November 11th, 2014

Image nirvana

I "borrowed" my dad's 35mm film camera back when film was the only option available to photographers. I wanted to capture images of a Robin's nest that I had recently discovered nestled and carefully woven into a tall hedgerow that separated our suburban parcel from the next. When I discovered the birds nest, I had in my mind's eye, a clear vision of the images I wanted to produce: a shallow depth of field with the foreground foliage out of focus and underexposed. I wanted the brightly colored blue eggs to stand in contrast to the foliage and I wanted the raspy textures of intricately woven twigs and switches making up the nest to contrast against the smooth, but delicately dimpled texture of the shells. Finally, I wanted the black splattering of speckles tack sharp so that those viewing the images would be able to discern between individual shapes and the spacing between them.

I must have been about 8-years-old at the time, and suppose my notions of good "nature photography" stemmed from one of the many back issues of National Geographic magazines that populated three shelves in our living room library. The dark wood shelves contrasted with the brilliant yellow spines and would bow under the weight of the collection. Needless to say, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of stunning imagery that I have been striving to match ever since.