All sense of perspective disappears in the world of intimate landscapes. Without some sort of spacial reference who knows if the falls are three feet or three hundred. I love moving in tight on the landscape, getting up close and personal, entering the world in which I photograph rather than standing on the periphery. So, when I clicked the shutter on this small section of Latourell Falls, I knew it’s relationship to the entire falls. Yet, when I viewed the image later in the digital darkroom, I felt like Alice when she fell down the hole and the world suddenly got smaller. I was transported back to the falls, forgetting size, space, time and simply existing within that very small piece of the world where life moves in slow motion…
Suddenly, I am drawn from my reverie when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn to look just in time to see a young man scrambling along the rocky trail to the base of the falls and…he.. is …wearing…a…red…shirt! I turn, compose, expose, click, click, click, the moment is past. When I look at this image, my emotional response is far different from the first image, rather than the peaceful feelings of the above image I feel the sheer size and power of the falls my senses become acute and I hear the thunder of the water cascading over a cliff 249 feet high to crash upon the rocks below, I feel the spray from the force of the water, I smell the rich, fertile earth, I taste the cool, clean air as I take a breath as if I were standing right there next to that adventurous young man. I even shiver as I feel the cool breeze against my wet skin. I feel the energy…
So, the next time someone enters your photographic space, change your perspective and try to find a way to incorporate them into your image. It helps if they are wearing red.
Images captured with Nikon D3S, AF-S 70-200mm VR II on Lexar digital media.
