Vision...

As I wander along this path of being a nature and wildlife photographer, I think about vision. Well, lately, I've been thinking that mine is failing. But, aside from that, I think about the art of seeing.

I just got back from a trip to Oregon. I had a chance to get out and do some shooting. Here I was in some of the most scenic country in the US, and I had to learn how to see it.

We started early, and even though the sun was up when we arrived at our destination, it was hidden by fog and was burning through the clouds below.

When we reached our destination in the Columbia Gorge, we first photographed Wahkeena Falls.  The waterfall was pretty well obscured with vegetation from our vantage point, so I concentrated on the stream.  The trick was to look carefully, and see the composition of rocks and moving water.

Next, we moved on to one of the most spectacular waterfalls I've ever seen, Multnoma Falls.

The "money" shot is of course the "grand vista" of the falls.  I really like the fact that there are people on the bridge.  It provides scale to the photo.  I think this is the shot most people walk away with.  But as we explored other falls, I realized that there was real value in the details.

A couple days later, we explored Silver Falls State Park.  Another nice waterfall produced this shot.

This is the shot I was looking for.  But as I walked around, I started to "see" more. The stream was creating lots of pools and eddies in the current.  As we began to notice these details, new photographs began to appear before me.  By lowering the camera and isolating patterns, new images began to take shape.

Then by just moving a few feet to my right, I came up with my favorite photograph.

We all have the vision to see the obvious.  What I have to do is train myself to acquire the vision to see the smaller details.