Tag Archives: photography adventures

03/29/18 ~ Susan

Gone Fishin’

Solitary Fisherman

Where have I been? Gone fishin’— in other words, taking a break. Like me, if you experience a time when your creativity feels stifled, it’s better to take a break than go through the motions—especially with something as personal as photography and other types of art (and blogging for that matter). If you’re not feeling creative, it will be difficult to capture mood and essence in your photography.

Along those lines, my style is to photograph by feel rather than stick to hard and fast rules, so mood and emotion play a part in each photograph. Although it’s important to know all the settings on your camera and to master all the aspects of producing a great photograph such as lighting and composition, trust your instincts as well. If you’re preoccupied with setting things up for the perfect photo or churning out numerous photos, you may miss that golden moment when the light is sparkling around your subject or a unique opportunity is revealing itself right in front of you. The photograph in this post, “Solitary Fisherman“, was one of those opportunities. Although the lighting was not optimal to be taking any photographs, I was amazed when I saw the perfect outline of the fisherman against a sepia sky, right down to the detail on his fishing pole.

Having the camera in my hands allows me to feel my way through the process, especially when photographing moving subjects or unusual lighting situations. Mood plays a part in the final outcome, and I believe the only way to sense and capture that mood is to feel your way through it.

So, if you’re just not feelin’ it—go fishin’!

**One more note…stop by virtually to visit my portfolio at  Susan DeTomi Fine Art Photography Portfolio.

05/10/13 ~ Susan

Smoky Mountain Wildflowers

Fiery Columbine

I recently visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park between North Carolina and Tennessee for the first time, catching the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in all its glory.  In the lower elevations, starting at Oconaluftee River Trail, many varieties of wildflowers dotted the terrain including Crested Iris, Thyme-leaved Bluets, Foamflower, and Blue Phlox, while elk meandered across the pathways and trotted out to a stream to have a long cool drink with their comrades.

Fearing the car ride up the mountains would be like so many other white-knuckle trips I’d taken to lofty peaks in the past, I mulled over whether to trek to the other side or play it safe in the low-lying area around the waterfalls. The well thought-out decision to make the journey did not go unrewarded, as surprises greeted us around every twist and turn—clusters of red and yellow Columbine, as in the featured photograph “Fiery Columbine“, and Bleeding Heart sprouted from craggy cliffs; Bishop’s Cap lined up along the slope in perfect unison; White Trillium peeked through bunches of Fire Pink; and whole cliff sides sprayed in purple looked like wildflower waterfalls.

A fellow seeker of flora and fauna that day boasted about the unique ecosystem of the park, a part of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, referring to its extraordinarily diverse population of plant and animal life.  According to the National Park Service, “over 17,000 species have been documented in the park, and scientists believe an additional 30,000 – 80,000 species may live in the area.” Considering this, a one-day visit only whetted my eagerness to see more of this spectacle, and I’m already daydreaming of a Summer or Fall sojourn to take in a little bit more.

04/22/13 ~ Susan

Search or Serendipity?

Lil’ Blue Heron Fishin’

Someone remarked recently that great photographs cannot be found by searching or hunting for them. When I thought about this comment, I’m not sure I always agree. There are many times when planning a photography adventure for the sole purpose of photographing particular settings turns out extremely well.

Planning a trip doesn’t necessarily mean that the resulting photographs will be mundane; on the contrary, time and money can be saved with planning by ensuring that aspects such as weather and lighting will be advantageous for the photography. In addition, routes can be mapped to save time and gas that might otherwise be wasted looking for specific or intriguing locations. That having been said, there is another side to that argument alluding to the possible intended spirit of the remark.

The reverse argument favors the idea of serendipity—finding that amazing photograph when you least expect it, unplanned, uncharted, and completely spontaneous. I’ve taken many surprising photographs resulting from chance encounters. More often than not, however, I find the unexpected during a planned trip. One such photograph titled, “Stained Glass Tree“, was taken on a visit to a popular waterfall. Although the waterfall was stunning, the real beauty that day was a scrubby looking maple glistening at the edge of a cliff overlooking the waterfall, sunlight illuminating its multicolored leaves while patches of blue sky peaked between every crevasse.

The photograph featured in this post, “Lil’ Blue Heron Fishin’“, is an unplanned siting of a little blue heron catching a fish with bright green duckweed as his backdrop. Its difficult to plan shots of wildlife and birds because they’re unpredictable, so you have to be ready at a moment’s notice.

I’m not sure there is one right approach since there are many different factors. However, whether you plan your photography adventure or not, remain open to all of your surroundings, not just your intended destination. You’ll end up being surprised at the hidden gems you discover along the way.