415 - Bahía de Loreto
Today's shoot was at Bahía de Loreto, Mexico. But I want to start this post off by working through a thought I'm struggling with.
For some reason it's emotionally difficult for me to sort through photos that are "good" per say, and photos that are "key components" of an adventure. For example, if I take a good, small photo I'll obviously share it- because it helps contribute a small, artsy detail to the adventure.
But more often than not, I'll take photos on these adventures that are "key component" of a place, but aren't that creatively good. And I have this desire to post them to show the context of everything, but I know they're not solid, creative photos. They're merely snapshots.
You know, like what "normal" people take on their cell phones.
For example, on today's shoot, we were taking a boat around Isla Danzante and Isla Carmen, off the coast of Baja California. I snagged several "big scene" photos that will help me remember what the whole island looked like, but I wouldn't want to show them off under the veil of "artful photography." Because they're not... They simply exist in my head as an emotional connection to the good memories of the place.
Although it CAN be extremely tempting to post these boring, yet seemingly "epic" shots to the public, don't.
See, I believe there's a big difference between people who post things to show that they were there, and people who post things to show their art. For the former, the intent is to make someone feel bad for not being there, usually through an uninspired snap on the phone. For the latter, the intent is to give a gift through the service of your creation, which for some photos, can take a massive amount of effort.
The hard part is that it's up to the creator to determine the difference. This isn't so much of an issue in other artforms, because painting, drawing, dancing, etc. all require an effort to create the gift. Whereas with photography, you can show something with minimal effort OR with massive effort.
Therefore, my conclusion to this thought is as follows. Before you post a photo, sit down and think. Does this represent my creative mind (i.e. a gift to the consumer,) or does it simply represent a "brag" (i.e. put down the consumer) about your location?
Obviously no one can be the judge of this, except you. Namely because people are all at different skill levels of photography. One person's "gift to the consumer," could simply be perceived as a "brag" to another.
Alright. Now that I've jumped through that hoop, let's get to today's shoot. Which was frickin' epic, by the way. We went boating through Bahía de Loreto National Park, which is 50% underwater. AKA it was a snorkeling AND island hopping adventure.
Since I don't have an underwater housing unit for my camera, I didn't get to shoot any photos underwater. I DID however realize that I have a strong desire to do this in the future, because I didn't realize how epic underwater photography can be.
In the right place, with the right fish, it could be INSANE. Like today we were snorkeling with a school of sardines, bright yellow fish, and stingrays. It blew my mind to pieces... They all would have made INSANE shots had I been shooting underwater. But I wasn't... so that's a mute point.
Let's get to the shots I DID shoot today. Which starts off with a frickin' whale's fin:
“Jaws’ Cousin”
Sony a7rIII + Sony 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 100 ~ 70mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/4000s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
I did NOT expect to see whales on this trip, so when we saw 4 of them and a couple dolphins, it was a pleasant surprise.
Now, back to the original topic of this post. There's a REASON I wrote that...
I originally HAD a shot of a whale shooting water up right by our boat, but it wasn't a good shot, at all, however epic the moment actually was. To post it wouldn't be a representation of my creative mind, but merely a brag that it happened.
This specific shot of the whale's fin is way more creatively sound, and a representation of my artful mind. So I chose to keep this "less epic," but "more creative" shot in favor of the "more epic" but "less creative." shot. See what I mean?
However, the other shot it's still going to remain in my PERSONAL photo library to remember, just not my PUBLIC gallery.
Phew. That was a mouthful. Let's get back to the adventure.
In addition to the whale shots, I got some nice minimalist shots of the island cliffs of Isla Danzante, where strange cacti were somehow growing right out of the rock. Here's my top three favorite shots:
“Pocket Saguaro”
Sony a7rIII + Sony 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 100 ~ 70mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“Throne of the Falcon”
Sony a7rIII + Sony 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 100 ~ 26mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“Withered Crack”
Sony a7rIII + Sony 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 100 ~ 49mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/1250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
Those were all shot from the MOVING boat, with a zoom lens. Practicing what I learned the other day at Baja Rocks about framing moving compositions FAST to gain practice.
I realize the first cactus shot has a slightly different style than the other two (not as harsh of contrast,) but it felt more fitting for that particular shot. I find it difficult to “stuff” multiple shots under one style type.
And finally, to wrap it up, I took a blurred out photo of Haley with the islands in the distance behind here. I wanted some type of human component to compliment the earlier shots in this shoot, and this was the perfect balance:
“Strawberry Islands”
Sony a7rIII + Sony 24-70mm f/4
[ISO 100 ~ 53mm ~ f/4 ~ 1/4000s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
I think those types of shots are becoming trendy nowadays. Who knows why.
Alright. That's it for this shoot.
All I'm going to say is that if you're ever thinking about going to Bahía de Loreto, you have to do a boat tour. It only cost us $85 each for a six hour private tour of two islands with snorkeling and lunch included. The islands ARE the National Park.
OK. Bye.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
*Please note this page contains affiliate links.
