Our penultimate day, and the start of a wind down after the previous hectic four days. A little over an hour from Missoula is the small town of Philipsburg, the location of todays three hour field shoot, and a cool historic town which offered us loads of opportunities. Most of the store fronts were very photogenic, and the insides, specifically the two level candy store, even more so – where once I would have gone crazy, snapping everything that offered even slight appeal, I’ve now learnt to be far more specific, taking note of my surroundings and the composure of my images.
With my critique photos today being of dandelions and the side of a balcony I had steered myself clear of what I now thought were cluttered store fronts. Mission accomplished, this intermediate photography course had substantially changed the perception I now had of my surroundings! What could the advanced level do?
The previous evenings night time image and todays photo comparisons were both a success, at least with the instructor – hopefully my classmates also enjoyed the photos I selected. It seems to me that I’m now doing far better with close up photography, showing shallow depth of field with loads of blur and little blank space, than I am with grand landscapes. Maybe this is the path I’m being steered down!