa Rica! Can't wait to hear the stories from that trip.
THANK YOU,
alec
Thanks Chris. Good to hear from you. I believe I'll be making an extended stay in NM very soon. Also going to head on down to Tucson for lighting season. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with at that time. Thanks for the kind words.
Alec