Good Friday Morning!
Sometimes, doing this work, I feel like I can almost see the future. We were at the Blackwater lodge, eating a bit of a picnic style lunch out on the tables, watching a gorgeous sunset set up. I’ve done this for long enough that sometimes, I can tell when it’s going to be good, and can get out to a good spot.
In photography, there is a phrase known as “comp-stomping”. The best artists have a way of not doing this - they work to get different perspectives, or to go in different seasons and conditions, and they inspire my work to keep moving and growing. Where I normally see it is in the “postcard” spots. The Glade Creek Mill, with 10 photographers lined up next to each other, all taking the same shot at the same time. The Moulton Barn in Grand Teton, with cars lined up down the road, and down the fenceline elbow to elbow, everyone waiting to get the same picture of the same sunrise of the same barn from the same place.
Sometimes that composition is “the comp” - but it isn’t as satisfying, at least not to me.
So, this evening, we waited for a bit, and then loaded up in the Jeep and took off down the road, and found a spot with no one. No cars, no people lined up, nothing. We waited at the Jeep for a minute, watching the sky, and getting the right kit together, then walked down, lined up the shot, and were done in less than five minutes.
I’ve been enjoying this “more relaxed” style of shooting lately - going back to my roots - where we just try to get the “prettiest thing we see today”, regardless of where we are. Not as rowdy as in years past - grownup commitments making that a little trickier right now, but way better than standing in line to take the same photo.
Hope y’all have a great weekend of fresh views.