Visualization

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I learned about photography visualization from Ansel Adams writings. It’s the idea of seeing the end result, the print of an image captured, as you are forming the image at the point of capture. It is knowing how the camera will translate on film, or in today’s world, digitally. Adams created the Zone Systems defining nine tones of gray, from the darkest black with detail to the whitest white with detail. Knowing how to implement photography visualization takes practice. Camera tools, like the histogram and metering systems help considerably. Taking pictures has been simplified materially.

In a bigger picture (no pun intended) I think of visualization as what I see happening with my plans. I planned to go to Plum Island, Massachusetts, at the Atlantic ocean, to shoot eagles and owls, with experienced bird photographers, Gary Reed (graylakephotography.com) and Pam Sullivan (pamsullivanphotography.com). My iPhone indicated rain. Rain was not an issue, and it was too warm, for eagles and owls to want to fly to the spot we planned to capture them. The saying “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”, comes to mind!

Gary, who really knows how to photograph birds, managed to see and capture many bird species. I was mesmerized by the defused sun and sun reflections on the beach. Feeling comfortable to ‘go with the flow’ has made my life so much more gratifying than if I fixate on my plans. Beauty surprises me, every which way. Pam was delighted by seeing and capturing a curious coyote. Believing in beauty is seeing your beauty. Plum Island was a great journey, and not as I originally visualized.

Dreamscape