Thursday, December 18, 2008

The need to photograph

Some days I just "have to" photograph something. It is like a physical urge that I must address, and it's funny how it happens on days that aren't very good for photography.
Yesterday it really rained. The recorded rainfall for Palm Springs was 1.57 inches, a new record for December 17th beating the 1.52 inches in 1940. I was so anxious to use my camera, I took an umbrella (not for me, but to protect my precious camera) and went outside to see what I could find. The water had filled our pool to the rim and the spillover from the spa was flowing nicely:



I played with some closeups of the raindrops peppering the pool, and altered one a bit in Photoshop:

















And finally, I had some fun with the way the tile inlay in the spa looked below the water disturbed from the rain and captured this:

So, in the spirit of trying to explain myself and my photographic process on this blog, I just thought I'd share - not because these are necessarily my best work, or because they are commercially viable, but because this is what photography is about for me. My ultimate goal is to create an image that captures the essence of what I am feeling at the moment so that I will remember that feeling in years to come. I imagine myself as an old woman reliving the moment by looking at the photograph and remembering the wind on my cheek, the smell of the place, perhaps the coolness or dampness as I am breathing in. If the photograph doesn't do that for me it ends up on the cutting room floor.

Today, the sky is blue again and there is snow on the mountains ☺ I am heading out the door to find something to photograph - because I NEED to!

12 comments:

Tiffany Teske said...

Hi Alison! Thanks for visiting my blog. I thought I would check out yours and wanted to say I really love these water images. Do you know Shots Magazine? It is a small art photography magazine based out of Minneapolis. There current call for submission is on the theme Water. The magazine is black and white but they accept color submissions. I think you should submit your third image. Let me know if you want more details....

Cut Copy Create said...

The colours are gorgeous and oddly enough make me think of tropical warm climates instead of drizzly dull rain :)

Piggy said...

Love the slide show and the photographs are GORGEOUS.. the music too.. really nice and soothing.. You got to teach me how to take these gorgeous pictures.. everyone seems to tell a story..

Unknown said...

Alison,
These are gorgeous, I am so enthralled with your work. The bubbly shot of the water is breathtaking, it reminds me of diving into a pool.
Thanks for sharing on your blog.

Sandra Evertson said...

Beautiful!
Sandra Evertson

Beth said...

Those turned out beautifully! I am so glad I saw them. Thank you for sharing.

The Lone Beader® said...

Thanks for stoppin by my blog! wish I were better at photography! And, yes, I would do custom beadwork from someone's pet photo. I wrote that on my Etsy shop. Hope your enjoying the season!

OurWanderingAdventures said...

ooo quite stunning!

Julie said...

I really like that last one! I understand that "need to create" My whole family claims I get really, really grumpy if I haven't danced in a while. :)

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Frau Zinnie said...

Great post! :)

mybizzyworld said...

thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Yes she is adorable, and she knows it (becca) Have a gret new year.

carole

Great photos btw Allison!

Anonymous said...

Wow-- you *nailed* it Alison! I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. :) Photos that aren't probably going to show up anywhere but had to be taken and brought your day/mood up a notch (or 10). :)