At times we all make somewhat similar pictures.  Notice I said somewhat. We often shoot the same subjects and we frequently are influenced by viewing the same photos which were made by others.  Birds, mammals, insects, flowers, landscapes, sunrise/sunsets.  I learned a long time ago that when in doubt make the picture, and if it’s a bit different, then good for you. Think of everything you see as a subject.  If you want to photograph only nature, then everything that is a part of nature is a subject.

Most photographers who photograph birds go to great lengths to photograph them on natural perches. Often I do the same. When I saw this Red-tailed hawk on a power line, with other accessories/hardware showing in the image, I knew I had something that was different. If I was still in the business of selling stock, there just might be a story to go with a picture like this.  Clearly photos like this are  unlikely candidates for  art prints but there is a purpose for every type of image.

If you are a nature photographer out in the field, always, always, always look down. There are a thousand nature photographs at your feet.  I was prepared to photograph a sunrise, but the display was disappointing. Then I noticed the morning sun was painting an old outhouse the color of pink.  I began to move around….while looking down. I found this discarded gull (white) feather looking like it had indeed been painted pink.  I made a semi close-up and began slowly moving in closer in order to show more detail.  Notice that I composed the feather with the shaft running not quite, from corner to corner. That is a standard comp even though the subject is one that is passed on, or stepped on every day. Fallen leaves in the snow, sand in strong sidelight, rabbit tracks, there is a wealth of subjects waiting at our feet.  Often when I was out shooting with other photographers they would wind up asking me what I was photographing. Usually my camera was pointed straight down.

I try to make clean and powerful landscapes, but sometimes that is impossible.  While I do occasionally pass on making pictures, I have always attempted to have a portfolio that was rich in diversity. When I find a scene that is inviting, but will never find a home in a calendar or a two page spread in a magazine, I make a picture that satisfies me personally.  With this image I caught the mood of what I was presented with.  It was indeed a complicated winter river.  My finished product is truly simpler that what I first saw.  The cool blue with bits of warm and that partial reflection is what drew me to make a picture.  I knew when I clicked the shutter that this picture would never win any awards yet I am happy to have shown what I wanted to show within the scene.  It does bring back personal memories of a wonderful “day after the storm”

Less is more is a great photographic rule but oft times John/Jane Photographer does want to show it all.  I was making sunrise pictures that contained sand, lake, sky and clouds. Suddenly the scene became a series of graphic pieces that made up the whole image.  Seeing graphically is a necessary skill for any photographer.  Sometimes you have to divorce yourself from the total scene.  I began to see a series of contrasts of which sand and surf was the most power combination.

“There will always be both a cost and a reward to being different” Wayne Nelson

What’s my favorite photo in this group?  Hands down the feather.  My least favorite?  As a finished work the winter river is my least favorite…hands down.  As  a memory it ties with the feather as my favorite.

For those of you living in southeastern Wisconsin, the Racine boat ramp had some Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads and Common Goldeneye on a Christmas day trip to check it out.  There were both males and females of each species and at times there were fairly close. There is also a report of a Snowy Owl at the Coastguard Impoundment on the south end of Milwaukee.

When I look back at our recent Christmas, I wonder just how big consumers went with their purchases.  In other words did they buy a lot of big-ticket items, or were they thrifty.  By the time I was in my late twenties I had pretty much gotten over any lust for things that I might possess.   My Cuda, my Mustang, my Chevy SS and other such vehicles were gone.  I have had dozens of cars and trucks since then but they were all functional.  I of course have spent a fortune in my life on camera gear.  If you are a photographer that is kind of necessary. While my cameras, lenses and other hardware were top-notch, cameras bags etc. were an after thought.  I never met a camera bag that could make a better picture. I have had only one camera backpack for wilderness hikes and I made that from a camping backpack.  I did have one very good camera vest but I never bought field clothing because it was in vogue or made me look cool.  I did buy clothing that would keep me warm or cool. Heat prostration or hypothermia was close at hand on many of my excursions into the wild.

Isn’t it amazing how I manage to bring every subject back to photography.  I truly do love photography.

Talk to you again soon,

Wayne