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Where There Are No Pictures [continued]

I enjoy photographing harbors and marinas. I particularly like capturing images of quaint New England seaside scenes.  I’ve spent many happy hours shooting marinas located along rugged coastlines.  I like grabbing shots of the boats with their tall masts, the graying weather-beaten docks, the barnacle-covered pilings and the shredded ropes attached to them. However, over the past several years, upon arriving at these destinations, I’ve found that things have changed.  The weather-worn boardwalks and docks have been replaced with walkways made of synthetic weather-resistant materials.  The picturesque faded coils of rope lying on the docks have been usurped by lengths of intertwined bright blue and white nylon.  The old boats, their sides covered with peeling paint are now sleek shiny watercrafts clad with miles of fiberglass.  The once enticing scenes worthy of a calendar page now look like ads in Boating magazine.  So what do you do if this happens to you?

If, like me, you’ve found yourself in a situation or place where you’re thinking, “There are no pictures here; nothing worth photographing” maybe it’s time to take a different approach. You may want to step back and say, “I bet if I really look around, there just might be some good shots here.”  I’m a firm believer that wherever you go there are pictures lying in hiding.  It’s up to you to open your eyes, ratchet up your creativity, and really, I mean really…look around.  The marina scenario above is real. I was about to pack up my camera and head home when I decided that I was not leaving without some nautical pictures.  Okay, I thought, “Maybe they won’t have that old sea coasty feel.”  As I started to shoot, it became a challenge and a lot of fun.  I pretended that I was shooting for a boating publication.  I took perspective shots of sleek aluminum railings going back toward the end of the dock, wide-angle shots of the bright red front of an ultra-modern boat glistening in the sun. I shot the abstract reflection in the water of the name “Misty Lady” that was painted on the side of one boat.  I got in close on the coiled nylon rope and got a cool macro shot of where the blue and white strands met.  I came home with an array of shots that I really liked!

My point is simply that wherever you go, there are pictures waiting to be revealed by you and your camera.  Don’t get discouraged and give up.  Even if you come home with just one good shot feel satisfied.  You may like it so much that you end up hanging it on your wall!  Maybe it’ll get published and receive worldwide acclaim!

Okay, let’s not get carried away.  Just remember there are really no places where there are no pictures.