What captures your eye?

Living in the desert of Oregon, I know I seek out running water and anything with color (our colors are gray green to shades of brown).  Do you think where you live dictates what catches your interest?  I probably pass up many shots because they are too local and other places will capture my interest just because they are different.  Any thoughts?

Living in New York  I simply love the sunsets (and sunrises) here. Driving back from work late evening in the summer the sun is a fiery red ball slowly sinking down behind the tall buildings, coloring the sky with multiple shades of pink and orange and red. The clouds take on a life of their own, reflecting the golden glow from the western sky. If you happen to be on Throg's Neck Bridge, the planes flying in and out of Kennedy add to the drama.

Unfortunately I am the one who is always driving and it is difficult to linger and admire the beautiful sight. I have done the usual pictures from Brooklyn Bridge Park and from Hoboken, Jones Beach etc. But it is the simple pleasure of driving home to such beauty that captures my heart.

Truly blessed to be a New Yorker.

Pradeep

Last summer, I attended a wedding in Manhattan (haven't been to NY since the 60's) and loved the sights and sounds of the big apple.

All kinds of things capture my eye these days, it would be hard to narrow it down descriptively other than to say it's something interesting about a subject and/or about the light. I can annoy my wife by stopping in my tracks in the shopping mall, to pull out my camera phone and experiment with lines & shapes, reflections, shadows or whatever. It's the same when outdoors, sitting in a car or plane, working downtown, at the dinner table, you name it. I've got a friend who almost never even goes to the loo without a camera but that's a little creepy... I do draw the line somewhere.

The more I learn to see potential compositions, ones involving details in particular, the more photo opportunities I see. A photograph can break out literally anywhere, and I try to be alert for them when they do. I can't always stop what I'm doing to make those photographs, but I try to at least notice them going by. I probably still fail to see 100X or 1000X compared to the ones I do see.

Mike in O wrote:Living in the desert of Oregon, I know I seek out running water and anything with color (our colors are gray green to shades of brown).

Try looking up next time. A lot of things happen in the sky.

DChan wrote:

Mike in O wrote:Living in the desert of Oregon, I know I seek out running water and anything with color (our colors are gray green to shades of brown).

Try looking up next time. A lot of things happen in the sky.

Hopefully the drought will end soon.  Looking up will do little to improve the composition.

Charlie Woodrich wrote:

DChan wrote:

Mike in O wrote:Living in the desert of Oregon, I know I seek out running water and anything with color (our colors are gray green to shades of brown).

Try looking up next time. A lot of things happen in the sky.

Hopefully the drought will end soon.  Looking up will do little to improve the composition.

Yes or no:

1. You don't need to know anything about composition to shoot a photos of the sky.

2. To get a good photos of the sky all you need is to point the camera towards the sky and press the button.

3. There's no good photo of the sky. Never ever.

Charlie Woodrich wrote:
DChan wrote:
Mike in O wrote:
Living in the desert of Oregon, I know I seek out running water and anything with color (our colors are gray green to shades of brown).


Try looking up next time. A lot of things happen in the sky.


Hopefully the drought will end soon.  Looking up will do little to improve the composition.


DC - the way I read his post is he was lamenting about the drought that is occurring where he lives.  I read your post as forget about it; look up.  Normally I would ignore such an insensitive reply, but you have developed a reputation for being combative, to the point of being nasty in some situations.  This a healthy/professional website and your jousting, at least in my view, is not constructive or welcome.

Yes or no:

1. You don't need to know anything about composition to shoot a photos of the sky.

2. To get a good photos of the sky all you need is to point the camera towards the sky and press the button.

3. There's no good photo of the sky. Never ever.

Just received an example from someone who would rather resorts to personal attack than discussing how "looking up will do little to improve the composition".

Oh well.

I to am a desert dweller who has been able to spend the last few weeks in Maine. From the very first buds pushing their way through melting snow to the mother duck and her eleven chicks who recently started visiting my rental on a lake daily, it has been remarkably inspiring. Unlike the desert, nature here is very busy and tremendously healthy, and far more relaxed and less skittish maybe because of the abundance of food. The other big difference is the weather and atmosphere, that produces many different types of light during the day.
I guess my point is that changing one's visual stimuli can reboot inspiration and in my case will change what captures my eye in the desert when I return home. Diversity is what helps me from becoming visually stuck.

Royce Howland wrote: I've got a friend who almost never even goes to the loo without a camera but that's a little creepy... I do draw the line somewhere.

On a recent trip I met somebody (from Canada but now lives in Arizona), who admitted he takes his Leica M to the bathroom with him every morning!

I guess the best camera is the one you have with you and indeed there are many occasions when I've sorely missed my camera. 

Pradeep

Primus wrote:

On a recent trip I met somebody (from Canada but now lives in Arizona), who admitted he takes his Leica M to the bathroom with him every morning!

I guess the best camera is the one you have with you and indeed there are many occasions when I've sorely missed my camera. 

Pradeep

There's nothing like that morning selfie   I'd hate to see what folder he puts dem images in.


I am blessed to live in the capital of Canada.  No, not Toronto.    Although Ottawa is a capital city, it has an abundance of green space and bicycle lanes.  You don't have to drive far either. The only thing we're missing are majestic mountainscapes.  We have no shortage of wildlife and birds. I'll be driving along a city street or country road and if there is a hawk or owl perched within sight, my eye would catch it.  My eyes are so used to their shape that they'll stand out. The bird could be in silhouette and it would still get my attention.  To a lesser extent this applies to any bird and any movement I see off the road.  It'll catch my attention especially if it is out of the city. Beautiful sunsets of course.  Nice reflections in a pond or a calm lake.

PS.  Lately, I have this fascination with the Canadian Lynx.  I know where people have reported them (Lake Lapeche area) but good luck in finding one as they're secretive creatures.  The closest we've come to see one up close was a year or two ago when a Lynx was wandering out in public in Gatineau Park. Conservation had to shoot it because they figured only a sick Lynx would be out and about in full view like that.  The lynx first got on my radar when a co-worker told me he saw one right on the golf course in Newfoundland as they were getting ready to tee off.  It was right where they were standing.  I know Newfoundland and Cape Breton have been known as good places to see them.  But I digress.

http://o.canada.com/technology/environment/rare-canada-lynx-and-kitten-spotted-in-new-video-shot-by-parks-canada-staff