The Archive: Gettysburg, PA
Image Retrospective: Gettysburg, PA
A few weeks before I left for Chad, my parents, Lindsey and I went to Gettysburg, PA for a few days. This shot is taken of Lindsey on a early morning run through the park.
Whenever we go some place, I’m always looking for images that can be used in the travel industry or some thing similar. With the case of Lindsey being a runner, I’ve always got an opportunity to use her as a subject in these type of images. I think this is the third photo of her published in Runners World. The key to the approach at large is to make the image interesting and yet somewhat generic. Editors want striking images but sometimes the image will be used somewhat out of context. The Patagonia catalogs used to do this really well; show a subject that relatively matched the text but neither was dependent upon each other - the image only added to the overall layout look.
What caught my eye as she was running was the obviously the diagonal warm sun rays cutting through the forest. The problem, was that this light wasn’t happening everywhere, it was only in a few spots, where moisture collected in the low parts of the land. Also, there was so much clutter because of the forest, that I really needed to simplify the image somehow. I ended up using a 200mm f/2 because I really wanted to compress as much of that very 3D space and light so it really popped. With a normal lens or wide, the many layers in this image would have been too dispersed through its depth of field.
I recommend using long glass when you want to place your subject in the context. I carry the extra weight even when I go backpacking, that’s how important it is. Use a long lens, and back way up. Start looking at your subject through this perspective and eventually you will be able to see these moments come together without looking through the view finder.
