Framing Nature

One of the things I've grown to like to about photographing nature (in fact it was annoying at first), is that there are no set limits to the image you're trying to capture. When you're deciding on how to frame the shot, you quickly realize there are always more elements you can include if you zoom out, and consequently there are always elements being left out.

This process sometimes leaves you wishing that this photo would be perfect if ti weren't X, Y or Z. In your desire to control the image you're capturing, you start wishing some elements were not present or that others could be included. I guess this becomes a balancing as well as a zen-like act, because as a photographer you want to listen to your curiosity that drove you to that shot, to what you find interesting in that image but at the same time you must listen to your subject and what it brings to the table.

In this sense I found many times, that nature is wiser than us.

In the picture that I chose for this post, I remember walking by and thinking "those pebbles have an interesting combination of colors" and when I decided to take the shot I found that if I wanted to include the pebbles that I wanted, the frame would also catch a piece of a plant that was nearby, which wasn't be intended subject. If I opened the shot wide enough to include the whole plant, then the rocks would look smaller and loose attention.

Trying not to focus on my wishful feelings of the moment (wishing the plant was a bit farther away from the stones I liked) I decided to make the best of it, accepting the fact that the plant was nearby and that I didn't want to zoom out too much, I opted to include only a piece of the plant.

The result was immensely satisfying. Now that I look at the picture, I'm grateful the plant was nearby and forced itself into my frame, because it gives the images a certain something, that I now feel is essential to the picture.

Thanks for reading.

Andres Gonzalez