Opening The Shutter to New PerspectivesPosted by drfl on May 11th, 2010

It seems to be human nature that we must become entrenched into a specific set of ideals.  These ideals divide us, polarize us, surround us, and engulf us.  Look at the debate surrounding the health care bill in the United States in the past few months or what is happening with the Arizona immigration law or the political debates in the U.K.

Religion.  Politics.  Culture. 

Just mentioning any of those topics engenders intense, never-ending debate.  So what does this have to do with photography?  Just as we often find ourselves bound to views we have developed, over time many find themselves bound to particular techniques, subjects, and equipment.  This bind is often unconscious and just as our views on other topics, we my find ourselves unwavering on these items and our artistic vision as well. 

From personal experience, I spent a few years only photographing landscapes and wildlife.  I would focus on the wide-angle with landscapes and the portraits with the critters.  Great sunset?  Wide-angle.  Bear on the side of the road?  Portrait.  Mountain scene?  Wide-angle.  Canada Goose?  Portrait.  For my landscapes, my widest wide angle wasn’t wide enough and for my animal portraits, my longest telephoto wasn’t close enough.

Although it took some time, I realized I needed to change my singular focus and open my shutter to new subjects and new possibilities.  It’s now been a couple of years since I consciously began this journey.  I’ve started my OLOH – One Lens, One Hour personal assignment project, I’ve engaged in quite a bit of portraiture, and I’ve captured the little guys.

So now I ask all of us to open up to fresh vistas, literally and figuratively.

Today’s post is an example of my changing my vista.  This image was captured in Arkansas, a location that I initially had little desire to visit.  When the opportunity arose to go to St. Louis I researched the surrounding area and I planned a side trip to the Ozarks.  It’s quite a beautiful and diverse area and one that I have passed up visiting many times.  As for the image, this particular landscape was captured using a telephoto lens, a diversion from my wide-angle philosophy from years ago.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 200mm, f/8, 1/100 sec.
Ozark National Forest, Arkansas