Traditional photography advice is to have the sun back over your shoulder so it lights up your subject. It’s a solid tip in some circumstances, such as most portraiture. Yet it’s hardly a hard and fast rule. Want some drama? Position the sun to your side for contrasting light and shadows, or even shoot toward the sun. On this quite chilly morning while hiking in Sedona, Arizona, I wasn’t too concerned about lighting up this desert plant’s leaves when the most interesting thing about them was the abundant, backlit hoar frost.
Some rules hold water and are followed when the circumstances call for it. As is often said though, it’s equally important to know when to break ‘em. While at this point I hope I’m practiced enough to know when to follow a photography rule and when not to, I still try to continually approach shooting with what Zen Buddhists call don’t-know mind. It’s so I’m not stuck mindlessly following the same path in art as before. Anne naturally does this and I learn so much just by watching her approach a scene. Just like in life, even if elements might seem familiar, it’s a never-before-seen moment right now, so we have the opportunity to consider and act on it anew.
