Random photo notes, Vol. 3
These are a few notes I have written about some of my favorite photos. They can range from social media posts to descriptions on my homepage, even handwritten notes made in the field. They are not in chronological order.
I’ve always found it helpful to put words to my images, whether in the form of scribbling exposure settings in a notebook or writing essays on the nuances of a composition.
If photography can be partly considered the organization of the visible chaos that surrounds us, then I believe writing can be somewhat about taming the invisible and internal.
Looking back on my notes has always helped me to reflect on my technical and creative progress, as well as on my journey through life.
Codex, 4/13/22 f/14 1/5s 54.6mm ISO100 CPL Focus Stacked
When I was younger I attempted to play this game Warhammer 40K with some neighbor kids but it never really clicked, except I painted some of my pieces pretty well. You could buy these “Codex” books that would explain rules, game play, campaigns or something. So the word Codex stuck with me like strange words tend to, and then the other day I somehow associated it with this tree bark. The mind is a weird thing. Why did I hold onto this word? Unless I’m forgetting, it has literally never appeared in anything I’ve read since middle school.
Morning Shadows, 11/30/21
Had a nice sunrise to myself last week and took tons of photos, but my favorites weren’t of the sun or trees like I’d expected. This boulder caught some really nice light that cast shadows down from the surrounding branches. These patterns changed rapidly as the sun rose throughout the morning so as soon as I thought I was satisfied another composition would present itself. Drinking a thermos of coffee and enjoying this show was a great way to start a Tuesday.
Thick Skin, 12/30/21 f/11 188mm ISO100, focus stacked
This sturdy tree was growing right in the middle of a small creek that had was flowing fairly violently due to lots of recent rain. I wanted to shoot those rapids but those photos didn’t turn out super interesting.
I’m not sure what caused these scars close to the base of the trunk - possibly the water itself over time or hungry deer short on grass - but I was intrigued by both the scars and the exposed cambium. Lots of cool textures and shapes drew me in though I had a lot of difficulty maneuvering around the creek bed to shoot it.
I wanted to present an evenly focused image to show as much detail as possible, but of course much of the rounded trunk would soften outside of the focus zone even with a fairly closed aperture. If anything it was a fun technical exercise.
