Scott and Mary, September 1973, Austin Texas

I’m giving a talk at a UT PhotoJ class today. I’m going to try to pass on some of the things I’ve learned. My plan is to show some of these shots and talk about them. I thought it would be apropos to show a shot of myself , taken at their age, to the students I’ll be talking to. (This is what I looked like 32 years ago, fresh out of UT and even more freshly married…) Time changes everything but the core of who you are.

Colorado Forest Detail, October 2005

Whenever I approach a shot, the first thing I ask myself is, “ok, what’s the essence of this…?”… (Actually that’s what I’m constantly asking myself, even when the camera isn’t in the way.) Here, the vertical highlight reflections outlining the backlit sillouetted trees topped off by backlit leaves does the trick. The composition is basic rule of thirds. Usually the simplest shots are the best.