Have you ever seen a 'Behind the Scenes' image? Of course you have! Well I've been thinking lately about how a lot of what I do behind the lens and the images I produce can look drastically different than the environment I took them in. It wasn't always like this... I have learned a lot over the 8 years I've been studying photography. I've taken online courses from industry leaders and pushed myself to learn how to work magic in any situation I find myself in. As a photographer, I think people expect my images to be amazing no matter what... it is our job right?? The reality is that most of the time, the surrounding conditions are less than ideal and it takes a lot of technical knowledge to get an image to look the way you want straight out of camera. But that's the fun part- read on to get a glimpse into my 'Behind the Scenes' roadside shoot... in a field of weeds!
We live about 20 minutes North of the town we both grew up in. It is very rural out here so we have to go into town for pretty much everything. After living here for about 6 years now, I have come to know the back roads pretty well. I prefer them over the main ones. I like to shake things up a lot and my daily routines lie somewhere between “completely erratic” and “creature of habit”. So it’s not unusual for me to drive one way into town and then a completely different way home.
The most common route for me to go though, passes through farmland before cutting through small neighborhoods to get to my house. For several days in a row, I was noticing that the fields were all turning green. The first signs of spring were popping up everywhere and one day, on this particular route, I spotted a huge patch of purple just off the side of the road. I knew what it was immediately… well sort of. I know they are weeds, and they have a distinct smell. I don’t know the name though so if you do, please tell me!
Anyway… these weeds are everywhere each spring and for me, they carry the scent of summer on its way. I smell them and instantly think about the warm summer evenings and long walks to come. And as I got closer, this patch was so large and dense with these bright purple flowers, I couldn’t stop staring at it. It was a little beacon of hope that yes, in spite of the roller coaster weather we’ve been having, all the other blooms of spring will be here any day!
This little spot of beauty is just off the side of the road. It is surrounded by dirt that is not yet inhabited by crops or other weeds so it honestly isn’t a very pretty area. There are neighborhoods on both sides of the road and they add nothing to the aesthetic appeal. But I knew that if I worked the angles, I could come up with a scene that made it seem so much more appealing. Well at least I wanted to try. I decided to make a project out of it and see if I could transform the ordinary surroundings into a ‘Narnia’ like setting.
I passed by that huge plot of purple several days in a row and it kept calling to me. I really wanted to stop. I knew I had to bring the girls here! And my camera. But I kept putting it off. Getting too busy, making all the excuse of why tomorrow would be better. I almost missed my opportunity completely.
The stars aligned just right last Thursday afternoon and I just happen to have my camera and both girls in the car with me. We were headed home from dropping our dog Huckleberry, off at grandma’s and were leaving for Nebraska in less than 2 hours. If I wanted to pull this off, I had to just do it. If I waited until we got back, the chances of the field being dried up were pretty high. The little flowers don’t live long and to be honest, this spot was only 1 or 2 days away from turning crispy. On top of that, I was up against some tough obstacles, It was about 12:30 in the afternoon with very harsh sunlight overhead. I would’ve liked to do a sunset shoot but alas, the time was now or maybe not ever. Which isn’t like the end of the world or anything but I wanted to pull off this challenge I had given myself gosh darn it!
We pulled over and I got the girls out. I let Lydia run wild as I got my camera settings dialed in. I set Emmy down towards the edge of the field and walked away about 5 yards to give some distance. It was so fun figuring out which angle worked the best. I found that if I got down on my belly, I could make the flowers look larger and more whimsical looking. If I stood up, the flowers faded and the brown dirt took over the entire image. I played around for a good 20 minutes. I’m sure anyone passing by got some amusement out of it. The girls enjoyed the unstructured play, and for the most part, did their own thing. I made sure to take some shots of the area and how it looks normally so that I could show the comparison.
Narnia
Reality
Narnia
Reality
This part of photography is my favorite. I really love a good challenge and the technical aspects of photography are infinite. Trying new things always teaches us valuable lessons and this, like any art form, is not one to be perfected. It is a lifelong commitment and journey to grow, learn and enjoy getting better. Perfection and mastery are not motivators but rather inhibitors. If you constantly feel the need to be the best, you’ll sacrifice the joy that comes with progress. It’s all about falling in love with the process of making an image… and then showing those images to the world.
Narnia
Reality
Feedback is wonderful and I would love to hear yours! What sort of ordinary moments have you made extraordinary?
