Relatability and Locale
Getting into the muddy details
Thursday started out very slow with little to show for my efforts which were many and definitely not slow.
Not sure there was a highlight until I began my editing and selection process for My Final Photo.
I’ve made photos of F.A.C.T. (Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries) clearing invasives from Westerville parks, usually in summer and fall. Today’s photos were different and perhaps better because the clearing took place in early Spring when the trees and shrubs are bare opening a view of the background.
Open backgrounds can be good or bad depending on how they contribute to composition and storytelling. This year’s invasive removal at Alum Creek extended downstream from a previous clearing closer to the dam.
With the background open I could try and make a photo that showed location so it was more easily relatable for the viewer. It became an essential part of the composition instead of a distraction that had to be eliminated through lens choice or shooting angle.
I edited seven photos from the shoot. The one I chose, although maybe not the best action or technique leaves little doubt for the viewer where the photo was made and what is happening.
I like the closeup showing honeysuckle being cut down and the group photo showing cutting and removal by Otterbein students but neither was effective at showing location.
Four of the seven, including My Final Photo, are almost the same photo made using the same techniques - peak action, foreground-background, and rule-of-thirds. Any of them would have worked as My Final Photo but I preferred putting the dam as the background. More relatable.
Thursday Others
