Rick Allen Photography Blog

A new video will post early Monday morning, describing some of the challenges I faced in placing the horizon line in a series of images taken mostly in Death Valley National Park, California.  It was interesting for me to recall the issues I faced and to review (at least in my own head) how some of them were less than totally successful, as I struggled to balance the multiple elements in the frame, where the horizon is just one of those elements.

The funny part, which I make only passing reference in the video, was the fact that I tried to get clever when shooting the above image.  Thinking how smart I was to have brought along waders, I was literally in one of the reflecting ponds, a rareity in itself in Death Valley’s Cow Creek.  It never occurred to me that while I twisted and turned to optimize the composition, that I was sinking deeper and deeper into the muck of this pond.

All of a sudden, I was empathizing with all of those dinosaurs trapped by the edge of some water pool, only to have some dinosaur-ologist find their bones some 65 million years later.  Fortunately for me, help was a lot closer than 65 million years, and I was able to get out - with only 3″ of mud stuck to my tripod and boots.  Jeezz.

Oh well, the video is a lot more serious in tone, trying to share Elements of Design with a photography audience.  I hope you will take a minute to watch it, actually 13 minutes to be exact.

Rick