Project 3 -
Exercise 3.3: What matters is to look
"Find a good viewpoint, perhaps fairly high up (an upstairs window might do) where you can see a wide view or panorama. Start by looking at the things closest to you in the foreground. Then pay attention to the details in the middle distance and then the things towards the horizon. Now try and see the whole view together, from the foreground to horizon (you can move your eyes). Include the sky in your observation and try and see the whole visual field together, all in movement. When you've got it, raise your camera and release the shutter. Add the picture and a description of the process to your learning log."
I spent five days in the Scottish Highlands recently, the perfect place to absorb and get lost in my surroundings. Also, many a good view point that are high up for this exercise.
To take in this view as a whole was an overwhelming feeling at first. It definitely is beautiful!
The process of looking...
The Foreground - There are a lot of Autumnal colours in the foreground. All making up a thick amount of vegetation, each colour unique.
Middle distance - The Loch draws the eye immediately, framed nicely by the mountains. It is calm and enduring and starts to lead you towards the horizon.
The Horizon - The top of the mountains look as high as the clouds and the blue sky sits in contrast with the rusty oranges that are in the foreground.
When preparing to take this shot, I wanted to consider composition and framing. To break the panoramic view into three parts was very beneficial. Its so easy to just point and shoot and not fully take in everything around you. It allowed me to compose the shot in my head and not by peering through the view finder of my camera. I knew exactly how I wanted this shot to look. I didn't need to move around to find the best view point because I had already found it by taking in each part of the panorama beforehand whilst my camera still idly hung around my neck.
Looking as a whole...
The green tree to the left frames the shot nicely, along with the mountains on either side of the Loch. As I said before, the Loch is what engages the eye instantly with its central position. We follow it along to where it disappears into the mountains which leads our eyes to the crisp white grounds and blue sky.
The colours in the image contrast with each other well. The Loch and mountains have not quite been reached by the sun yet, along with some of the woodland near the loch so are much darker in colour. There is a lot to look at; the angles that the mountains have created with their peaks, the shapes and colours of the trees and greenery, a piece of train track that the famous Jacobite steam train (Hogwarts Express) travels along each day and the sunlight trying to make its way through the clouds. Really, the photo doesn't do the real life view justice but it doesn't do a bad job.
Reflection
Reflecting on this exercise, I realise just how much more I can see before jumping in and pressing the shutter. Focusing on key areas of a view made me more mindful of of it as a whole. Something I will implement into my photography from now on.
