I’ve always been a person deep into the details…as a child, during my corporate career and especially in my photography. Case in point…while visiting Jinotega in Nicaragua a month or so ago, a morning was spent in a local community to better understand the process of bringing clean water to the villages in the area. It was here that I made a conscious effort to capture the bigger picture with my camera, but inevitably…I always ended up enveloped in the details.
There was the overall image of the countryside…but let’s face it…it was the softness of the spanish moss, the colors of the lichen, the details in the tree bark that really spoke to me…
Then there was the water storage tank…but really…it was the patterns and the textures of the worn and aging paint that could’ve keep me photographing for hours…
And the cowboy and his horse? Well…it was really the worn silver, the aging of the leather saddle and the corse hair of the horse’s mane that whispered…photograph me!
But, when I came across a local farmer who happened to be taking a break from clearing brush? Well that’s a totally different story! Oh…the love of photographing people… even though I really loved his hair and his knife!
(I can guarantee he never expected to come across me!)
I’ve really come to accept the fact that the big picture doesn’t interest me…I like the tight close-up shots…honing in on the details…an area that many never pay attention to. That’s the fun part of this journey…figuring it all out…what works for me and what doesn’t.
Do you have a preference? Do you like big picture or the details? Would love to know!
gg
What a beautiful country, the land is something to behold, but I will be forever grateful that you delve into the details the way you do … up close and personal. Thank you so much.
Thanks Susan! So much!
I love the details, too; but isn’t it the details that make the whole? We just take it in a little at a time, that’s the best way to get to know the “big” picture.
Mary
So agree Mary! Thank you for visiting!
Robin, I am like you in this respect. I try to embrace the big picture and often take a requisite picture of the wider view, the context. But I gravitate to the details, too. Even in my own hometown, people will often ask why I don’t take pictures of the local college, local scenes, or historic buildings. They seem to want to know, without a doubt, where the picture was taken. I, on the other hand, love that you cannot tell exactly where the picture was taken. . . that it could be anywhere and everywhere. I fall in love with details. And your photographs bring to my eye your vision. Love the horse mane, the vibrant blue with texture, the soft moss, the boot saddled in its home place. Thanks for a peaceful end to this day!
See me too Donna. I love too that you can’t tell about the location…”that it could be anywhere and everywhere.” Love that! Always appreciate your visit and comments. Thank you!!
I have often mentioned to Astrid that as a rule, I go for the forest while she goes for the trees. I’ve decided it’s because she’s lived here all her life and I’m still trying to figure out the “big picture.” However, I am learning to hone in on the trees, little by little, and love when that happens. I think it’s safe to say I love “both and.” I think that’s why I do collages…because there’s always more than one side to any story!
Thanks for leading us by example, Robin. You’re certainly figuring it all out!
Well I think we’re all leading each other, ha! But, thanks! And you know…that’s what I do love about both of your images…I get to see both the forest and the trees. The perfect combo!
That’s exactly what makes your photographs so unique and fascinating, Dear Robin! I can stare each one for hours and get lost in the details.
Your perspective is exactly what makes it so beautiful and interesting to just envelope the whole experience. You can “feel” and “smell” your experience. It’s not postcard captures – It’s the details, the textures, the colors, the lighting, the little scenes you can see within the details. No two are alike and it can never be duplicated ever again. Anyone can take a photo of a monument, a landmark. I also love those detailed images that no one can guess where or even when it was taken. Oh and the people – only you can capture the true essence of the inner their true soul. Their eyes, each wrinkle that tells a story, their emotions. Those are what makes you a gifted photographer and storyteller.
Love all of the above captures and the water tank brings me back to wabi-sabi Saturdays. I miss those!
When Rick and I went to Aruba several years ago, we like to always explore on our own, where the natives live, eat, etc. Being such a small island, we not only rented a motorcycle but also a car to explore the entire island on our own. That was the best part of the trip. Finding caves and uninhabited beaches at the very end of the island. The ocean was beautiful but I was fascinated and stuck on the unique coral on the beach. There was no sand, it was full of such unique coral that I have never seen anything like it in my life. Some of it looked like beaded necklaces. I tried to capture it in photographs and just kept picking up pieces and soaking it all in, missing the bigger picture of the rough waves pounding on the rocky terrain.
Thank you as always for your beautiful perspective.
Love you.
xoxoxo
Your trip to Aruba sounds fascinating! Thanks for sharing! Always appreciate your visits Lisa…and your comments that just make my heart sing! xoxo
I’m not a photographer, but I do so enjoy seeing your beautiful photos. I love them all. However, I do have to say that if not for you capturing the details in some of these photos I would not have been able to see the faces in the trees and in the “worn and aging paint.” So much fun to discover what is hidden in the details! Love and hugs. XoXo
Thank you my dear! xoxo
I read the comment of Ginnie and it is true (and you are the lucky one to see both 🙂 ) I love details, however on my bikerides I do try to get the ‘bigger’ view. I have to force myself to do so. Last week though and I can still laugh about it, I was riding my bike (never real slow) and I spotted two snails on the road…… full in the brakes of course and I walked back to the spot…..the picture will be posted soon; two snails kissing…. can you imagine.
I love all the pictures of the Spanish moss. I first saw that in Florida and when we were in Savannah, oh that is Moss Heaven. That adds to everything. Love the macro of the moss. So I like the big picture, the more detailed do have maybe a 10% preference to me.
Great shot of the boot on the side of the horse in that ‘foot-thingy’ and the spurs.
Thanks Astrid!! Oh my…can’t wait to see those two snails!! Talk about the details! Love hearing how you deal with this bigger picture too!
I love many of your details, Robin, and utterly understand your preference. I’m also such a focused-on-details person and though I know it’s me, I decided to make that conscious effort to capture the bigger picture more often. The details are great and many times they tell their story, whatever it is, but sometimes I look at a detail some time later and miss the whole picture it was part of and wish I took it. Even if just for the sake of remembering it properly…
PS I love the first photo, for the whole of it and for all the details it consists of. 😉
Thank you Petra! Nice to have you visiting and hearing from your perspective as well!
As is true of all of your photos, Robin, these are wonderful. I like that I can create my own narrative when looking at them. In life I suppose I’m a “big picture” person, but in the short time that I’ve been practicing photography I find that, more and more, I’m drawn to the details. I only use my iPhone (though some may question its validity as a camera) and have found that a beautiful landscape is a beautiful landscape and there’s not much more that I can bring to it. Honing in on something that catches my eye and trying to capture it is more interesting to me. When we travel, I let my husband take the big pictures, safe in the knowledge that our trip will be documented, while I go in search of the shadows, textures, geometry or whatever else draws my eye. We’ll be in Provence in a week and I’m looking forward to finding some lovely details there.
Thanks so much Patricia! Love hearing more about your perspective on the bigger picture. I love playing with my iPhone and I can’t imagine anyone questioning its validity as a camera. Oh Provence…so love that area!! Have fun, safe travels and will be eagerly awaiting your images!
I love both – details and the big picture – as long as you take them. Breathtaking pictures! And the water tank texture looks like a Hockney painting!
Thank you and I so appreciate you mentioning Hockney…what an inspiration he is…still going strong at 77!!
I love both the full picture AND the details if you are the photographer! Beautiful.
Oh…sweet! Thank you Elena!
A whole world in the details…the peeling color of the watertank reminds me of flying over a lake, a face in the bark and especially thr wonderful mane in front of the vibrant blue! Fantastic.
I love to get close when I take pictures , my brain seems to absorb better in small portions(!)
That is why Africa overwhelms me-the sheer vastness of the countryside and the beauty.
Sometimes I even have to close my eyes…