Timing

Oftentimes, timing is everything...
in making a good image. You've seen shots where the artist captured the moment just at the right instant to tell a particular story. Such is the case with this image crafted by my wife on a beach trip a few years back.

In this shot,
we see a young child, my daughter, about to hit a beach ball into the ocean; Her wet hand reflects the sunlight drawing attention and explaining her stance. Her sister looks away adding a bit of mystery to the image.

My wife has a good eye,
and often just looks through the viewfinder, waiting for the precise moment to press the shutter. This time it payed off!

So the next time
you see your child doing something fun, or the light is just right as your cat lounges, try viewing the scene through your viewfinder for a while. Anticipate the actions and press the shutter. If your timing is right, you may just be surprised at what you capture!

Timing

Patience and timing
are important elements in photography. My drive home from work usually takes me past rolling hills in the afternoon sun. One day, in early summer, I took a detour mainly to look for a nice sweeping vista to photograph. As I crested the hill, I saw this small neighborhood grape vineyard covered by bird netting. The glimmering leaves on the vines caught my eye so I slowed down and parked.

I scouted out the vines to see if there was a shot or two I could compose. There was this little pocket where the light was just right. Framed by branches and spiderwebs these lovely globes of light seemed to call to me.

I walked back
to my car to get the camera and made a few images. I was surprised that the bird netting wasn't all that detrimental to the shot. There is something to be said for having good glass in your lens. One thing to keep in mind is that sunlight changes quickly near the end of the day. If you take too long, you may end up with a nasty shadow in the way. Work fast!

Back at home, I spent some time in Photoshop cleaning up the image, removing some of the distracting elements. The "healing tool" works wonders for spiderwebs! I dodged (brightened) the center of the grapes to add interest; The eye is always drawn to the brightest thing in the frame.

Given that
it was early spring, these grapes are young and green. I was happy with the image, but wondered what it would be like as they ripened. I stopped by several times throughout the summer to have a look at how they were progressing.

In late August,
the time had come. Some of the bunches had already begun to turn to raisins. Harvest time was near. In this shot the grapes are translucent and glow yellow as they bask in the afternoon sun. This one makes my mouth water!

I'll close this entry by asking you to look around; Try a different road. See what you can see at that time, but imagine how things would change at different times of day, or at different time of the year. You'll often be surprised at what you find!