strictly scenic: May 2008 Archives

Many years ago, a good friend and I put together THE BEST RICE, or 11 steps to good composition. THE BEST RICE is the first letter for each rule. For example, the first T stood for "Thirds, Rule of", and continued with the other letters. It's elementary, but simple. lt was used to help York Daily Record correspondents in their photography, explaining that getting a good picture was more than hitting the shutter release.

Sometimes, you shoot a picture that works. It's pretty, pleasing and, well, it just works. Can't explain it. This photo is one that breaks all the rules, including the Rule of Thirds.

Was shot Monday on the Great Allegheny Passage, a bike trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. Hand held at 1/2 second and f11, 200 ISO.

Not interested in losing my mortgage payment on the tables at Atlantic City, we cruised instead to Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge recently, so close to AC we could almost hear the quarters in the slot machines.

The fine folks at the visitors center there warned me that it was a lousy day for birding. "It's cold, windy and rainy," he said, repeating what I already knew. It was, indeed, a miserable day. The wind was so strong on the dikes I couldn't hold the camera steady; rain was 'falling' horizontally, and fortunately I had a pair of gloves with me to keep the fingers warm.

Why spend a full day in those conditions?