A.D. Drumm Images, LLC – Landscape, Portrait, and Fine Art Photography in Rochester MN Photography

Moose Peterson says our photographs should tell a story. Certainly, compelling photos grab us and say something. They tell us about someone, or a time, or a place. Or, in Moose’s case, very likely about a critter.

For the photographer, this often begins ahead of a shoot. What is the story? How am I going to tell it? How do I need to light it or how do I use the lighting that exists? What lens? What angle? Other situations don’t allow lengthy pre-planning, but at the shoot ideas and possibilities arise.

The approach may vary widely with the subject. Telling the story of a bride and groom is different than telling the story of an incredible vista as the moon slowly rises.

For me, the story needs to be fresh. Perhaps it’s the same story I’ve read or seen before but told in a new way. This is not a concept unique to photography. We seek out and enjoy retellings – the Wizard of Oz told from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, for instance.

This can be a struggle when photographing iconic subjects especially static subjects. A waterfall is ever changing as is the ocean. A rock? Not so much. Indeed, the most compelling images of many natural or man-made structures often involve the ever-changing aspects of nature. A storm. Clouds. Fog. The moon.

So it was that I ventured into the Presidio in San Francisco. Although I’ve been to the city a few times and have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, I’ve never been to the Presidio or the fort at the base of the beautiful bridge. That locale and the prominade offer stunning views of the bridge. It’s a wonder to behold, truly. As the sun drew low in the late afternoon, I knew at least the light was on my side.

Yet, there it is. A splendor which has been photographed how many times? Millions? How could I tell a story different from those countless others. I moved around, took many snaps. At least I’d have a nice collection of beautiful images of the bridge for myself. Find different interesting, maybe less common angles. Different foreground features that maybe show the bridge differently.

As I walked around looking for different vantage points, there it was – a huge cargo ship entering the bay below the bridge. I quickly shot a couple photos then saw the lettering on the ship. Now, I’m not in the best position and my shots are not what I want, and the ship is quickly making its way forward. I run.

I run, I look, I shoot, I run some more. I find the right spot and hit the go button.

Shipments enter the Golden Gate from China

Sometimes, you find the story. Sometimes, the story finds you. When that happens, you need to be ready. You need to act quickly, instinctively. Know what it needs to say and how to wrap a photograph around the story that’s there. At the end of the day, I was pleased. Did I have an image that tells a story? For sure. Perhaps it tells each viewer a different story, but that’s okay.

As we headed out for New Years Eve, Lynne asked if I was taking my camera or going naked (or something like that). Yes, I’m taking my camera. Oh, not your little one (i.e. the S90). No, but I’m going light. No flash, and I’m taking just my little 50mm lens.

Way back when I started playing with SLR cameras, the kit lens was a fixed-focal-length, normal lens. Zoom lenses are compromises, more so than fixed-length lenses. In the ’70s, affordable zooms were not particularly great. There were no $100 kit zooms like we have today, so most folks who had one lens, had the normal lens, usually a 50mm f/1.8. I think the proliferation of those lenses helped make the design pretty decent and the cost low. Those lenses remain inexpensive today.

The term normal denotes a lens with a focal length approximately the same size as the diameter of the image it produces at its focal point. It produces a look that’s similar, more or less, to what we see. For a 35mm camera, that would be about 43mm, so a 50mm is certainly in that range. (The other designations would be wide for a shorter lens and telephoto for a longer lens.)

My 50mm lens is Canon’s f/1.4 version. It’s a nice lens, a bit brighter and better constructed than the f/1.8 lens, and hugely cheaper than the f/1.2. The latter is one of their L series lenses and you pay a lot for that extra f-stop.

The 50mm lens some very nice qualities. It’s pretty small and quite light. And, at an f/1.4 maximum aperture, it’s a full three stops faster than my 24-105 zoom. This produces the fabulous shallow depth of field to pull a subject out of the background, and it lets me shoot in pretty low light at a reasonable shutter speed.

It doesn’t have the flexibility of a zoom, but that flexibility is sometimes a distraction and often a crutch. With a fixed-length lens, you zoom with your feet. You concentrate on composition, on depth of field, on other aspects of picture-taking. It’s really a good exercise. And it takes me back to that earlier time in my photographic journey when 50mm was the only lens I owned.

As I’ve upgraded my digital cameras over the years, each new one performs better in low light. It’s actually been hard to trust that an ISO of 1600 or 3200 will produce useful images. But the 5D MkII does this well. Since DLWS in Kauai in 2009 and trying to absorb what Joe McNally had to offer, I’ve become rather hooked on having a ton of control over light. Using a flash or a reflector, I can put the light where I want, blend it with the ambient light, and produce the shot I want. Going flash-free (and reflector-free), that’s not the case.

But photographing is about seeing and working with light whether it’s light you’re producing or light that’s just there. Using ambient light can be easier – one less thing to worry about – or just as challenging. Looking at the light sources around you, deciding where to be, how to use that light in the best way.

On New Years day, we attended Marann’s birthday bash. I had fun the night before with the simple set-up, so I grabbed the camera and lens again as we headed out the door. This party included a live band with some small stage lights providing a lot of the illumination. Those lights helped especially at the nearby tables.

A common problem with ambient light photos of people is “raccoon eyes” – the eyes surrounded by the dark shadows of the brow ridge. But with the right angle and the light cooperating a bit, a shot like this is possible. A fast, bright lens and high ISO helps. It also helps having a pair of subjects that pretty much light up the camera regardless of the lighting.

The stage lights were reasonably bright, but much of the room was fairly dark. I was using a bit slower shutter speed than I’d like to, but when you take plenty of shots, there will be keepers. If one or two of those capture expressions like Melissa’s, you smile and enjoy your success.

But, I was there for the party and to help Marann celebrate an extraordinary 50 years on the planet. If I could capture one or two moments that help us – and her – remember the evening, that’s just icing on the birthday cake.