Butch Mazzuca
July 2024 - One One-Thousand, Two One-Thousand
Original
About the Image(s)
⬓One One-Thousand, Two One-Thousandâ¬
Canon 1DX ⬓ Canon 24-70 @ 50mm
ISO 100 ⬓ f22 ⬓ Bulb @ 32 seconds with a 6 Stop ND filter
Shot taken along Biloxi Bay in Mississippi several years after Katrina. These are the remnants of a fishing pier that was never re-built. My wife and I were staying about 20 miles outside of Biloxi Mississippi in a beach house we had rented for the week. When I woke up on our first morning and saw the pastel sky, I knew I had to find something to shoot so I grabbed my tripod and camera bag raced out of the house and spotted the remnants of the pier about 100 yards down the 10-foot-wide pebble beach; I looked for a good composition and set up my camera and tripod. But in my rush to beat the sun and the still water.
My goal was to create a glass-like reflection in the water and knew I needed a long exposure, but I had forgotten my iPhone and had no way of measuring the seconds. It was about an hour before sunrise, and I was playing beat the clock because A) there were already ripples and waves in the water and I knew it wasn’t going to remain still as soon as the sun came up and B) I was afraid of losing the pastel sky. I took a couple of test shots before I was able to calculate the correct exposure and put my camera on bulb, set the aperture at f22, added a 6-stop ND filter and counted the 32-second exposure... one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one thousand, etc.: that’s also how I came up with the title for the image, and title’s are important in competition, I was hoping the title would make a good judge stop and reflect upon the title vis-a-vis the actual image.
I purposely chose this image including the 'as shot' rendition to initiate a discussion. Had I shot what I saw that morning I wouldn’t have submitted this image, but I had a good idea about what I could do with the scene to make a pleasing photo I could hang on my wall and followed Ansel Adams’ famous comment, ⬓You don’t take a photograph, you make it.⬠With that said, I was hoping to start a discussion about one of the joys of photography. Does a photographer shoot the the scenes he or she sees or should they enhance the scene to create art? - I’m 79-years-old and have no illusions about my skill as a photographer, so my personal goal when shooting is to create pleasing images that I would be proud to hang on my wall and score well in my photo club competitions. I hope a discussion follows.
BTW - horizon lines are critical in landscape/seascape photography and the horizon line in this image is not crooked, the white line above the pilings are breaking waves using a 32-second exposure, the horizon line is where the blue-green water meets the deeper blue of the sky. Comments on this aspect of the image are also welcome.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted
For discussion, I belonged to a camera club here, but no longer attend. The group did a lot of "field trips" and most of them I enjoyed. But then they started to do topics that just don't intrigue me (part of the Florida issue - limited landscape opportunities) so I dropped out pretty much.
I have never submitted images for judging , what motivates you to do that? I totally agree my goal, like yours, is to create art that I like and want to print and hang. And I've used them for gifts when I know what the individual likes. And of course, I am the family photographer for all events!
My joy of photography is also learning everything I can about my subjects, exploring with my camera AND helping me maintain fitness. I spent my career in an intense environment and I frequently worked 10-11 hr. days so I initially started traveling with fellow photographers to give me uninterrupted time away from my job. Then when I retired 6 years ago, I decided to really learn how to use a camera properly. I had two mentors that helped me along the way. Posted: 07/12/2024 18:47:12
I think photography provides the opportunity to be creative, whether that's a portrait, landscape, wildlife, or any result that the photographer likes and enjoys. I'm trying to be okay with all the AI techniques available able to us and my only thought is that we should be willing to post what some of these techniques allowed us to do, such as the now simple sky replacement, cleanup of distractions, composites, etc. But to me in the end photography is an art form and we need to let the artist be creative.
I've been in 2 different photo clubs and regularly submit images into the competitions. I find it keeps me focused on the spring/fall deadlines and categories. We now watch the judging through Zoom and it's very helpful to hear the judges comments. I don't always agree with their decisions, but it has helped me do a better job with composition and post processing. I also enjoy the conversations at the club meetings and hearing where and what others are shooting.
Posted: 07/12/2024 19:39:01
Posted: 07/12/2024 20:36:10
I also belong to two camera clubs down here. One is focused on creativity and education/development. In their meetings "comp" is a four letter word that is just not tolerated. The other is competition driven, where it seems the collection of points is more important than the actual photography. Some people there take great photos of various subjects, but have been doing the same thing for about the last three years now. In my mind, it's time for them to move on and try other subjects and techniques. They just continue to produce the same old, same old. They're happy to stay stuck in their rut.
And then one "judge" says "crop it", so they do and the next "judge" says "it needs more room to breathe". The club committee doesn't like us to challenge the judges. I'm not surprised I don't get any Christmas cards from the committee. When the judge asks if anyone has any questions or comments, my hand is usually the first one up.
Titles don't do much for me either. A viewer should be free to walk around an image or painting and discover what their eyes come across. Sometimes those little minute details tell their own story. If the Mona Lisa was called the Mona Mary or the Mona Catherine, would the painting be any less. I often enjoy going through a book I have by Ansel Adams, titled 400 photographs. His name says it all and 95% of his titles just give us a location.
But your photo is still a great one for you to be proud of. Posted: 07/22/2024 08:53:22
Your exposure rocks and it is a great shot.
I belong to two camera clubs as well. One is mostly social and there is no drive for anyone getting better. The other is the older camera club in California and there is a focus on competitions and education to help others get better.
We had seal I say a bit of controversy about two years ago on what is real - Bottom line a person submitted a great sunrise shat with a full moon (larger than real life) just a few inches above the sunrise. Created some issues as to what is real vs fake. Or real vs illustrative - possibly more discussion later - great shot! Posted: 07/30/2024 19:16:24