We are camped on Lake Wiley in South Carolina for a few weeks as we help our son and family make their move to Italy. We have spent considerable time in the Carolinas the past couple of years and have enjoyed the friendly people we have met in this part of the country. We have come to appreciate southern hospitality. A few days ago I make this photograph of this cloud plume rising up over the lake. I was intrigued by the way the plume raised up from the small island near the far shore. I must admit the mystery of this plume is a nuclear power plant on the other side of the lake. In making this image I chose to do a long exposure to create movement to the rising cloud of steam. I used a -10 ND filter along with a polarizing filter to obtain a total -13 stop light reduction. This enabled me to make a two minute exposure in mid day on a sunny afternoon. I never know when or how my next photograph is going to come about. I was busy doing something else at the time I saw this plume of steam being released from the generating plant, but instantly knew there was a potential photograph to be made. Sometimes I plan trips to photograph and come back disappointed with little results, while other times a magical scene will appear right before me. If you enjoy photography it is important not to become discouraged if new and exciting images do not happen as planned. The important thing is to be always aware of what is going on around you and to be prepared if something magical happens.
Like many things in life, one has to remain open to the next possibility. Enjoy your photos. I also appreciated you posting about "The Shot". I've been guilty of using the term sometimes in the past. I'll remember what you said the next time I'm tempted to use this term.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my photography. It is easy for all of us to fall into habits that are hard to break. Calling our photographs "shots" is something we have all done, but with awareness can change how we describe our work..
ReplyDeleteA very interesting image, and all the more so after reading your explanation. I can only agree with you about not becoming discouraged. It seems to me that when working in a field of art, we learn to walk a tightrope. And failures are a part of the learning process. Of course, from time to time, the success offers us great encouragement.
ReplyDeleteShimon, The hardest thing for me when I was a young photographer was going out to make some photographs and coming home empty handed with little results to show for a long day. I still have many of those days and could easily feel a little let down, but I now I accept it as part of the creative journey we take when we pursue our passion.
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