Photo of the Day: The Laugh Lasts

An image cut from the same cloth as an earlier post, a detail of the remains of a poster on a wall, but this time without the extreme colour or the B&W elements. I love the textured tone of the wall, the lo-fi print quality of the poster, the iconic sentiment of the laugh… This is another image that I think would look great as a large print. I’m also starting to find it funny that I go half way round the world to travel round South America and then find these moments to capture that cannot really be categorised as either travel or landscape photography. I’m not too sure how to categorise it, or even if it needs to be. All I know is that the act of finding something worthwhile to preserve within the four sides of a frame, when there is all that information constantly invading my visual cortex, gives me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. Anything that makes you slow down and look has got to be a good thing.

I did take my fair share of landscapes, a few of which I’m pleased with and will be posting in the near future. It’s just that I think I know enough about photography and lighting to realise that when I’m rushing around from one location to another, more often than not I’m arriving at a particular spot at the wrong time of day, or even the wrong season. Landscape photography requires you to do your research and then, if you’re lucky, the elements may put on a show that will elevate your preparations up and beyond your expectations. It’s not enough just to be in the right place with the right framing, it’s the time that is the make or break element, in its relation to the light.

I remember arriving to Lake Titicaca and taking one of the many boat trips to the ‘Isla del Sol’. By the time we got there the sun was high overhead, the mountain range in the distance was covered in a blanket of cloud…, nothing about the still-glorious scene was going to produce a great landscape shot. At the end of the day, after crossing the border into Peru, the late evening light was casting an orange glow across the lake, reflecting off the mountain peak in the distance that at that moment had found a break in the clouds, a few fishermen were still out on their reed boats… I, on the other hand, was on a bus heading to the next destination. That’s just the way it is when travelling great distances and a wry smile is about all you can do about it. Sure, I could have stayed longer but there is always something else calling to you up ahead, in this case Cusco and the New Year! There was so much I wanted to see on this trip that I just had to be disrespectful in the amount of time I gave to any particular place. Note to self, for future trips, do less, to experience more (especially if landscapes are your thing).