Gallery: three ways of seeing
Photography is pretty simple stuff. You just react to what you see, and take many, many pictures
Elliott Erwitt
For me, one of the most important words in that quote is ‘many’. So often I observe some with a phone or camera taking a single photo of a sight and moving on, in a hurry to reach the next. In the pre-digital days when every picture taken meant a hit to your wallet, that made some sense (although even back then I was relatively profligate with film and was never happy with only one shot). Today it strikes me as strange, but then I am rarely completely happy with my first shot of anything!
This week for our Lens Artists challenge Patti reminds us to slow down, take a longer look at a subject, and experiment a bit. I tackled this topic in a Friendly Friday challenge a few months ago. There I talked about the importance of not always settling for the first shot that comes to mind. In that post I allowed myself the luxury of sharing multiple viewpoints of my chosen subjects, but Patti wants just three. So this week I’ve hunted out a few different examples from my archive.
Growing mushrooms
For my first set of images I’m taking you, as I so often do, to North Korea. But this is a very different side to that enigmatic country. On any tour there you are taken not just to the big sights but also to some very unusual ones. They are proud of their achievements in industry and farming and want you to see how advanced they are. (Any less successful efforts are of course strictly off-limits to tourists). One of our visits was to a mushroom farm, although to me it felt more like a factory. We were shown how a small team of women inserts the spores into plastic bags of compost. We then walked through large rooms filled with racks of mushrooms at various stages of growth.
My shot of one of these rooms was a good record of what we saw. But it was hardly very interesting photographically.
Likewise a closer look at the plastic bags with mushrooms sprouting out of them. It shows you how the mushrooms are grown, but visually it’s pretty dull.
But when I got closer and started to play around with almost abstract shots of the mushrooms themselves, finally I felt I could get some decent images. I loved their sinuous curves and the play of light and shade.
The Virgen de Quito
El Panecillo is a small hill in Quito, the Ecuadorean capital. The name means ‘the little bread loaf’, because of its shape. The hill was a sacred site for the Quechua. They had a temple to the Sun god (Yavirac) here and called the hill Shungoloma, meaning ‘hill of the heart’.
Today the hill is crowned with a statue of the Virgen de Quito who watches over and protects the city. This dominates the skyline when you look south down any of colonial Quito’s avenidas.
But you’ll get a better look at the statue if you climb the hill (ideally in a car or taxi, as the steps that lead here are notoriously bad for crime and tourist muggings).
A shot taken from the foot of the statue gives a better idea of its size, at 41 metres tall. You can also see how the Virgin stands on top of a globe and steps on a serpent, a traditionally symbolic way to portray the Madonna. Less traditional are the wings. Indeed, locals claim that she is the only one in the world with wings like an angel. The statue is full of movement – she might almost be dancing – very different to the usual static portrayals of the saint.
Zooming in on her face you can see just some of the seven thousand pieces of aluminium of which she was constructed.
The Hofburg Palace in Vienna
The Hofburg was built in the 13th century as the principal imperial palace and winter residence of the Habsburg dynasty. It has been much added to over the years, and today is the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria. It is a sprawling building, taking up a large plot on the city.
This impressive frontage is the Michaelertrakt (St. Michael’s Wing), one of the palace’s newer wings, dating from the 19th century. We were here on a lovely sunny day but the light wasn’t great for photography, as much of the building was in shade.
I decided to focus most of my attention on some of the details of the palace that were better lit. While details alone don’t show the scale of the building they do hint at its grandeur. I liked the contrast of green dome, white sculptural pieces and blue sky.
Zooming even closer I picked out individual figures within the sculptural groups. I liked this angel’s golden trumpet and feathered wings.
Salto Grande, Torres del Paine
These falls link two of the Torres del Paine National Park’s lakes, Lake Nordenskjöld and Lake Pehoé. They lie about a kilometre off the park road along a level but stony path. When we visited the winds were incredibly strong, making what must usually be quite an easy walk into something rather more challenging. But the scenery along the way was stunning. It would be well worth the effort even without the reward of a waterfall at the end of the path!
From a distance you can appreciate the falls’ setting in the landscape: rocky, barren, desolate. The beautiful turquoise colour of the water is due to Nordenskjöld being a glacial lake, fed with ice run-off from the surrounding mountains.
You need to get closer to the water to take a photo that shows the power of the falls. I took several here but I liked this one best, focusing not on the water but on the branches of a nearby bush stripped bare by the winds and spray.
But my favourite shot from this spot wasn’t of the falls at all. Maybe it’s not so obvious a shot to take, but I couldn’t resist the beauty of the landscape I saw when I turned away from them. While it was the falls that brought me here, I felt I got my best photos not of the waters but of the surrounding mountains and those bare shrubs.
Waterlily at Angkor Wat
For my last example I thought I’d have a look at how you can use a variety of editing techniques to show a subject in different ways.
To start with, here’s a straightforward shot of a waterlily in the lake in front of Angkor Wat. It’s pretty much as it was straight out of the camera, just slightly cropped and with a touch of vignetting to draw attention to the flower.
I used the ‘poster edges’ filter in Photoshop Elements to create this effect.
And finally, here I used Silver Efex Pro to create a monochrome version. I added a stronger vignette, upped the contrast and tinted it slightly with the copper filter. This, I think, is my favourite version, despite the draw of that vivid pink.
44 Comments
Hammad Rais
Commenting on this quite late. These captures are certainly so wonderful, Sarah.
Especially The Hofburg Palace and Salto Grande.
Sarah Wilkie
It’s never too late to comment Hammad and I really appreciate your feedback – thank you 😀
bluebrightly
Nicely done! I like the third photo of Torres del Paine and the lotus variations best. When you’re traveling it can be hard to stay with a subject – it’s much easier on home ground. But when you do, it’s worth the time.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 In some ways it’s harder when travelling as there’s always that (often self-inflicted!) pressure to move on and discover what else there is to see. But on the other hand I find myself looking more closely and also trying harder to get the right shot, probably because I know I’ll probably never be here again!
Wind Kisses
Such a great variety for the challenge, Sarah. You could have taken a bunch of different angles of the mushroom (as the one had so much detail to enjoy) and instead, the photos were more powerful because of the sequence you showed. The Virgen de Quito was impressive and I loved that you saved her expressive face for the third photo. Amazing workmanship 7000? wow. And I love the words that accompanied the waterfall photos. Yes, brilliant place to wander, and I think it is always important to, turn around as you did. I loved the second photo of the falls, but I can see why you loved the additional scenery. Such a nice collection as always. Happy travels.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Donna 😊 I do have several differently angled shots of the mushrooms, as you can imagine, but it suited this theme to show how I moved from finding it all quite dull to discovering an opportunity for interesting photography!
Leya
Excellent as usual, Sarah! WOW for the last of the mushroom set! Amazing!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ann-Christine – that wasn’t the sort of photo I anticipated taking when planning our North Korea trip!
equinoxio21
Very good.
Angkor Vat? You’ve been there? When?
(I want to go back before China completes the new airport to fly in 30 million visitors a year…)
🙏🏻
Sarah Wilkie
In February 2020, just as Covid was starting to spread. Already China was locked down which made it a great time to visit – our guide reckoned that visitor numbers were down by over 30%!
equinoxio21
Tight, but perfect timing.
Sarah Wilkie
Absolutely! It only started to impact towards the end of our trip while we were in Vietnam, but even then only in minor ways. We got home about ten days before the UK locked down!
equinoxio21
Close but safe.
SoyBend
I especially liked your picture of the water lily in black and white, Sarah. The higher contrast and vignette effect highlighted the lovely structure of the flower.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Siobhan – I was pleased with how that one came out 🙂 At first I thought the poster effect one was my favourite but the monochrome shot grew on me and I liked it best in the end!
Rose
I’m not a photographer, but I love looking at your pictures. My favorites are the first waterlily shot and the first waterfall shot. I may have personal biases for choosing those two. I love the simple perfection of waterlilies. And I can just imagine the sound, the smell, and the mist from the waterfall.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rose 🙂 I think we all lean towards photos of subjects that we like for themselves!
Marie
Fabulous post Sarah – so well thought out…. Like so many others above, I’m fascinated by the mushrooms!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marie 🙂 I’m slightly surprised at how well the mushrooms have gone down! I wasn’t especially engaged with that tour and the details of mushroom cultivation, so I devoted myself to close-up photos of them and was pleased to have ‘rescued’ some useful shots from an otherwise not very attractive facility!
grandmisadventures
Beautiful pictures! I especially love the mushrooms with those beautiful curves and lines.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks 🙂 I was surprised how lovely the mushrooms looked when I got close enough to them!
wetanddustyroads
The third photo of the mushrooms are stunning … but wow, that waterlily (the second – coloured – one) that’s my favourite! Today, I learned something from you … close up photos are amazing!
Sarah Wilkie
Ah, thank you 😊 I love getting close to things with my camera!
thehungrytravellers.blog
I know there’s some spectacular places and images here but I’m kind of hooked by the mushroom factory…I never even imagined there was such a thing!
Sarah Wilkie
Me either, but you never know where you may be taken on a tour of North Korea – and they were so proud of it!
Mike and Kellye Hefner
I love how when you’re presented with a challenge you rise to the occasion and select the perfect images out of what must be a massive collection of photos. My favorites here are the second water lily and the third mushrooms. As always, a wonderful post, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, but it’s always fun sorting through photos for these challenges as it takes me down memory lane and also helps me to assess the images anew and sometimes get editing to improve them!
pattimoed
What a great collection for the challenge, Sarah. My favorites were the last images in each set. The mushrooms… the land near the waterfall…. Beautiful choices/images.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Patti – both for the kind comment and the original challenge that sent me back to review these various photo opportunities and how I approached them 🙂
pattimoed
You’re very welcome, Sarah.
I. J. Khanewala
Great job with the mushrooms. That last one is lovely; leaved you hoping for three more close ups of them.
Sarah Wilkie
Ah, I do have three more close-ups, but Patti wanted just three in total and they needed to show a progression of thought about the composition so I had to share the less successful earlier attempt!
philosophy through photography
Magnificent collection and examples for this theme.
Love the Virgen de Quito statue.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 It’s a pretty striking statue, isn’t it?
philosophy through photography
Yes. It is.
Easymalc
Totally agree Sarah and you’ve provided some great examples
Easymalc
Apologies for sending another comment as I didn’t think the first one was sent
Sarah Wilkie
They all came through OK Malcolm, and thank you for persevering and for the nice comments 🙂 I deleted the first one as this one duplicates it – hope that’s OK?
JohnRH
Great perspectives. I love the mushroom photos. I’ve seen the Quito statue but didn’t go up because of the tourist warnings.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks John. We were lucky in Quito to spend a day with friends (actually, the parents of an Ecuadorean friend living in London) and this is one of the places they took us – in their car!
Anne Sandler
Wonderful examples for this challenge and of your travels Sarah. I liked how you explained your methodology as you approach taking a photo.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Anne 🙂 One of the great things about these challenges for me is that they prompt me to consider why and how I took a photo they way I did!
Tina Schell
Agree wholeheartedly with your comments Sarah, and you chose some terrific subjects to illustrate them. I loved your final mushroom image and was fascinated by the close up of the statue’s face. I had the same exact reaction to the waterfall at Torres del Paine. It was an amazing sight and the roar of the water combined with the spray were amazing but the better photographer were around and nearby them. Beautiful set this week!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Tina 🙂 Yes, the whole of Torres del Paine was so stunning that somehow the waterfall was almost lost in that huge landscape even though it would be very impressive almost anywhere else!