21 February 2008

Photography

I'm kinda weird about pictures. I don't really even know how to explain this...but I love to see other people's pictures, and I usually think they are amazing; but when it's a picture I've taken, I suddenly become OCD. And not OCD in the way of just wanting it to be perfect (which I do want), but also in the way of wanting it to be unique. I like to find a different angle. For example, the picture above is nice. It follows the rule of the thirds, is well framed (in my opinion)...but it's just such a generic waterfall. It's what everyone sees and snaps a shot of. So, instead of leaving it like that zoomed in on a small part and came out with this picture:
And I have more...There are other's I liked more than this one, but I haven't uploaded them to my online album yet, so I can't get at it right now.
See, I don't really know why I do it. It might be some outward manifestation of my inner need to be unique, or my desire to be noticed, even though I'm such a small part of the bigger picture...or maybe it is just an attention to detail or an abstraction of reality....No matter what it is, I have it.
I think my favorate "abstract" picture is one I did on my mission. I didn't actually take the picture, but I croped it out of a magazine. See, one of my companions got some CD's from her mom. They were actually copies, and didnt have any cover art, so I went through the old Ensigns and Liahonas that were in the apartment to find something appropriate. I believe it was for the "Greater than us all" cd. I found a picture of Christ, but it was too large to fit in the CD case, so I was trying to find a way to crop it to fit...Interestingly enough, I ended up with a mostly blank CD cover but it was amazing. I really can't explain it...I wonder if I can get a picture of it. Compy--do you still have it? Can you send me a picture? Thanks!

5 comments:

rachelsaysso said...

I totally know what you mean about the waterfall picture. I was looking through the 30 that I snapped of it from our trip up there and realized that they all looked the same. Just like a waterfall. hm. I like what you've done with it.

Liz the Poet said...

I hear you, Heather. That's exactly how I am with pictures (which is why I took over 600 on my trip to Alaska).

Angles are my thing. When I went to New York, I actaully sat down on the sidewalk just so I could get the right perspective.

Maybe we should form a support group?

Laura said...

I love trying to find cool angles to things. I really want to get a fancy camera and learn how to use it. I think that could be a very worthwhile hobby.

Liz - I still don't believe you've shown your Alaska pictures...hasn't that been like a year now?

Christy said...

what a cool hobby! i'm jealous of people that you that can just see what would make a cool picture.

Heather said...

Liz- I'd join your support group...and I'd love to see the picture you sat on the ground to take. :-)

Laura and Christy- You can both do it, I'm sure. Now that everything's digital, it's SO much easier to learn, because you dont have to worry about wasting film.

Rachel- (I'm adressing this to you because I realized that I'd replied to everyone else already, and I don't want to leave you out...) I took a photography class in JC, back when we used real film, and LOVED it. In the lab there was this drawer full of lost film, that no one claimed and for one project I just took some used film from that drawer and made a murder mystery series that I called "Abandoned". It was pretty cool.