Context vs. Details - photography musings

Something I've been pondering lately is the balance in photography between capturing details of a given event, like intricate embroidery on a wedding gown, and seeing more context, like that gown hanging next to a group of bridesmaids primping at the mirror. Each type of photograph has its own strengths. But something I'm learning is that you need to have both, if you want to truly tell a story and help others visualize, or remember, the event.

When I first started on my photography journey, my photos were almost all details. This is because my emphasis was on bringing out the unnoticed and forgotten details of the world. If I could make someone amazed at the texture of a little leaf from their own garden, for example, I'd done my job. My perspective was tiny and focused: to diminish the context so little worlds of beauty could really shine.

the dancer

this is an orchid i saw at a flower show this weekend. i didn't get many good pictures, because the setup kind of sucked for photographers...lots of flowers in close quarters, AND bad lighting! it was a learning experience for sure. i do like this one though, as it reminds me of a ballet dancer. for some reason it kind of looks like a painting.

holmes lake III

a trip to holmes lake with my new camera yielded some fun closeup shots! this is one of my favorite kinds of photography. anyways, enjoy (i know i did)! :)

peru pictures!

i've done so many things with my Peru pictures, i hope i don't have to look at them for a very long time! it's a wonder i got around to putting any up here. well, i'm tired of looking at them, but you might not be, so feast your eyes now because there won't be any more on this blog. anyways, i am not going to recount the itinerary here so visit my regular blog if you want to know why we went where.

so. first we have a couple of shots from out the bus window between lima and huanuco.

these are the pictures from our journey to angasmarca from huanuco.

next, we have some general pictures from around huanuco. these are miscellaneous pictures; therefore, they are captioned.

the rosengrens had a large "room" for birds in their home. it was really neat. these are some of the finches that resided in the bird room.

some of the large-sized fruit we ate every day.

a pretty tree outside our hotel.

a hotel we visited for lunch one day.

no translation needed. this is near the outside market.

now, for lima. these pictures are from a very americanized mall, and around town in general. first we have a view of a very nice and beautiful part of town.

the ocean near the mall, and the soccer court on the beach. the entire group. the ocean is behind us, but it's invisible in this picture.

to complete the cultural experience, we ate at...

hiding amongst the plentiful alpaca blankets.