Kip’s Comments - October 19, 2024

Oct 19

Conveying a Theme Without Details

The summer of 2024 has been so very interesting. For the first time since I was ten or eleven years old I have more freedom than ever before. Retiring early has been liberating beyond what I could have imagined. Yet, due to health issues, my wilderness wandering has been non-existent because of stringent activity limitations. So, I put my efforts into making the best of our outdoor world close to home.

As I contemplated today’s outdoor moments image, the subject came easy. My goal was to create an image that clearly illustrates a theme, yet the same image should not be so crisp and clear that all details are front and center. I wanted something that said “paddling” or “canoeing” or “Kip is on the water” or something similar. At the same time I did not want the final image to provide all details - like “Kip is out paddling on the Wapsipinicon River in an Old Town canoe on a sunny day.” The final product needed to work locally or for a wilderness theme. (Since visiting a remote area is out of the question, I can think about it through a photo.) Finally, I wanted a picture that could hang on a wall in a home, office, doctor’s exam room, or just about anywhere - something with a calm message or a thought-provoker.

By composing a tight view of my canoe paddle on my canoe, with minimal details, viewers can easily recognize the theme. The multiple reflections of the sun, the gentle waves, the subtle cloud reflections, the water on the paddle, and the dark shadows made this work. For me this image met my criteria. Hopefully you are seeing what I intended. Hopefully this one image generated various thoughts that brought a calming peace to an otherwise busy day.