The elements required for a great painting are the same as those
present in a great photograph but with one distinct difference. The
painter must decide what to “include” while a photographer must
decide what to “exclude.” Both artists must account for the
foundational elements of their work: composition, perspective,
color, tone, line, space, and texture. The painter starts with a
blank canvas that is empty and full of possibility, and then decides
what to paint. The photographer’s starting point is the viewfinder
brimming with all the elements vying for attention. Through this
chaos the photographer must choose how to simplify and create
order while guiding the viewer to the subject. True masters bring
forth works that embrace simplified visions awash with yet
undiscovered stories.
This regal and stately mountain, Paine Grande in the Parque
Nacional in Torres del Paine in southern Chile, was graced this
morning with amazing solitude and a perfect and simplistic frame.
Low clouds allowed the kiss of the morning sun to bathe the peaks
in a copper glow while a perfectly positioned driftwood and the
setting moon complete the frame with a resplendent flawless
reflection.