Last April as daffodils began to bloom Bob Maxon from Channel 30 posted a comment on the blog.
Geoff,
Have you ever been to “Daffodil Hill” in Litchfield County? With your love of photography, and a rag top, you should venture up there next weekend, as its still little early for the hills to be blooming. It is a breathtaking spot…if you want directions, drop me a line.
He said the magic word–“photography.” It’s more obsession than love. I asked for directions.
This weekend last year I drove up, fell in love and shot a few hundred photos at one of the most beautiful spots in Connecticut. I walked out of the car and looked at acre upon acre of daffodils growing wild and free. Four shots from that trip are now framed and hung in the eat-in portion of our kitchen.
I don’t know the full story, but in 1941 Virginia and Remy Morosani planted them “for all to enjoy.” It’s now run by the Laurel Ridge Foundation.
This year I asked my photo buddy Steve if he wanted to come along? We met on site late in the afternoon (his wife’s idea to get more dramatic lighting). The daffodils didn’t sem quite as fully in bloom as last year. Maybe that’s a product of our brutal winter?
Here’s how I know photography has become an obsession. I brought a backpack and a separate bag with my tripod! This was going to be a technical exercise for me.
It didn’t take more than a few minutes for the tripod to be unpacked with my camera placed on top. The tripod and camera were low enough I had to lay on my belly to focus and shoot. My idea was to get sharp foreground and fuzzy background, meaning a long lens (my 70-300mm at 300mm) and fast shutter speeds.
Much of the rest of the afternoon was spent executing this very specific game plan. I’m not sure if this is how photography is supposed to work? It’s only recently that I’ve been taking a large portion of my shots this way.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know I feel photography is much more technical execution than artistry. I’m just following my own advice and, at least this time, I was happy with the results.
At one point a man walked by carrying a tiny dog. I asked if I could take a few shots? As I did a woman walked by with a little girl. The man asked if the girl wanted to pet the dog?
As the dog was put down on the ground the little girl began to giggle uncontrollably. I think my best shot of the afternoon was a candid, handheld, of the girl with the dog. i wish the lighting was better, but this was really on-the-fly.