Canon Elan IIe, tripod Sigma 28-105 at 75mm Fuji Provia 100 f11, 2 seconds

Seeing the shot

One of the regular recommendations in photography lessons is examining all of the possibilities of a subject, trying to find the angles, lighting, or compositions that will provide a good photo.

This is one of my own examples. At Minnehaha Falls by Lake Rabun, Georgia, I saw a section of the falls where the water was violently splashing off of the rocks, some distance up the rock face, and wanted to see this from the side. Tricky climb over slippery wet rocks, but there was a handy ledge right where I wanted to be. Great!

This was getting late in the day and the light was fading fast. The long exposure turned out pretty bluish, so it's been warmed considerably from the original slide. But I still got the detail I wanted from the rocks alongside, as well as the contrast of the trickling water nearby.

I also wrenched my shoulder pretty fiercely on the way down when I missed my footing, but this was because I had a safety grip on a tree. The wrenched shoulder was a hell of a lot better than a broken limb or severe gashes and contusions. It's also good to consider whether a photo is worth the risk of serious injury. Not to mention the horror of breaking your camera!