19 Dec
2011

Posted in: Creativity, Yellowstone
By George Stocking    6 Comments

The Distance Between Concept and Execution

The distance between concept and the resulting image can sometimes be a little less than linear. Take “Treeshadow” as an example. I was toiling away in Yellowstone NP (as you have no doubt guessed) under continuous high pressure. Blue skies all day, all night. I was having trouble coming up with ideas for morning shots, sans the clouds. So I pulled out my compass and started checking locations, figuring out where the sun would rise and what it would give me; pretty standard stuff.

Standing out on Firehole Drive looking at the geyser steam and the sunrise location, it hit me like a piano falling from 5 stories. How simple. How elegant. How cool.

Bronica GS-1, 50mm, Velvia @125 sec, f8

Next morning, I was standing right there with my tripod. The geyser was nominal, as expected. What I had failed to plan on, was the wind. It seemed to steady about 15 mph, with gusts reaching much higher velocities. Turns out, it was really pretty much how the weather patterns work there during the summer. Wind in the morning; it happened every day, and I would have to work around it. I found that my real problem was that the steam would clear out between the time I depressed the shutter button and the mirror cleared the film. The wind was so intense that I was being foiled by shutter lag. The other problem that the steam was only golden for the first few minutes after the sun rose.

I left the first morning pretty sure I had accomplished zip. But I was enamored enough with the concept to persist. For the next 2 mornings to be exact. So after 3 mornings devoted to this capture, I actually left still unsure whether I had done what I had set out to do. My final accounting for the execution of my original idea:

3 mornings

3 1/2 rolls 220 Velvia; 70 captures total.

1 usable image – to my eternal and grateful surprise. Turns out, it was worth every minute and penny I spent on it. (oh, and if I failed to mention it, advantage – Digital)

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About George Stocking  (17 Posts)

George Stocking is a professional freelance photographer, residing in Phoenix, AZ. He works regularly as a contract photographer for Arizona Highways, and his work often graces the pages of Arizona Highways Magazine, Calendars and Books. In addition to capturing the natural beauty of the Arizona Landscape, George also photographs the western United States and Canada. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, such as: Backpacker, Outdoor Photographer, USGA Golf Journal, Country Magazine, Audubon Calendars, Adventure West, America West Airlines Magazine, Portal Publications (posters), Impact, Towery Publications (books) and Smith Southwestern. Other publications include: Oregon Outside, Arizona Foothills, Arizona Adventure, and Plateau Magazine