Nature Is, Where You Find It
© Jerry Whaley
A trip to Brazil is certain to provide opportunities to photograph exotic nature subjects. It is almost too easy, because the subjects are so exotic. A documentation type photo will be just as interesting to the folks back home because most everything is different, therefore interesting to view and to photograph. When in an exotic location, I too find myself capturing rather than creating. It is harder to render a personal vision of some exotic plant or animal or place you just saw for the first time (and may never see again) than it is to render a personal vision of a more familiar, accessible subject. Travel provides photographic opportunities, but also presents creative pitfalls.
The region in which you live provides a more accessible base of operations for truly creative photography. Near your home, you may visit an inspiring subject or unique area in many seasons, under varying weather conditions; and during times that provide the best lighting. Accessibility increases your chances of rendering the subject in a way that is pleasing to you and those who will later view, or possibly purchase your work. I feel lucky to live where I do. Though development is changing the character of the area too rapidly for my taste, East Tennessee still provides a wealth of photographic opportunities to any hard-working nature photographer. Even bad things, like the dead and dying fir trees in the Smokies, provide opportunities for creative images. You might even make an image that helps increase public awareness of the dangers of non-native insects or air pollution.
An overlooked, though very accessible, area to consider is your own house, yard and neighborhood. Do you have flowering plants, shrubs or trees in your yard or neighborhood? Take advantage of the beauty all around you. Take a good look at your all-too-familiar surroundings. Opportunities exist right under your nose, in your own backyard. Smithsonian magazine and National Geographic magazine have provided wonderfully interesting and insightful articles on very mundane, familiar subjects in the last few years. They take the familiar and make it interesting by looking at the subject in depth. The April, 1995 issue of Smithsonian had an article describing what was contained in the cubic foot of air in front of your face -- it was fascinating! This stuff we usually can't see, smell, taste, hear or feel is full of exotic matter. It took an insightful author to help me "see" the complex beauty of air.
We, as photographers, can do the same with our subject matter. By incorporating our own personal vision or taking a look beyond the obvious with the subjects we choose, we can intrigue and enlighten those who view our work. The subject doesn't have to be from an exotic location to be interesting. My own experience selling stock images supports what I am saying. I have sold images from exotic areas, from the East Tennessee region and, literally, from right outside my front or back door. Keep your eyes, and especially your mind, open to the opportunities all around you. Good nature images are not just found in the wilderness; images of nature are -- wherever you find them.
